A favorite loop route to hike in any season is in the Balancing Rock Hills. The main feature is Balancing Rock which stands on a sidehill of a gully leading down to Kamloops Lake. The hike to the first viewpoint is about 1 km.
The pillar has a different look from each side, so it is worth the hike down to the lower end of the ridge for a different viewpoint.
We try to hike a loop route, taking in a series of ridges over the lake. Across Kamloops Lake to the northeast is Peregrine Bluff and a series of ridges and gullies around it. It can be hiked from the Dewdrop Range roads on the north side of the lake.
A number of old snags stand on the slope break overlooking the lake. The abandoned Eighteen Mile Ranch is directly north, across the lake.
At the northwest end of the loop route, a large glacial erratic overlooks a gully leading down to the lakeshore.
Across the lake are a series of fluted ridges on the flanks of Rousseau Hill, shaped by erosion.
A few lone trees have survived insect infestations and drought on the open slopes above the lake.
The “5-star view”, though, is from the end of one of the ridges, looking east up Kamloops Lake toward Tranquille, 25 km in the distance.
On the loop back a series of rocky hills overlooking the lake looked ominous in the low winter sun.
The Balancing Rock Hills are a good choice for a day with nice weather, preferably in the shoulder seasons.
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