Trail Name: TRU Connector Trail
Distance: 5.2 kms
Time: 1.25 hrs
Difficulty: Medium
Cell Service: Yes
Trail: Single track through the sagebrush.
Highlight: A trail from Thompson Rivers University to a Panoramic viewpoint!
To get there: From downtown, take Columbia Street heading west. Turn right onto McGill Road. Follow McGill road past the Tournament Capital Centre, and then turn right again onto University Drive. Follow the road to the roundabout and take the third exit. Follow this short road past the Residence and you should see a large parking lot on your left. Park here. Or get directions from Google Maps here.
During the week, make sure you pay for parking if you are parking in Lot N, but on the weekends it is free. The trailhead is located at the large sign at the entrance to the parking lot. Follow the trail as it climbs around the rock face. At one point you will come to a 4-way intersection, cut across and continue following the trail on the other side. As you approach the far side of the bluff, you should see Hillside Drive North coming up in front of you. Continue following the trail towards the right until you reach the “Notice to Users” sign. Here, you will follow the sidewalk to the road and then head down to the nearest crosswalk.
Once on the other side of the crosswalk, the trail gets trickier. While it doesn’t look to be a trail, walk on the grass towards the chain link fence on the downwards slope. Follow this trail alongside the fence and as it weaves back into the park. Eventually you will come to a sign for the TRU Connector trail and the Arnica trail. Continue following the TRU Connector until you reach the junction for the Panorama trail and the Sage trail. We chose to finish up the hike with the views from the Panorama trail.
This trail is great for people located on the Thompson Rivers University campus! Whether you have a 2 hour break between classes, live in Residence and are looking for something new to do, or just need to clear your head, this trail is definitely worth checking out! It connects the TRU campus to the rest of Kenna Cartwright Park! The trail is single track for the majority of the way until you reach the final junction. Beware of the cactus that line the sides of the trail – especially if you have your furry friends with you!
Tanya Spahmann
3 Nov 2018Thank you for the info and great directions~we will be trying this as soon as possible!
Hike Kamloops
5 Nov 2018You’re welcome! Let us know how it goes!
Cecile McVittie
5 Apr 2019This is awesome! I’m taking 20 Dutch Exchange students and their teachers on this hike with 20 host teens from Sa-Hali Secondary!
Hike Kamloops
5 Apr 2019Amazing! Hope they enjoy! 🙂
Howard
7 Apr 2019Great hike. Just beware that construction is near Bunker road so its a bit hard to find the trail on the other side of the crosswalk.
Dwayne Rivet
31 Oct 2020Wish I had read the description a little more carefully. You described it perfectly but I missed the trail after the crosswalk. Ended up doing some exploratory hiking. Still had an amazing day. Many different paths to take once in Kenna.
Hike Kamloops
6 Jan 2021Glad you found your way regardless. It definitely is a unique way to access the park. I usually suggest parking at Bunker Road near the recycling depot instead 🙂