Mount Savona

June 29, 2021

1536m

Savona / Kamloops, BC

Mt. Savona is a tall summit that looms above Kamloops Lake and Thompson River Valley on the south side. To reach the summit one can drive up the service road on the “backside” in a reliable 4×4, high clearance vehicle. There are also trails on the eastern flanks but I did not research. The only way I wanted to bag this peak was by driving to the top as the heat dome had taken a toll on my motivation.

Mt. Savona drive-up from the “backside”. GPX DL

This was on the second day of my solo peak-bagging trip in Kamloops area. I felt exceptionally tired and lazy so slept in till 10 am in my hotel with air conditioning. I got out eventually at 11 am, had a luxurious lunch in Moon Wok and started the long drive westward down Thompson River valley. The primary objective on this day was Cornwall Hills but since I would drive through Savona I wanted to tag Mt. Savona as well. It was 1 pm when I got onto the service road and in that heat, I opted to not hike at all. I simply pushed my truck to the very summit. The views were not disappointing but I could see some massive fires building up to the north. It’s shaping up to become another year-of-smoke.

My truck on its way up the “backside” of Mt. Savona
Summit view looking north from Mt. Savona
Looking into Deadman River valley
This is looking towards Kamloops direction and the rolling hills
Massive fire to the NE behind Kamloops Lake
My truck on the summit of Mt. Savona in front of the fire
Me on the summit of Mt. Savona

After snapping enough photos I went back into the truck and carefully drove down the service roads. I did not meet anybody so far on any of these peaks in this trip. Once back onto Highway 1 I resumed the westward driving in that 43-degree temperature towards Cache Creek.

Back down to the shore of Kamloops Lake now.