Mara Loop Trail - April 20, 2022

We have hiked the Mount Mara area many times hiking to the Lava Bluffs and to the top of Mount Mara, but never tried the Mara Loop, so it was time to do so. It's about a 3.5 km hike with 216m ascent (according to my Gaia app) in the grasslands of west Kamloops, past the airport. We thoroughly enjoyed it. To get there, go past the airport on Tranquille Road, past the golf course and Cinnamon Ridge composting. The parking lot is about 100 feet past crossing over the CN Rail tracks; its a dirt pullover on the right side of the road (google maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/rE3QDAM8gHodnb9z5). You will see trail signs in at the north end and east side of the parking area. We followed the sign on the east side of the parking lot that says 'Mara Loop,' but the trail that starts out as a double track that is easy to follow, becomes difficult to follow due to the many walking paths that have developed on this popular trail. We recommend NOT starting the Mara Loop in this direction. INSTEAD, start from the north end of the parking lot and walk up the double track about a kilometer until you see a sign on the right (not a very big sign, but similar to the one in the photo at the end of this blog). Follow the sign taking this path off the double track and it will be easy to follow through the grasslands and back down towards the parking lot on a reasonable grade (not too steep). Midway along the loop there is a nice bench with a great view. Enjoy it!

Photo above taken from parking lot lookin east. Mount Mara is in the background.

Above is the view from the bench

Mount Mara is in the background in the photo above