On a hot day I got an early start to hike through the Vista Hills from the pipeline track.    Rather than follow signed (official) trails, I went onto a faint single track over to the fenceline.    From there I was off-trail, working my way up the slopes on the western edge of Kenna Cartwright Park.    I went to the top of the hill at the Vista viewpoint, then followed established trails to loop back.

From the viewpoint, hikers are rewarded with long views west to Kamloops Lake.

One of the reasons I took this route was to enjoy blazing stars (Menzelia laevicaulis) in bloom.    They grow on rocky, dry, south-facing slopes and flower at the start of summer.    There are a number on the south side of the rocky hilltop.

Rather than hike down the pipeline track, I followed other trails before descending to the track.

On this day I had finished the hike by 9 am, conserving some energy for a longer hike planned for the next day.