Image Credit: Adam Donnelly / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

TRENDING: NATURE PARKS

Kamloops nature parks in high demand with more than 1 million visits in 2020

Feb 9, 2021 | 4:44 PM

KAMLOOPS — A winter cold snap has arrived in Kamloops, but there’s no shortage of people getting out to enjoy the blue skies and sunshine from city parks.

The trail count for 2019 was around 600,000 visits and Parks and Civic Operations Manager Jeff Putnam says the past year has even busier for nature park activity with 1,003,278 visits.

“We just finished tracking for 2020 and we’re thrilled to say that we actually reached one million trail visits in Kamloops, which just blew all of us away.”

Hiking, biking — really any activities that can be done outside have been entertainment staples of the pandemic. Natural Resources Crew Leader Kirsten Wourms says the city’s infrared trail counters have confirmed local nature parks have never been so popular.

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“We’ve been lucky that people are starting to explore different parks within the city. We’ve definitely noticed some of our little hidden parks, like the Dallas / Barnhartvale Nature Park, definitely numbers increasing there — which is fantastic to see.”

Wourms says the city does ask enthusiastic park users to respect the delicate vegetation and resist any urge to stray from the designated paths, especially when the snow melts away.

“As it starts to warm up, you’ll notice some of the trails start to get a little mucky. So we do seasonal trail closures so people can stay off those trails and just give them the time to dry.”

Expansive trail options and plenty of outdoor space means there isn’t max user threshold set for a park, but Putnam says eventually there will be more sanctioned trails to explore.

“There’s definitely a lot of sensitivity about expansion of a trail system, but it’s in our long term trails master plan,” he explains, “Like in east Kamloops, the Barnhartvale / Valleyview area, definitely we’d like to add more trails there.”

For now, residents can take full advantage of the existing spaces in Peterson Creek, Kenna Cartwright, Valleyview and Barnhartvale/Dallas. Wourms says there are even guided options to build up familiarity with the areas.

“We’ve got winter nature walks, as well as another set coming in the spring. Take a look in our activity guide because we definitely love getting people out to parks that they’re not used to.”

The cold weather can be daunting for the unprepared, but Wourms says proper footwear and clothing will let you comfortably enjoy what city nature parks have to offer.