Paddling down the Shuswap River is a delight at any time, but it is a special experience during the peak of the salmon run.   The sockeye spawn in the gravel shallows in the upper river.   The river is full of red-colored sockeye and black-headed spring salmon, most moving upstream, but some in redds near the shore, some leaping out of the water, and some dead ones along the shore.   Eagles, seagulls, and crows line the shores scavenging.   The Department of Fisheries and Oceans was there in river boats and on the shoreline counting fish and monitoring.   As we paddled over the fish, we had to be careful not to collide with the salmon in numerous shallows.

It would be nice to launch at Mabel Lake, but the rapids in Skookumchuk Rapids Provincial Park have Class 111 – Class 1V whitewater for 3km.    The Shuswap River has 10 hand launch sites from Mabel Lake to Mara Lake.   Most have a sign at the turn-off, parking areas, and a good spot to launch and many also have outhouses and picnic tables.   We launched at a designated hand launch site at Hupel, 29.5km by road from Enderby.

The route from Hupel to halfway between Cooke Creek and Dale’s Hand Launch is mostly Class 11 water, but has some short sections of Class 111 too, all very doable, although there are some narrow spots and some obstacles too, so this section is for experienced paddlers.   The river becomes slower as it continues to Enderby.   For this last venture, we chose to exit at Riverside Hall, just past the Trinity Valley Bridge, a total of 26km.

The river below Ashton Creek is slower and runs through farmlands.   On a previous day of paddling, we went all the way to Enderby, taking out at the bridge (link to story).

Paddling with salmon at the height of the migration on their four year cycle is a unique experience.   We watched the fish and their predators with fascination as we quietly paddled downriver.   This is a good time to carry an underwater camera, but it is not easy to get a good photo of the fish while moving downstream in a kayak or canoe.   It is probably easier to do this from the shoreline with a bit of wading (Cooke Creek is a good place to do this).   Along the way, we stopped for lunch in Shuswap River Islands Provincial Park,  a section of oxbows, channels, islands, and sandbars.   Cottonwoods line the riparian zone in this protected area.    The upper river has an unspoiled feel to it and the huge sockeye run is indicative of a healthy river, even in rising temperatures.

We have penciled in a return paddle in October of 2018 to meet the next generation of salmon as they return to the Shuswap River.

Mamit Lake borders the road that goes from Logan Lake to Merritt (Highway 97).   From the juction west of Logan Lake, drive 11.5km south.   There are 3 pullouts next to the lake and there is a boat launch at the second one.  A good gravel beach is excellent for a hand launch.

The paddle around the circumference of the lake is about 9km.   The setting is scenic and the area is fairly quiet.   This should be a good paddle.   In early September, though, the lake was choked with green algae.     The south half of the lake felt like paddling through green pea soup.   Wildlife had abandoned the lake and I was a lone paddler on the lake.   There was a faint odor to the lake and I came off the lake happy to get to dry land.    Perhaps the lake is nicer in the spring?   We won’t return to this lake unless something is done to change this lake’s ecosystem.

Mahood Lake lies in the western edge of Wells Gray Park, but must be approached from the west, so from Kamloops we drive to Little Fort (95km), then west on Highway 24 (Interlakes) for 70km, then we turn north at Sheridan Corner onto the Horse Lake Road, then the Mahood Road (8000 Rd.) for about 40km to Canim Lake, and finally east for 15km to the west end of Mahood Lake.   This takes about 3 hours.   It can be done in a day, but the campsite at Mahood Lake is worth a night or two of paddling and hiking.

On this last trip to Mahood, I launched from the boat launch/beach at the end of the lake and headed down the lake to camp at one of the marine sites 21km away to the east.   The winds were light at the start, but soon heavy winds came in from the northwest, so I beached about 1/3 of the way down the lake.

On this September day, the campsite was empty, the few cabins east of the campground looked locked up, there was no one on the lake, I was paddling solo, the temperature had dropped, and there was snow on top of Mount Mahood.   With a choice of braving the winds downwind, waiting the winds out on the shoreline (it actually blew for 2 days), or turning back, I decided to turn the kayak into the wind and work my way back, a slow paddle in strong headwinds.   Safe back at the launch, I went for a hike to Deception Falls and the Canim River Trail, but left Mahood Lake with the goal of paddling the whole lake another time.

The Eagle River runs west from Eagle Pass in the Monashees down to Sicamous and into Shuswap Lake.   There is really not enough water in the upper end of the river to paddle, but when the Perry River joins the river, there is enough water to paddle from Craigellachie or Malakwa.   On the upper river there are fallen trees, sweepers, deadheads, and logjams to contend with so it is only suitable for experienced paddlers.   Eagle River meanders all the way making the distance much longer in a boat.   We launched at the Malakwa Suspension Bridge which is only 21 km from the lake, but it took us 39.6km to paddle the river.   At times we were paddling east on our way downriver.

The upper section had some faster water, but many hazards too.   At one point 6 km downstream, the entire river was blocked by a logjam with only a 4 foot opening, followed by an obstacle-slalom course.   I was able to get through, but another person capsized and the third person portaged around the section.   For the first two hours, we had to slow down the kayaks in the river, scout the best line, and paddle adeptly around various hazards.   At a good landing/launch spot downstream the river became slower, more clear of hazards, and it started to meander even more.   This would be a good/safer spot for most kayakers to launch (see the locations coordinates below).

From this point, it is just a long paddle to the lake.   We took 7 hours in all.   Next time, we will start about 6 km downstream and we will pull out at the dog park just past the Cambie-Solsqua Bridge, shortening the route by about 13km.   We ended up paddling out into the lake where there were powerboats, windy conditions, and nowhere to land near parking.   We landed near the bridge, but this is a busy area with limited parking opportunities.   In the lower river, there is also a set of rapids then a fish weir to negotiate.

We enjoyed the wildlife corridor, especially with the early run of the sockeye salmon.   The fish jumped out of the water and predators patrolled the shoreline.   We spotted a bear, many eagles, herons, and turkey vultures.

For recreational paddlers, the lower river would be a good choice, avoiding the upper river and lower river obstacles.    Paddling this river in high water conditions would be for experienced paddlers only.   The Eagle River is scenic and interesting, worth a day of paddling and exploration.

Coordinates (east to west):

• Malakwa Suspension Bridge launch area (on the north side) – N50 46.448 W118 47.677
• Danger area – logjams, sweepers, deadheads – N50 55.298 W118 48.329
• A good launch area below the danger area – N50 54.776 W118 48.401
• Cambie Bridge – N50 53.546 W118 52.112
• Launch/landing spot (steep bank) at the end of a dirt road – N50 52.447 W118 55.811
• Golf course (steep bank), but a possible landing/lunch spot – N50 50.844 W118 57.132
• Lower Rapids – N50 50.987 W118 57.526
• Cambie-Solsqua Bridge – N50 50.354 W118 58.425
• Dog Park – N50 50.332 W118 58.592 (180m past the bridge on the north side)
• paddlers can also choose to follow the river to the lake and back to the bridge area

One of our favorite lakes to paddle is East Frogmoore Lake.   It is not easy to get into the lake which makes it seldom-visited and it feels remote.  Directions into the lake were detailed in a previous post – East Frogmoore.

This time we launched in the third lake, paddled across the lake, landed at the east end, portaged our boats over the dam, then relaunched into the channel.  Near the end of the channel, we found it had been dammed with debris so we had to portage around the blockage-dropoff into the last part of the channel into the lake.

Extensive lily pads areas and marshlands surround the lake, making interesting paddling.  The yellow pond lilies were in bloom in mid-August.

When the lake waa dammed, water levels rose, drowning some trees.   Large rootstalks line the fens on several shorelines.   Reeds, cattails, lily pads, and smart weed surround the lake.

On a sunny day, the sun and clouds reflect in the lake.

This lake has a special character to it.

The total distance to paddle both East and West Frogmoore Lake is about 6.5km.   Adding two portages each way adds extra time.   It is possible to 4WD or quad into the lake, but this is a very round-about route and does not get to a reasonable boat launch, so fishermen and paddlers usually paddle down the channel to get to East Frogmoore.  Not easy, but well-worth the adventure….