The four nature parks I'm about to highlight have some of the best off-leash dog walks in Kamloops. The parks are all beautiful in their own way. They are dog friendly, have well marked trails for every fitness level and are easy to access. Kenna Cartwright in Dufferin is the largest with the most trails to choose from, while the waterfalls, cave and lushness around Peterson Creek are only found in Kamloops' most central nature park.
Valleyview Nature Park and Dallas-Barnhartvale Nature Park offer magnificent views of silt valleys, gullies, outcrops, and the stunning South Thompson River.
Kenna Cartwright Nature Park
Kenna Cartwright is the largest of the South Kamloops Nature Parks with nearly 800 hectares of land and over 40 kilometers (25 miles) of trails. The park has four main entrances, Hillside Drive (most popular), Pacific Way, Home Depot, and Bunker Road Recycling Depot. Each entrance has designated parking stalls and posted trail maps.
The trails within the park are well marked and well used but there is still plenty of opportunity to break free of the crowd for a meditative nature experience. For a more private walk, start out at one of the lesser used trailheads, like Bunker Road or Pacific Way and keep to the skinnier trails that appear less traveled.
The park's extensive network of trails has made it popular with dog walkers, joggers, and mountain bikers. Whether out for a leisurely walk or an adrenaline-pumping scramble to the ridge, this park is ideal for exercising and socializing your dog. Dogs are allowed 'off-leash and under control' everywhere in the park so expect to see their happy faces a lot :-)
Bunker Road Entrance with isolated trails:
Terrain and Scenery Throughout the Park
The vastness of Kenna Cartwright Park means diversity of landscape. Something we love. A loop around the park could take you from bunchgrass and wildflower meadow, to sagebrush hillsides, and then through Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forest.
Breathtaking panoramic viewpoints offer stunning vistas of the city, the two rivers and the surrounding landscapes.
Elevations in Kenna Cartwright range from 400 to 1,200 meters, offering hikers and bikers a variety of terrains to conquer.
More About Kenna Cartwright
Kenna Cartwright Nature Park was established in 1996. It was named after Kenna Cartwright, a local environmentalist who was dedicated to preserving natural spaces. The park came into existence thanks the combined efforts from the City of Kamloops and community members who recognized the need to safeguard this special area.
Wildlife in the Park
As I've noted in my other blog post, Encountering Coyotes on Kamloops Trails, Kenna Cartwright in particular has a fairly visible and active population of Coyotes. Other wild animals seen frequently in the park include deer, rabbits, squirrels, plenty of bird species and marmots.
To protect the diverse plant and animal species that inhabit the park, the city has implemented conservation efforts including habitat restoration projects, regular trail maintenance, and wildlife protection measures like user regulations and wildlife monitoring.
Trans Mountain Pipeline in Kenna
The Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project which began work in Kamloops in 2020 had for a time interfered and caused closures to a few park trails. Those closers are no more. The stretch of the pipeline that runs through a Western portion of Kenna Cartwright Nature Park was completed in August 2023. While some cleanup work in that area is ongoing, access to Sunset Trail Lookout Point and the most westerly trails is unobstructed.
Download the park brochure and trail map here:
Peterson Creek Nature Park
Peterson Creek Nature Park connects downtown Kamloops with the neighborhood of Sahali. The park and trails run along the creek valley and above it. There are two main parking entrances, located at Glenfair Drive (downtown behind hospital) and at 76 Whiteshield Crescent S. (upper Sahali, right off of Summit Drive). Their is another signed entrance without a parking lot on Summit Drive between Trophy Court and Castle Towers Drive.
Downtown Entrance & Lower Trails
The downtown entrance near the hospital is at the end of Glenfair Drive. Turn South off of Columbia street onto Glenfair and follow the road all the way to where it turns into the parking lot for Peterson Creek Nature Park.
The trailhead is a short distance from where the creek drops into a stunning waterfall. Lookout for a fun little cave along the way. The trail leading to the cave and waterfall changes dramatically with season. When the creak is rushing at full boar in the spring time, the waterfall is not safely reachable. Also near this main entrance is a quant and peaceful picnic area and the start of the relatively new Xget'tem Trail.
Xget'tem Trail
Xget'tem Trail is a paved, multi-use trail that links the downtown park entrance to the corner of Summit Drive and Notre Dame Drive, near Sa-Hali Secondary School. It was built and officially opened in 2018. The name Xget'tem means the deep valley in the Secwepemc language. The 1.7km long pathway is wide and switches back on itself, making for a steady & gradual climb. The best part is that the whole length of the trail is well lit so it is easy to navigate on those dark winter evenings. Having another paved trail option is especially nice during the rainy or slushing times of year, when you just can't ever seem to keep the mud away from your boots or your happy dog.
Download the park brochure and trail map here:
Valleyview Nature Park
Valleyview Nature Park shares a parking lot with the Valleyview Arena and Kamloops Bike Ranch. Biking in Kamloops Nature Parks is generally allowed but there is a sign at this entrance prohibiting "freeride / downhill riding" specifically. The Kamloops Bike ranch trails that run alongside the park are built for exactly those activities so it is not likely that very many people would object to this rule.
The trails in this park are well used, especially by dog walkers, making it a great place to let your animals have a play. Scenery in this park is very satisfying, with trails overlooking the river and the signature silt cliffs of the South Thompson Valley.
Sadly, despite the fact that a garbage can is right there, the first stretch of trail leading away from the parking lot seems to have an exceptional amount of dog poop on it.
Download the park brochure and trail map here:
Dallas-Barnhartvale Nature Park
Just a little further east, furthest from the city's center, is Dallas-Barnhartvale Nature Park. Sections of this park feel very similar to Valleyview Nature Park, but you'll find this park has much less traffic. Trails from either the lower entrance at 6207 Dallas Drive, or the upper entrance at 1210 Eliza Road, traverse through gullies and over ridges. Views of the South Thomson River are rivaled by the possibly even more stunning sights of the vast benchland, scattered with Ponderosa Pines, sage brush and seasonal wildflowers. This area has some of my favorite off-leash dog walks in Kamloops.
Download the park brochure and trail map here:
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