Author Archives: Kamloops Kayak

On Edith Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a grey, cool, windy morning I chose to find a smaller nearby lake to paddle. I drove up to Edith Lake and launched onto the lake by 8:30 am.

The main part of the lake was windy and cool, but there are two back arms that are more sheltered.   Fishermen do not go back there so it was just the kayak, the ducks, and the geese.

Surrounding the lake are grazing lands

It is preferable just to keep paddling, treating the outing as good exercise.   On many of these days, I would go twice around the lake, but I had a tennis game set for the afternoon, so it was just once around, 4 km in 55 minutes.

A Google Earth tour of the paddle from Relive:

On Heffley Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a nice Sunday morning, I drove to Heffley Lake and launched from the northeast end near the Rec site.    There was no wind to start out.

From the south shore the view to the north was of Embleton Mountain.

On the lake were loons, ducks, geese, a heron, and many small birds.

I paddled almost all of the lake in just over 2 hours.

 

There will be more lake destinations this week…

On Pass Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I heard that the ice was off Pass Lake, so I drove up to the Rec Site on a grey morning.    There was no one else at the campsite, nor on the lake when I arrived.    I launched my kayak from the gravel boat launch spot (there are two of them now):

I paddled around the lakeshore, passing the old Agriculture Canada field site, now private property.

On the marshy shores there were geese, ducks, and blackbirds.

redwinged blackbird

marsh wren nest

loon

 

I had heard that Pass Lake had suffered from winterkill and indeed I spotted a number of dead fish in the shallows.   But, there were two loons on the lake so I have to assume there are still some fish to catch.

A loop of the lake is 2.5 km so I went around twice.   As I was packing up another truck arrived and two fishermen were getting ready to launch.   I then toured the rec site and all seemed well.    The road into the site was muddy and at this time is best suited to high-clearance vehicles.   I will be off to another lake later this week.

On Pat Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I went up the Six Mile Road to paddle and hike.     There are two good launch spots on Pat Lake and I chose the one on the eastern shore.

I paddled around the lake twice (4 km).   I got there early in the morning before all the fishermen who were arriving just when I was finishing paddling.   There were lots of birds on the lake or on the shoreline, like this loon:

A few ducks stuck to the reeds on the shoreline like this coot:

Red-winged blackbirds were doing their territorial dance and yellow0headed blackbirds were paired off for nesting.

A goose was perched on top of a trimmed snag high above the lake.

I paddled the shoreline enjoying the light winds, wildlife, and the scenic hills around the lake.

For more information on paddling Pat Lake, click this link.

 

On Louis Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a grey and cool morning I decided to paddle a smaller lake.   I had done Louis Lake before on a SUP on a windy day.   This was the first time in a kayak.

The lake has extensive marshy sections with lots of bullrushes and cattails.  When the rushes are growing, they can be a barrier to paddle through, but in early spring, it was easy access.

On the lake were ducks and geese.   Blackbirds, an osprey and a woodpecker were spotted near the shoreline.   The duck most spotted was Barrow’s golden eye.

The west end of the lake is shallow with long sections of rushes.

The hillside rises up on the south side providing shade and darker water.

When I paddled east the sun broke through the clouds warming the lake.

Some of the east end is in Paul Lake Provincial Park.   Although there is no trail to the lake from the south, it would make a nice route.

The ridge that separates Louis Lake from Paul Lake rises 340 m and is covered in forest.    I have hiked to the top of the ridge from Gibraltar Rock (there is no trail).    I call this unnamed ridge Louis Ridge.

A paddle around the perimeter of the lake is 4 km and on this day I did it twice, building some stamina for the longer paddles of the summer.

 

On Little Shuswap Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Little Shuswap Lake clears of ice early and has good launches and parking spots so it makes a nice spring paddle.   I launched from the boat launch ramp by the Chase Bridge where the lake empties into the South Thompson River.   I was surprised to find a number of kayakers there, but I spoke to one of the instructors and found out that it was part of TRU’s Adventure Tourism program.    I launched and paddled northeast to the north side of the lake.

The north side of the lake has steep rocky bluffs for much of the length of the route, though a dead-end road comes from either end to support vacation homes.  I paddled up the lake for an hour and then turned back.

There were a few ducks and geese on the lake, like this common merganser.

There is quite a lot of shallow water on the west side of the lake so I steered down the navigation tunnel to the Chase Bridge to finish an 8 km paddle on a sunny morning.

On Paul Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Although the ice on Paul Lake started to disappear on April 6th, colder weather delayed the first paddle on the lake to April 19th.   The main park gate stays closed until mid-May so I drove to the west end of the lake and used the hand launch there.   I paddled up the lake to the campground, crossed to the south shoreline, and then paddled back, a total of 7.6 km.

There was no wind at the start and the sun was still in the east as I paddled up the lake.

Ducks were nesting in small bays near logs as I continued up the lake.

There were barrows golden-eyes, mallards, ducks, geese, and  on the lake.

I crossed the lake near the campground and found that there was now a 10 km wind out of the west for the paddle back.

Gibraltar Rock is the main feature of the lake.

At the trailhead/launch area an osprey was staking out a nest for the spring.

I plan to return to Paul Lake to do a loop on the east side, launching from the beach area.      Although I have paddled the whole lake in one outing, it is over 12 km so most years I complete the lake in two separate days.

 

On Inks Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Inks Lake is a small, muddy lake close to town.   I enjoy paddling on the lake in spring, usually doing 2 loops, a total of 4.9 km.   There are two back channels, one of which is hidden behind a hill.  It is rare to see another boat on the lake, but there are many ducks, geese, and shoreline birds to enjoy.

There were some blackbirds on the back channels

A narrow channel connects the main lake to the two back channels.

There were lots of ducks on the lake, including this male mallard.

The back channel is a good spot to paddle on a windy day.

There were lots of Barrow’s golden eye ducks on the lake.

The Inks Lakes are just one more paddling destination among about 100 in the area.   A list of the upcoming spots to be paddled are noted in a widget on the sidebar.

On Jacko Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I paddled Jacko Lake on a sunny morning, taking some photos.

On the lake were many ducks, many of them Barrow’s golden eyes.

I paddled the 5 km shoreline.

Yellow-headed blackbirds were perched on cattails.

Overhead, sandhill cranes flew north.

Coots dabbled near the bullrushes.

I spotted two marmots on the shoreline.

There were a number of fishermen on the lake, but I stayed close to the shoreline and paddled my own pace, just enjoying the lake.

Jacko lake is one of my favorites so I will return for another paddle later in the spring.

On Trapp Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I padded Trapp Lake on April 12th.   It is a personal favorite with the only drawback of the highway traffic.   It has good parking, a good hand launch and provides scenic paddling.    It is best to go in the morning before the late morning winds start.

Along the eastern shoreline there was some wildlife, like this coyote:

Farther along was a herd of deer.

There were thousands of ducks, some geese, an eagle, killdeer, some marsh wrens, and some blackbirds.

I particularly like the north end of the lake.

A paddle of the perimeter of the lake is 8 km, a good 2 hour effort.

At this time of year, there is good paddling on Trapp, Stump, and Nicola Lake.   The higher lakes will become ice-free soon.

 

On Ross Moore Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I drove backroads all the way to Ross Moore Lake, something I do every year.   The date has to be after the roads dry out so we make the trip sometime between June and September.  It takes about an hour to get to the lakeshore, making all the right turns on the many forested backroads in a remote area.   The first part of the drive is through the scenic Long Lake Hills.

There is a small recreation site on the southeast corner of the lake with a good boat launch area.  I launched the kayak and then paddled 3.2 km around the lakeshore.   In some years, I go around the lake twice.

A late morning breeze brought a chop to the lake, but the winds also cleared out the low-hanging clouds.

The Rocky Mountain Rangers cabins on the north shoreline were closed up for a Covid year.

When the lake was dammed it flooded some swampy areas in bays and the snags are still standing

There were some sandhill cranes on the shoreline.   I drifted in as close as they would allow to get some photos.

On the way back I turned onto the McConnell Forest Service Road to make a loop route, stopping at the Bute Lakes to take a short hike in and back out.   The small lakes are at their best in late spring.   I plan to return in early June next year.

More Information (inc. maps and driving directions):

 

Late Season on Inks Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

As winter approaches cold and windy conditions limit the number of times we can paddle on the lakes and rivers, so if an opportunity arises, I load up the kayak and head out.   In late October, the day was still quite cool and my time was limited so I chose to paddle on Inks Lake.   A paddle of the shoreline, including the channels is 2.5 km so I usually go around twice.

Some blue sky here and there, a variety of clouds, and intermittent sun with little wind provided the right light for a scenic paddle.

Grassland hills reflected in the lake’s surface.   When it is like that it is nice to float before resuming the paddling stroke.

 

There were lots of ducks (Barrow’s golden eyes and mallards) in the back bays, hidden from roads.   The final section was a paddle down the shoreline towards the sun, breaking through layers of clouds.   I keep the outings short since the cold air and colder water has a chilling effect.   The lakeshore was very muddy making it awkward to launch and land.    Good paddling boots helped to protect my feet from the cold, muddy water, but i was happy to rig the boat and change my shoes.

This was Day 63 of paddling in 2020.    I hope to find a handful of days yet before putting away the kayak for another year.

On the River in Fall

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

At the end of the paddling season it becomes more difficult to paddle on the lakes at higher locations so I turn to a small selection of lower elevation lakes and the south Thompson River, mostly launching from Pioneer Park.   By mid-October there are rarely any boats on the water, but the boat launch provides easy access to the river.

I paddled upriver following the south bank.   On top of a nesting stand on a pole was a great blue heron watching over the river.

With little wind the old poles for the yacht club were reflected in the still waters of the river.

I paddled upstream past the soon-to-be-gone Jack Gregson Trail and then turned back, enjoying the easier paddling of downriver flows.

In early spring the first days of paddling (Mar. 16 this year) are on the river.   The lakes are not ice-free until April.    The last days of the are also mostly n the river.    The section of river from Pioneer Park up to Valleyview and back is the best choice when the weather and the water chills.    Proper gear helps then steadily paddling for a good workout makes it still worthwhile.   The last day will be in early November this year, the end of 8 months of paddling.

 

 

On Edith Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Edith Lake is close to town, providing quick access, but it can be a busy place for fishermen and campers.   For this reason we usually paddle the lake in the off-season.   On a cool and windy October day, I launched my kayak into the headwinds for two loops around the lake.

There is a long arm of the lake that was partly sheltered from the winds.   The lake is shallower there so fishermen don’t often venture that way.

A side arm was completely protected from winds.

Twice around the lakeshore is about 7 km, a good outing for fall paddling.

This was Day 61 of paddling in 2020.   A handful of days were left as the temperatures dropped and windy days followed.

 

 

 

On Tunkwa Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a mild early October day I paddled Tunkwa Lake, one of the best paddling day of 2020.   Partly-sunny skies and light winds are always a blessing when kayaking in the high country.

There are campgrounds and some private homes on the east and south sides of the lake, but the west side of the lake has pasture land, Parks lands, and some open forests.

In the west the forested slopes of Forge Mountain rise to 1978m.

On a snag overlooking a back channel a bald eagle watched over the area. watching for its next meal, unconcerned about the kayak right below.

On a stump on the west shore a northern harrier rested from its patrols over the grasslands.

tOn a branch on the northwest side of the lake a redtailed hawk perched, ready to take flight.

There were also lots of ducks and small birds to watch along the way.   The paddle around the lake is about 7.5 km, a perfect outing for a fall day.

 

 

Paddling with Pelicans

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

In late summer the pelicans start their migration south, stopping for a few weeks in our area’s lakes or rivers.   I expect to see them in Campbell Lake in August or September so I plan ahead to paddle with the pelicans.

Unfortunately the wind forecast was wrong and I battled stronger winds out of the west as I paddled the shoreline.   The flock of pelicans usually hangs out in a  large shallow bay on the southeast corner of the lake.

As I paddled the shoreline, some of the pelicans took to the air, doing a circuit of the lake.

The bay is shallow and muddy so boats can’t get very close to the flock, so I drifted in with only enough water to get back out and used a telephoto lens.

Another group flew across the lake.

The main group stayed in the shallows, mostly grooming themselves.

I paddled on and spotted some geese, two sandhill cranes, some ducks and a heron.    A few more pelicans cruised overhead on the way back.

Taking photos from a kayak on a windy day is not easy; it is hard to get crisp shots.    A long telephoto lens is needed with a tripod, but that is not compatible with a kayak, both hands on the paddle, and a boat rocking in the wind.   Each day is an adventure and we just get the photos that we can.    Paddling with pelicans is a treat we look forward to each year.