It would be rare to meet someone at Painted Bluffs. It is a remote and quiet spot on the north side of Kamloops Lake. For those who do visit the site, most stay on the lower slopes, but some of the upper gullies and ridges have some surprises for explorers. On this last paddle and hike, I was able to find a gully that took me all the way to the top and then used two more gullies to come down into a different area. New views and some finds awaited me.
Blazing star
Bighorn sheep skull
An old mine opening
Boulders on the wash
The descent came down a gully into another world, a primeval and strange landscape, a place to quietly focus one’s sense of wonder.
High on the ridges in a barren, infertile soil infused with iron, copper, and cinnabar, a few scrubby plants survive and some blazing stars can be found in unlikely spots.
As winter approaches, we reflect on the seasons now past and a few special places blaze in our memories. Canyonlands, Zion, Azure Lake, and Painted Bluffs burn bright in our connections to the outdoors.
If you travel to Painted Bluffs Provincial Park on the north shore of Kamloops Lake, you can hike into the bluffs, and when you do, you will be stunned by the "other-wordly" feeling of the shapes and colors in front of you. Eroded, sinuous multi-colored slopes drain the slopes above, channeling water into one stream gully above the alluvial fan. You can hike up onto the narrow ridges on the slopes, finding various vantage spots for your explorations.
What do we know about this area?
Very little geological information is available on this area. What we do know is that the bluffs have distinctive multi-colored rocks and soils on an intrusion of batholithic rocks.
A batholith is a large zone of molten rock under the surface of the earth that cools over time.
An intrusion is an arm of the batholith that has risen to the surface and cooled, forming minerals in the process.
Batholithic intrusions often stand out (are discordant) from the local geology.
The bluffs have been eroded into distinctively-shaped barren ridges and gullies, all leading down to a fluvial fan.
Fluvial fans are formed by the movement of water bringing materials down stream.
Alluvial fans are formed when a stream course suddently widens and flattens. Materials are deposited in a fan shape.
The hillsides surrounding are covered in big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass. California bighorn sheep frequent the ridges. The colors off the bluffs are intriguing. Deposits of mercury, copper, and cinnabar have altered the hues of these materials.
Mercury was raised to the surface through the intrusions and cooled in cinnabar formations. Most mercury deposits around the world are found in cinnabar.
Cinnabar (mercuric sulphide) is the common ore of mercury.
Cinnabar is usually brick red to crimson in color. It is an ingredient used in red pigments.
Copper is an ore common to the area (ie Copper Creek).
Copper compounds are often found as salts of copper, and impart a green or blue color.
Climb the ridges to enjoy the sinuous shapes:
Watch for California bighorn sheep:
Most of all, bring your camera and put yourself amongst the bluffs:
Hike or paddle there, but plan on staying long enough to explore the park.
This site feels prehistoric, other-worldy, unique.
The combination of shapes and colors makes this a very special place. Its quite close to home, but hard to get to.
Route Choice One – Go past Savona and turn onto the Sabiston Creek Road. Follow it to the Copper Creek Road and descend towards the lake. You will come to private property. You can proceed and ask permission to cross the property and if you do, park near the railroad tracks. If you don’t want to ask for permission, you can park above the property and traverse the sidehills for about a kilometre. There is no trail and there are some fences. If you can park at the lake, the Bluffs are to the east and you have to either go through the train tunnel (not recommended), around the shoreline on rocks (boulder hopping), or climb over the hill (scramble). None of these routes are long but all involve some rough terrain.
Route Choice Two (recommended). Launch your boat from Savona or from Tobiano and paddle across the lake. Crossing the open lake on a windy day is not recommended so either wait for a calm day, or hug the shoreline to the river mouth and paddle up the shoreline. The paddle across from Savona or Tobiano is about an hour. There is a sandy/gravel beach to land on. Beach your boat, put on your hiking boots, and head north up the gully. Cross the tracks and start your exploration.
Once you arrive at the spot, you can explore the eroded canyons, ridges, and boulder slopes. Bring your camera and your sense of wonder. This site is one of the “Seven Wonders of Our Area.”
