Author Archives: Kamloops Kayak

White Lake (Cariboo)

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White Lake is a medium-sized alkali lake in the southwest end of the Cariboo.  It is accessed by driving west on the Meadow Lake Road past Meadow Lake.  The hand lunch area is at the west end of the lake.  We drove in from Big Bar Lake on backroads.

There were no homes or grazing fences, nor any evidence of camping or fishing.  The lake was shallow and devoid of any visible riparian zone vegetation.

We dipped our paddles into the water and started a perimeter paddle.  At a shallow spot, I swirled mu paddle blade through a soupy alginous mass on the lake bottom.

A few bleached logs lined the lakeshore.

On close examination Owe saw that the lake was full of millions if brine shrimp.  As we watched below our long kayaks we saw a myriad of invertebrates in the shallows, but also in the muck below.  What looked like a barren lake was really a shallow alkali salt ecosystem  A few ducks were feasting on the underwater life but watched us warily from the shoreline.

The paddle around White Lake was 7.5 km. Our plan was also to paddle Meadow Lake but the wind dictated a second paddle back at Big Bar Lake instead.

It is unlikely that White Lake is paddled by anyone in any given year.  The larger deeper lakes of the region attract campers, fishermen and a few paddlers.   Since Big Bar Lake is outstanding, go there first.

Lac la Hache North

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Lac la Hache (Axe Lake) is a 2300 ha. lake on Highway 97N in the Cariboo region.   There are several access points along the east side of the lake to launch a canoe or kayak, but since the lake is 16 km long, it is impractical to try to paddle the whole lake in a 34 km loop.   It is easier to divide the lake into 3 separate paddle outings instead.   We stayed overnight in Lac la Hache Provincial Park near the north end so we used the Park boat launch and did an 8 km loop on that end of the lake.

Paddling north from the launch we followed the shoreline past lakeshore homes and some pasture lands.  The shoreline has  grassland and forest with small shrubs, willow, rushes, alders, and poplars.

As the lake narrowed, both sides of the channel became wetlands.

From the kayak, I spotted eagles, ospreys, loons, and a variety of wetland birds.

 

Paddlers can work their way up the channel into Cariboo Nature Provincial Park, a marshlands to the north,  then back to the lake, following the west shore, looping back around a small island.

We will return to paddle the south end of the lake next time.

More information:

Big Bar Lake

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Big Bar Lake is located at the north end of the Marble Range on the southwest corner of the Cariboo.   the easiest access is to follow the Big Bar Road which leaves Highway 97 eight km north of Clinton.   The 34 km road road is a good gravel road passing through rolling forested hills.   The best access is from Big Bar Lake Provincial Park (where we camped), using the boat launch at the west end of the lake.

We paddled Big Bar Lake twice.   The first time was a paddle around the whole lake, a 10 km loop taking about 2.3 hours.

There are a few older, abandoned farm buildings on the northeast end of the lake.   Above us, on the south side the peaks of the Marble Range had a fresh mantle of snow.

old homesteads

the Marble Range to the south

loons on the lake

a stormy night on the lake

 

A second day of paddling was cut short as stormy weather moved in.   We paddled half of the lake, but the last part was slow progress into winds from the west.

Big Bar Lake is one of our favorite spots and so we will return to hike nearby and to paddle more of the lakes of the region.

More information:

 

Downriver: Pioneer Park to Tranquille Bay

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During freshet, the river runs faster so any downriver route is a quicker paddle.   The route downriver from Pioneer Park to Tranquille Bay is 11.65 km and takes about 2 hours.

From the flooded boat launch at Pioneer Park, the kayak enters the current and I paddled under the Red Bridge then the CN Bridge.   There was not much clearance under the train bridge and a week later it was impassable to regular boats.   The confluence was a bit turbulent and the North Thompson River was wide and fast-moving.   Beyond Overlander Bridge the river passes the old bridge pylons.   I followed the north shore toward McArthur Island.

Pioneer Park boat launch

the CN Bridge

looking north up the North Thompson

old bridge pylons

 

I knew that Rabbit Island would be flooded and that at this time, there are navigable channels through the center of the island.  From Rabbit Island the trip down the north shore is a quick one, with a few detours through flood channels near the Rivers Trail.

in the Rabbit Island channels

Mara Mountain above Tranquille Bay

 

Along the way were ducks, geese, gulls, crows, sparrows and other shoreline birds.   An eagle was nesting in an aerie on the rivershore.

In Tranquille Bay we can spot western painted turtles sunning on logs if we approach quietly, drifting slowly to get closer.

The landing at Tranquille Bay is an easy one but a pickup system is needed or two paddlers with two shuttled vehicles.   Later in the season, Cooney Bay is an alternative end point.

More information:

Paddling Lac le Jeune Lakes

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The three best lakes for kayaking in our area are Paul Lake, Heffley Lake, and Lac le Jeune and we set out to paddle the whole shoreline of all 3 each spring.   Lac le Jeune also has the smaller lake on the west side of the road, the highlight of a day of paddling in the high country.   Paddling around both lakes is about 9.4 km.   It can be a busy lake so it is better to get an early start if it is a weekend.   The best place to launch is off the beach at Lac le Jeune Provincial Park.

There are a number of homes on both the north and south shore, but the east end is just lodgepole pine and spruce forest with some marshy areas.

After doing the circuit around 3/4 of the lake we paddled through the channel under the road.   We have to duck low and pull ourselves through when the water is high.   Once in the lagoon on the west side, we followed the marshland shoreline and then into a channel to see blackbirds, marsh wrens, ducks, and geese in the reeds.  There was also a chironomid hatch on so the smaller fish were rising for a mid-morning meal of midges.

 

There is a channel at the east end surrounded by cattails, reeds, and marsh conquefoil.   Marsh wrens and red-winged blackbirds were trilling in the wetlands.

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We returned through the channel and finished our paddle of the Lac le Jeune Lakes before the rush of boaters arrived.   The outing is about 2 hours of paddling if we choose to explore all the marshlands and small bays of the two lakes.

Paddling the Floodlands

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When the North Thompson and the South Thompson Rivers rise, the Thompson River expands and the estuary at the head of Kamloops Lake widens into a floodlands.   We can launch a canoe or kayak from the BC Parks Lac du Bois Wildlife Management Area parking area.  .This launch spot is suitable for canoes and kayaks only during freshet.

We paddle out through Tranquille Bay past the floodland shrub “islands” to the river, then across the river to the far side.

When there is no wind, there are many reflections in the calm bayous.

Willows are tolerant of the salt-rich alkaline waters.   They are the dominant plant in the floodlands.

Clusters of willows and salt-tolerant shrubs make watery islands.

From the river, Mount Mara rises above and reflects in the water.

Kamloops Lake and the estuary become one, a larger lake during freshet.

Along the flood channels and in the bayous, there are carp, ducks, western painted turtles, cormorants, herons, eagles, osprey, geese, blackbirds, crows, and wide variety of birds and insects.

 

We paddle quietly, careful not to startle the wildlife, listening for the calls of birds, always aware that we need to be as unobtrusive as we can in the seasonal Tranquille floodlands.

The floodlands offer the finest paddling in our area for May and June each year.   Watch for our kayaks there.

Lafarge to Pioneer Park Downriver

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Every spring we paddle down the South Thompson River in 21 km outings.    From the Lafarge Bridge (NE side) we launched our kayaks and enjoyed a 3 hour flatwater paddle from Lafarge to Pioneer Park.   Using a two vehicle system, we started paddling about 9:30 am and landed at the boat launch at Pioneer by 12:30.   One of the keys to an outing like this is to paddle downstream before the power boats get onto the river, if possible.

There are homes, businesses, the railway, and the highway along the south shore, but the north shore is much quieter and more scenic.

Eagles and ospreys watched over the river along the route.   This eagle perched in front of its nest in a snag.  Photos taken from a kayak are never easy.   It would be easy to drop the camera in the swirling, swiftly-moving water of the river.  The camera survived this last outing.

Five kayaks are seen here below the silt cliffs on the north side of the river near Harper Ranch.

tThere were geese, goslings, ducks, blackbirds, and bank swallows all along the route.

On several sections of the river there is only the riparian zone with Shuswap Road and the silt cliffs above, remnants of a glacial lake.

On the other side are waterfront homes near Campbell Creek, in Dallas, and Valleyview.   The final section of the journey goes through a narrow section by the TIB Office, then a short section into Downtown Kamloops.

 

By noon there was a fair amount of boat traffic on the river, a good time to land and get the 18+ foot kayaks away from the noise and turbulent waves of the powerboat crowd.   The best part of this route is the first half with quiet kayaks gliding among the birds on the river.

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Paul Lake Paddle

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Once the ice clears off our area lakes we head out to do a circuit of local  lakes. The first three to paddle once or twice each are Paul Lake, Heffley Lake, and Lac le Jeune. With cool spring weather we are warm in our kayaks with spray skirts on and we wear paddling jackets to block the wind.   When we paddle Paul Lake, we usually launch from the beach area of the Provincial Park.   The whole lake is 12 km around the shoreline, but we adjust the route to the conditions.

The wind was from the east so we paddled to that end of the lake first.  We had the lake all to ourselves, except for a few loons, geese, and an occasional jumping fish.

The main source of the lake’s water comes in from Pinantan Lake and the hills to the east.   A marshy area flanks the lakeshore at that end   A few blackbirds were nesting in the reeds and rushes.

 

Paddling downwind was much easier as we followed the shoreline on the steep-sided, treed south side of the lake.

As the winds picked up and the rain threatened, we crossed the lake before Gibraltar Rock and completed the loop back to the launch spot where a few geese escorted about 20 goslings on the flooded beach.   We will return to paddle the other half of the lake soon.

 

When we paddle the larger lakes  in the early season, we keep a number of things in mind:

  • we check the Environment Canada Weather Forecast, paying particular attention to the wind
  • we stay close to the shoreline if there is any wind; we usually paddle into the wind to start our route on the lake
  • since the water is cold, we would probably swim to shore in the event of a capsize close to shore, rather than do a self-rescue in cold water
  • we always use all of the required safety gear
  • we usually wear good spray skirts, and we make sure the pull tab is not tucked under
  • a good paddling jacket helps, along with paddling gloves, and neoprene boots
  • we try for a dry launch to keep our feet dry, but we don’t worry about the exit, though we keep a towel and a change of shoes in the truck

 

Paddling Upstream from Lafarge

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tIn spring we start our paddling season on the South Thompson and North Thompson Rivers.   The best launch is from Pioneer Park, but we also go to other launch sites to paddle different parts of the rivers.   With Valleyview Boat Launch closed for bank repairs, we went out to the Lafarge Bridge beach and paddled upstream in early April.

There is a good access road to a small beach where we can launch the boat to paddle upstream.

The river runs fast here and the north shore has extensive gravel bars so we launch and swing out into the main river channel.

The river looks calm to the east, but all parts of the river run quickly so it is hard paddling and slow progress upstream.   At times it is like “paddling on a treadmill.”

After an hour of paddling upstream, I turned the kayak for a gentle downstream return paddle.

Because of the current (and some wind), the downstream paddle was 3x faster than upstream, but distance is not the issue in the early season.   We just need to build up the core muscles and establish some endurance in preparation for 9 months of paddling.

At the end of the paddle,  as we approach the Lafarge Bridge, we swing over to the beach for an easy landing.

We often land at the Lafarge Bridge when we paddle downstream from Pritchard.   It is is much more enjoyable outing than battling the river upstream.    After all, the “treadmill” becomes tiresome after a while.

South and North Thompson Rivers Paddle

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Paddling upstream is always a good workout and part of a spring fitness program, getting ready for longer paddling adventures on the bigger lakes, the rivers, and the ocean in the summer.   One route we do every spring is to go up the North Thompson River, which is a bit harder than the South Thompson River.   I launched at Pioneer Park and paddled downstream to start the day.

 

The route goes under the Red Bridge, then the Black Bridge to the confluence, an easy 1.3 km start to the paddling day.

 

 

There was a “flotilla” of swans near the confluence which were annoyed at this long (18′) green boat coming toward them, but I turned the corner and started upstream towards the Halston Bridge.

 

There are a number of gravel or sand banks on both sides of the river so the best course is to paddle straight up the middle.   There are sections of faster water so progress is slow at times.   Ducks and geese stayed close to the shoreline and a bald eagle watched from a still-leafless cottonwood tree.

 

The beaches along Schubert Drive were starting to shrink as the flow of the river increased.    This is a quiet route with no road noise until we got close to the bridge.  Progress upstream is at about 3.5 km an hour.   We can probably do 4 km/hour, but steady, rhythmic paddling is the key to endurance work.

 

 

The Halston Bridge was busy but there was also a train crossing the CN Bridge.   Some faster water swirls under both bridges.

 

 

I paddled past the CN Bridge and looked upstream at the river.   That section of river up to Rayleigh will be another day of paddling, launching out of Westsyde.

 

 

I turned the boat and paddled gently downstream, averaging more like 7.5 to 8 km/h.    Mt. Paul stands over the rivers on the way back to the confluence.

 

 

Looking south into the sun is the confluence of the South and North Thompson Rivers overshadowed by the City, but reflected clouds in the river were the memory I took away from the return paddle.   Turning the corner, the final 1.3 km is another slow one, upstream to Pioneer Park.

 

Battle Bluff by Kayak

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Cooney Bay can be a busy place on Easter Weekend with fishermen, dog-walkers, hikers, and families parking at the end of the road past Tranquille, and walking out to the gravel beaches where the Tranquille River meets Kamloops Lake.   Getting an 18′ kayak out to the shoreline isn’t easy with a number of logs to get across, but with some rear wheels and some extra effort, the kayak was ready for launching from the muddy beach.   The route was around the point where quite a few fishermen had lines in the water.    A wind out of the east created some chop, but once the kayak was in Cooney Bay, it was calm.   Loons were actively diving in the bay.

Following the scenic shoreline is the safest route out to Battle Bluff.   The route out to the far end of Battle Bluff and back is 7.2 km.

Along the way, swallows were swooping over the water, ducks, and geese were along the shoreline, and crows and magpies flew along the beaches.   A headless small hawk floated in the water.   Coming back around the Battle Bluff point, a river otter rounded the corner then dove below the kayak.   An eagle circled above.   Bighorn sheep sat on the hill watching the show.

The winds were forecast to pick up by late morning so I turned around and followed the shoreline back to the landing spot.   This is a favorite route.   On a less windy day, a good route is to cross the lake (if you have a seaworthy boat with a rudder) and come back by the south shoreline.

More information:

Battle Bluff by Kayak

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Cooney Bay can be a busy place on Easter Weekend with fishermen, dog-walkers, hikers, and families parking at the end of the road past Tranquille, and walking out to the gravel beaches where the Tranquille River meets Kamloops Lake.   Getting an 18′ kayak out to the shoreline isn’t easy with a number of logs to get across, but with some rear wheels and some extra effort, the kayak was ready for launching from the muddy beach.   The route was around the point where quite a few fishermen had lines in the water.    A wind out of the east created some chop, but once the kayak was in Cooney Bay, it was calm.   Loons were actively diving in the bay.

Following the scenic shoreline is the safest route out to Battle Bluff.   The route out to the far end of Battle Bluff and back is 7.2 km.

Along the way, swallows were swooping over the water, ducks, and geese were along the shoreline, and crows and magpies flew along the beaches.   A headless small hawk floated in the water.   Coming back around the Battle Bluff point, a river otter rounded the corner then dove below the kayak.   An eagle circled above.   Bighorn sheep sat on the hill watching the show.

The winds were forecast to pick up by late morning so I turned around and followed the shoreline back to the landing spot.   This is a favorite route.   On a less windy day, a good route is to cross the lake (if you have a seaworthy boat with a rudder) and come back by the south shoreline.

More information:

Paddling on a Treadmill

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

We paddle the rivers of our area in early spring.   There are a limited number of launch spots and some of those are in faster water.   There is a good beach launch on the northeast side of Lafarge Bridge so we launch from there from time to time, but it makes a better landing spot for a downriver paddle than an upstream launch spot.   The river moves quickly and there are a number of gravel and sand bars for many kilometers.

Progress is so slow upstream that it feels like paddling on a treadmill.   It took almost an hour to travel 2.7 km upstream and only 25 minutes back downstream, mostly drifting.   This is a good aerobic workout, for sure, but a lot less fun than paddling on slower rivers, on our lakes, and on the ocean.   The lakes will clear of ice soon and we can take a break from upstream paddling.

 

Spring into the River

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The first paddle of 2017 waited for the snow and ice melt and landed on the first day of spring.    The river is low, but t is still easy to launch from Pioneer Park.    Since the water is still cold, we try for a dry launch, keeping feet out of the water.    Its not so easy to do that on the landing.    The river was calm for paddling slowly upstream to Valleyview.

There were ducks (mallards and mergansers) and geese on the water.   Sheltered spots still had some snow or ice.   Banks that are covered in water for much of the year were exposed.    Very little colour was on the trees and shrubs except for the faded reds of red ossier dogwood and some faded yellows of willows on the banks.  The reflections of Mt. Paul and Mt. Peter and Paul Ridge reflected on unrippled water.

The paddle up to the end of the Gregson Trail at Vicars Road and back is only 7 km, but a good start to the paddling season.

In most years we can easily get about 8 months of paddling.  We start on the river then go to the larger lakes once the ice disappears, then the high country lakes, then sections of the river again.   In the summer and early fall we travel to the ocean and some destination paddling-camping trips.    We return back to the river in late fall for final few paddles before it gets too cold.   One down and sixty more to go…..

Emar Lakes Circuit

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Emar Lakes Park was created in 1996 as a wilderness area of small lakes, potholes, and wet areas in a forested area off Highway 24.  The lakes are used by fishermen, but there is also a lake chain loop with portages for canoeists and kayakers.   Access is from Janice Lake Recreation Site or from Willowgrouse Recreation Site.  The trails/portages are mostly user maintained and have become difficult with windfall.   To do the loop counter-clockwise, paddlers would have to do the following:

  • launch at Janice Lake (link to an article) at N51 29.457 W120 24.410
  • paddle 1.5km to the landing spot (at N50 29.115 W120 25.090)
  • portage for 1030 metres to Club Lake (past Next Lake)
  • paddle to the end of Club Lake (780m)
  • portage 100m to Boulder Lake
  • paddle across Boulder Lake (400m)
  • portage 400m to Willowgrouse Lake
  • option to paddle Willowgrouse Lake (670m) then portage out the campsite (500m) or
  • paddle across Willowgrouse following the loop (230m)
  • portage 150m to Emar Lake
  • paddle across Emar Lake (1.2 km)
  • portage 450m to a pothole lake then 100m into Sedge Lake (or push through to Dytiscid Lake)
  • paddle across Sedge Lake (220m)
  • portage 700m to the end of Janice Lake
  • paddle to the start (400m)
Janice Lake 012c Janice Lake 005c

All of the trails are currently closed with windfall and danger trees on the route.   Hopefully Parks can find some funding or perhaps volunteer user groups can help keep the routes open (count me in)?   A BC Parks map is included here and more information can also be found on the Parks website (link).

emar_lk_map

Emar Lakes Circuit

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Emar Lakes Park was created in 1996 as a wilderness area of small lakes, potholes, and wet areas in a forested area off Highway 24.  The lakes are used by fishermen, but there is also a lake chain loop with portages for canoeists and kayakers.   Access is from Janice Lake Recreation Site or from Willowgrouse Recreation Site.  The trails/portages are mostly user maintained and have become difficult with windfall.   To do the loop counter-clockwise, paddlers would have to do the following:

  • launch at Janice Lake (link to an article) at N51 29.457 W120 24.410
  • paddle 1.5km to the landing spot (at N50 29.115 W120 25.090)
  • portage for 1030 metres to Club Lake (past Next Lake)
  • paddle to the end of Club Lake (780m)
  • portage 100m to Boulder Lake
  • paddle across Boulder Lake (400m)
  • portage 400m to Willowgrouse Lake
  • option to paddle Willowgrouse Lake (670m) then portage out the campsite (500m) or
  • paddle across Willowgrouse following the loop (230m)
  • portage 150m to Emar Lake
  • paddle across Emar Lake (1.2 km)
  • portage 450m to a pothole lake then 100m into Sedge Lake (or push through to Dytiscid Lake)
  • paddle across Sedge Lake (220m)
  • portage 700m to the end of Janice Lake
  • paddle to the start (400m)

 

Janice Lake 012c Janice Lake 005c

All of the trails are currently closed with windfall and danger trees on the route.   Hopefully Parks can find some funding or perhaps volunteer user groups can help keep the routes open (count me in)?   A BC Parks map is included here and more information can also be found on the Parks website (link).

 

emar_lk_map