The Interior hills went through a warming trend mid-winter and the valley bottom and lower hills dried out, then some cold temperatures came in and the ground froze.   In winter we often can’t hike the Mara Trail without encountering some ice and mud, but in late January the trails were dry and hard for a winter hike.    We hiked the Outer Loop of the Mara Trail on a sunny but cold morning.

We chose to hike a counter-clockwise loop, winding up through the sagebrush-covered south-facing slopes to a series of viewpoints.

The trail climbs over the lower slopes of Mara Mountain which stands above to the northeast like a battleship above the hills.

The route looped over to hills overlooking the Tranquille River.   Across the canyon the Pimple stood in front and below Jag Hill, the easternmost hilltop of Red Plateau.

Before we started down the hills we enjoyed the viewpoint looking down the Tranquille River to Tranquille and Kamloops Lake.

This hike is a 5 km route, just right for colder conditions in winter.