Kamloops Grasslands Loop
- Bob Dalton
- Nov 19, 2025
- 9 min read
Updated: Nov 27, 2025
For this trip I followed the route called the BC Grasslands Circuit on bikepacking.com. Many thanks to Alex Cooper for his efforts. You can find the gpx file here.
I rode this route over three days in early May (May 5,6,7) of 2025 as recommended by Alex and for me that was perfect. Due to all the climbing it would have be a very difficult 2 day ride. I recommend considering 4 days if you have any concern about your climbing fitness and that would have the added benefit of spending another night at one of the great camp spots I saw but didn’t camp at. There are good spots that would be great for just chillin. Here is a summary of my days:
3.5 Hours Riding Time (17 kph)
4.0 Hours Elapsed (15 kph)
6.25 hours riding time (16.5 kph)
7.75 hours elapsed time (13.1 kph)
Today would have only been about 90km and a bit less climbing but I had to do some backtracking.
6.1 hours riding time (17.8 kph)
8.0 hours elapsed time (13.6 kph)
My Rig
I rode my Santa Cruz Stigmata configured as follows:
Single 38T front chainring with 10-52 cassette - The Stigmata standard 1X configuration has a 42T front chainring. I installed a Wolf-Tooth 38 and am really glad I did. There are some very steep climbs on this route.
45 mm Maxxis Rambler tubeless tires - I flatted badly once and had to switch to a tube. Not the fault of the tire but for this route I recommend going to as big a tire as your bike can handle. There were some very sharp rocks on the forest service roads. After this trip I upgraded to 50mm Maxxis Ramblers - he max I can fit on the Stigmata.
Tailfin Rear Rack with Tailfin Rack Top Bag and two 10L Tailfin mini paniers
Tailfin 2.2L Top Tube Bag
Old Man Mountain Axle Pack rack mounts on the front forks holding two 10L Tailfin Mini Paniers
Apidura Expedition Handlebar Bag with 4L Backcountry Accessory Pocket added - this small bag was super handy.
I wore a small backpack (5L) for miscellaneous items.
Water: two 750ml water bottles on the seat tube and down tube. One 1L Nalgene strapped to the underside of the down tube - I was glad to have the extra water. Even this early in the season it was hot and dry and my body went through water quickly. I also carried my MSR Water Filter and used it a lot in the lakes.
I carried bear spray and although I didn’t use it I was glad to have it. I had two bear encounters on the roads - yelling was enough to scare them off in both cases.
Day 1 - Kamloops to Stump Lake
I parked and left my car at the Rose Hill Disc Golf parking lot. I didn’t have any problems with that though in hindsight I could easily have driven further up Rose Hill and parked somewhere near or at the top and skipped the beast of a climb that is Rose Hill that ad sections at 15%. But that would have reduced the adventure and the accomplishment - right? Seriously, I’m glad I tackled that climb with a fully loaded bike. It felt good.
After Rose Hill the roads were great and the views were beautiful. The homes on the north end of Stump Lake look inviting and generally the area has a great feel. I had time left in the day and could have continued to Peter Hope Lake and stayed at the recreation campsites there as it is only an additional 12km but as I learned the next morning it is 12km of hard climbing so I recommend stopping at Stump unless you are feeling really strong. As it was I had some quad cramps in the evening as I was relaxing - I think I didn’t drink enough water during the day - the remainder of the trip were longer days with more climbing and I had no cramping issues.
The Stump Lake Campground was relatively busy. I mean there were spots available but there was no privacy, it is more of an RV site and there were some big RV/Trailers there along with generators. Not my cup of tea as they say. So, I followed my nose up a trail a bit north of the campsites and found an excellent open grasslands area on a point of land up high off the lake. The view from there was great and it was a short roll downhill back to the recreation sites when I needed water or the facilities.
I didn’t eat a lot during the four hours I was on the bike.
I had a Tim’s BELT in Kamloops just before I started riding.
I ate two cliff bars, one pita bread and three chips ahoy cookies while riding.
I drake two full 750ml bottles of water (3.5 hours of riding - not enough) Probably didn’t eat enough either.
Dinner was Mountain House Lasagna with meat sauce with two pita bread and a couple of cookies.
Day 2 - Stump Lake to Salmon Lake
Day 2 started on a paved section Peter Hope Road, a very nice surface but with grades up to 15% nd the climb continues until you arrive at Peter Hope Lake. The recreation camp sites at Peter Hope look very nice but the area was busy. The camp sites are nicer than Stump but I was happy with my decision to stop at Stump as I think that climb would have been too much for me yesterday. My climbing felt strong this morning.
From Peter Hope Lake you keep climbing up to Glimpse Lake where I popped in to see the recreation camp sites there. They look great and the place was deserted - perhaps there are no fish in Glimpse?!
The roads from Glimpse all the way to the Douglas Lake Ranch are excellent - a combination of gravel and paved with lots of gorgeous views. I stopped at the General Store at the Douglas Lake Ranch for water and a few snacks before continuing on towards Salmon Lake. That 20km or so section from Douglas to Salmon is also dry nice - a gentle uphill most of the way. I encountered a very strong headwind on that section but it as all pretty easy riding. I dropped into the store at Salmon Lake where I met Anlee and her daughter who were staffing the store. They were both friendly and we had a lovely chat. At this point I was 90m into my day but it as only about 2pm and my legs felt good. I knew there were potential wilderness camp spots along the next 20-30km section so I decided to press on. About 10km later I stopped to take take a photo and that is when I realized I didn’t have my phone! I knew exactly where it was, I remembered putting it down on the bench outside the store as I ate an ice cream. I had no choice but to turn back. It was a bit of a grind because mentally I knew I was making negative progress and as much as I should get over that (it’s just riding after all) it was really bugging me and I was upset at myself for forgetting my phone. Not to mention that first 10km was beautiful flown downhill that I now had to climb back up!
When I got to within about 2 km of Salmon Lake I saw a pickup heading towards me - the first vehicle I had seen since leaving Salmon Lake. It turned out to be Anlee’s husband with my phone! How kind of them. She noticed my phone and called her husband and he immediately headed out pursuing me. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude and wish them lots of success and happiness - they are relatively recent immigrants from South Africa. I could have continued my day from there but by this point I was getting physically tired and I was mentally quite tired so I decided to camp at Salmon Lake. It is a nice spot. The campground is designed primarily for RVs but there is a nice area for tents and there were very few campers so I spent a nice quiet afternoon and evening next to the lake.
Today was an 8 hour day with about 6 hours of it riding. I ate:
• Three cliff bars
• Half bag chips - 200g bag.
• Kit Kat full size
• Two or three chips ahoy
• Four full 750ml bottles of water.
• Dinner - mountain house chicken and rice with two pitas.
Day 3 Salmon Lake to Kamloops
My morning preparation seems to be a bit slow. It always takes me 90 minutes to 2 hours to have breakfast and get packed up but I take my time and enjoy myself so what does it matter? The route from Salmon Lake starts on the Douglas Lake Road (gravel) which is a great surface and the first several km are awesome easy riding with a generally gentle downhill and some short steep downhill sections - a great way to to start the day. The route then veers off onto Monte Creek FSR which is quieter - like absolutely no vehicles all the way to Monte Lake - but a much more rugged surface that is not well maintained. Much of the section to Monte Lake is also clear cut. You could remain on Monte Lake Road all the way to Monte if you wanted to go faster and ride a better surface but you would encounter quite a few vehicles as ML Road is the main route through that area. I recommend following the route.
On one of the downhills on the forest service road towards Monte I as carrying way too much speed and hit something sharp and firm which immediately blew out my front tire. I hit so hard I though for sure I had destroyed my wheel. I was about half way between Salmon and Monte at this point and had seen no one since I turned off of Monte Road so it would have been a long walk had I not recovered from that. There was no way the tubeless sealant was going to hold the split in the sidewall so I put in a tube and continued on my way somewhat nervously as I was not sure the tire would hold up - it did. I now always carry at least two tubes and I think it would be wise to also carry a spare tire though I have not been doing that.
The last part of the FSR into Monte Lake is a nice surface and gentle downhill at which point you merge with Highway 97. There is a food truck at that intersection but I didn't try it - but not because I didn’t want or need to - I stopped at the corner store just before the food truck and didn’t notice it until riding past after my break! Next time I’ll make a point of going. You stay on Highway 97 for the next 5 or 7 km at which point you turn off onto Barnhartevale Road for a brief section before following the Robins Range Road (gravel) where the climbing starts again. Barnhartevale road is a nice paved surface and you could just stay on that if you wanted as I think the riding would be great but Robins Range is a great section of road that I don't think you want to miss. I should note that there is a dog that came after me at a farm on this section; I don’t know if it would have been aggressive with me but I didn’t take any chances and managed to sprint away. Eventually you reconnect with Barnhartevale Road (paved) which is great riding, before you jump on Campbell Creek Road (gravel) which is a very nice section before you hit the Princeton-Kamloops Highway and a long climb on the shoulder which as a bit demoralizing. You could choose to stay on the highway and cruise into Kamloops but the route takes you back up Rose Hill and down the other side back to where the route starts. I recommend sticking with the route - it is a hard climb for no real reason other than it is there and it is very scenic, but hey that’s why we do this. I really enjoyed this day.
My food during this 8 hour day with 6 hours of riding included:
Two cliff bars
One pita bread
A few chips ahoy cookies
One ice cream sandwich
One Kit Kat bar
About 3 liters of water - I should have had more.
Hmmmm - need to work on the quality of my food. Nothing like pure sugar.
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