On a sunny July morning, time was limited so I chose to hike a known route which started at the end of the McLeod and Uplands Rd. trailhead. A number of single track trails wind over the grasslands benches, all great for spring and fall hiking. There are also some trails that climb into the hills, used by hikers and mountain bikers. Some of the trails link to routes above Juniper Ridge. These are user-made trails with no signage, but some are on mapping apps (Trailforks, Maps.me, and others) to help with navigation. For this day, the goal was to get to the top of a ridge overlooking the South Thompson River Valley. It is a rocky, grassland, open ridge with wide views.
The trail starts by winding through the forest, paralleling a gasline track, then one trail goes steeply south, up the hill. The trail splits with both single tracks going up to small passes behind ridges.
This day I turned to the right, then left the trail to hike over the top of the ridge. The view to the west looks down the river valley to Kamloops. At the east end of the ridge is a view upriver. Hills rise up to the south and to the north.
I would have liked to have climbed to another ridge up high, but I had to get back. After exploring the ridge and enjoying the views, I hiked back the way I had come.
"The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep."
Robert Frost
