Author Archives: Kamloops Kayak

Cortes Island Paddling

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Desolation Sound is not far from Cortes, but if you don't want an expedition, you can day paddle out and back at various spots with safe conditions and interesting locations.

The campground at Smelt Bay is a bit of a minimalist experience, but we liked the beach and the quiet forest.    Kayakers can easily launch and land at the beach.   We paddled south to Sutil Point (sometimes called Reef Point) and we enjoyed seeing seals and many birds around the shoals, but paddlers have to watch for many submerged rocks.   Explore this area in good weather only.  If you try to round the point, you will have to deal with currents so consult your tide tables.  

We preferred the paddle north to Mansons Landing.   Mansons Bay is a popular anchorage.   Aside from viewing the yachts, there is a beach, a public dock, a spit, and an adjoining lagoon (at high tide).   It is also possible to paddle out to Marina Island (it is on our tbd list).

We found the paddling in Cortes Bay a good choice offer shelter from the winds on a stormy day.    There is a good launch by the dock, a yacht club, a seaport, many cliffside homes, sandstone cliffs and a series of islets to explore.   We were able to land on one of the Cod Islets and explore.   On a calmer day, we would paddle out to the Twin Islands.  We enjoyed paddling over toward Mary Point, paddling in and out of the bays along the way.   There is a half day of paddling out of Cortes Bay. 

At Gorge Harbor, we were able to launch near a public dock.   There is a full-service campground there, a restaurant, a marina, boom logging, shellfish farming, oyster beaches, and some large vessels in anchorage.   A full tour of the Gorge is a good paddle.   We chose not to exit through the surge channel.   The currents in the narrow channel travel at 4 knots, except at slack tide.  We paddled to the mouth and it looked to be reasonable challenge, but we would make sure no boats were entering or exiting before starting.     We instead landed on Ring Island and hiked around the edge and back.  

We drove across the island and launched our kayaks at Squirrel Cove.   A sand and pebble beach makes a good staging spot for any adventures beyond, although parking is at a premium in this area.   This is a major anchorage for all the boats traveling to and from Desolation Sound, We rounded the point and then toured the long protected harbor to see all the anchored boats.   We aimed for an adjoing lagoon that only a kayak could enter.   The entrance channel is only about 2 meters wide and when we arrived, it was draining down so we had to paddle very hard up a very shallow "waterfall" to get into the entrance.    The saltwater lagoon had seals, herons,  and various birds, rocky shorelines and coves, one small beach, and several islets.   We returned back down the channel in slack tide.   The channel was now twice as wide and twice as deep, so it was much less exciting.  We then paddled past Protection Ilsland and over towards Boulder Point, but didn't venture farther.  

We left Cortes without doing Carrington Bay, Van Donop Inlet, and all the north side trails.   This is on our "bucket list", but Desolation Sound is higher on the list. 

The kayaks are ready to launch from Squirrel Cove for our week in Desolation Sound.   Watch for us.

Salt Spring Hiking

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Salt Spring is the biggest of the Gulf Islands and we have not yet made the time to explore it fully enough.   We enjoyed our paddling in Ganges Harbor and Long Harbor.   We were impressed by the hiking and camping at Ruckle Park and we enjoyed the hikes on Mount Maxwell, but we have yet to do a dozen or more other spots on this island.   We want to return in good weather because our hiking and paddling on Salt spring has been in marginal (rainy and windy) weather.

The hike up Mount Maxwell was fairly steep and in the forest, but the views from the top were very good.

There are several trail options, with the shortest trail distance of 6km and the longest up to 15km.

We found Ruckle Provincial Park to be a special place.   Whether your choose to hike, paddle, camp, or walk, there is a wide variety of views:

Leave a whole day to explore this area, if you can.

There are 15km of trail here, including 7km of shoreline.

Galiano Explorations

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Paddlers can base out of Montague Harbor or can launch from many sites on the island.    Routes down to shoreline offer explorations.   Two are featured here:

Bellhouse Provincial Park is a small park near Sturdies Bay with a short trail but with interesting sandstone formations:

 

Dionisio Provincial Park is accessible by boat only and paddlers will have to pay attention to tidal charts to enter any part of Porlier Pass.    Beaches, headlands, trails, camping, and exploration makes this a destination spot.

An overview of this area can be found at the Parks BC site:

 

Montague Park on Galiano Island

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We will continue to return to Galiano Island for a late winter retreat to hike and explore, and in summer to camp and paddle.  Galiano is the first stop on the Southern Gulf Islands Ferry from Tswassen.   Once the ferry is launched, you can be offloading at Sturdies Bay in an hour.  We prefer to head inland down the long narrow island to Montague Harbor.   We find this area to be central for our explorations, hikes and paddles.   

 

Montague Provincial Park

Montague Provincial Park Campground is usually rated in the top 3 in the province.   The camping is in a beautiful oceanside setting with several beaches, hiking trails, and easy access to Trincomali Channel.   If you want to camp here, you will need to book this very early to get a site.   One part of the campground, though,  is for cyclists and paddlers only and it never seems to fill up.   In later winter, the 3km of hiking has a number of options include a beach walk, a reef to explore at low tide, 6 middens, a salt water marsh, and a boat harbour.   There are many fine views, so bring your camera.

 

Take the time to explore the shoreline around Gray Point.

In summer, it is easy to get the kayak right to the water and lauch from the beach.   We found that a morning paddle worked best because the winds come up by noon each day.   From Montague beaches and launches, you can paddle out to numerous islands.   Most are privately owned, but we found some oyster-covered coves to land on the islets (not at high tide).   We enjoyed paddling around the Ballingel Islets which is an Ecological Reserve for cormorants.   It is possible to paddle all the way to Wallace Island, but it would be easier to launch at Retreat Cove, north on the island road.  

The coastline has many sculpted features.   Taking a photo while kayaking is never easy, but in calm waters it can be done.

Montague is wonderful place to visit, but there a number of other areas that are rewarding – Bodega Ridge, Mount Galiano, Bluffs Park, Dionisio Point, and Bellhouse Park.    The next posts will feature some of these.

 

Saturna Hiking and Paddling

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In two previous posts, Mount Warburton Pike and East Point Park were featured.    There are lots of opportunities to hike and paddle on Saturna and a few are noted here.

Winter Cove Park

This point of land is within the National Park Reserve.   There are about 1.5km of hiking and some shoreline viewpoints.    Winter Cove and the shores around Samuel Island make good paddling.

This narrow channel separates the island from Samuel Island.   You can paddle through this channel, but it is best to check the tide charts since the water surges through the narrow spot.     

Taylor Point

Did you know that there was a vineyard on Saturna Island?   We have tried the wine and we visited the vineyard (a steep hill so check your brakes) in winter, though it was closed.    A rough hike goes from the end of Trueworthy Road all the way to Taylor Point.   This hike should not be your first choice since it winds across bluffs on an 8km return hike.  Saturna Beach is along the west coast accessed from this same general area.

 

Narvaez Bay

We enjoyed riding our bikes down the length of the island then down to Narvaez Bay and back.    At Narvaez Bay, we hiked 2km around the points.

 

There are numerous short trails and routes down to small beaches, reefs, and viewpoints.   We enjoyed Fiddlers Cove, Saturna Beach, Boot Cove, and Monarch Head.   

Tumbo and Cabbage Island

Launching from East Point, Tumbo Island is only about 600m across the channel.   There is lots of paddling, hiking, and exploration around and on the islands.   There are a few camping spots on Cabbage Island and this is on our return trip "to-do" list

Painting the Bluffs

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If you travel to Painted Bluffs Provincial Park on the north shore of Kamloops Lake, you can hike into the bluffs, and when you do, you will be stunned by the "other-wordly" feeling of the shapes and colors in front of you.   Eroded, sinuous multi-colored slopes drain the slopes above, channeling water into one stream gully above the alluvial fan.   You can hike up onto the narrow ridges on the slopes, finding various vantage spots for your explorations.  

What do we know about this area?

Very little geological information is available on this area. What we do know is that the bluffs have distinctive multi-colored rocks and soils on an intrusion of batholithic rocks.

  • A batholith is a large zone of molten rock under the surface of the earth that cools over time.
  • An intrusion is an arm of the batholith that has risen to the surface and cooled, forming minerals in the process.
  • Batholithic intrusions often stand out (are discordant) from the local geology.

The bluffs have been eroded into distinctively-shaped barren ridges and gullies, all leading down to a fluvial fan.

  • Fluvial fans are formed by the movement of water bringing materials down stream.
  • Alluvial fans are formed when a stream course suddently widens and flattens. Materials are deposited in a fan shape.

The hillsides surrounding are covered in big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass. California bighorn sheep frequent the ridges. The colors off the bluffs are intriguing. Deposits of mercury, copper, and cinnabar have altered the hues of these materials.

  • Mercury was raised to the surface through the intrusions and cooled in cinnabar formations. Most mercury deposits around the world are found in cinnabar.
  • Cinnabar (mercuric sulphide) is the common ore of mercury.
  • Cinnabar is usually brick red to crimson in color. It is an ingredient used in red pigments.
  • Copper is an ore common to the area (ie Copper Creek).
  • Copper compounds are often found as salts of copper, and impart a green or blue color.

 

 

Climb the ridges to enjoy the sinuous shapes:

 

 

Watch for California bighorn sheep:

 

 

Most of all, bring your camera and put yourself amongst the bluffs:

 

 

Hike or paddle there, but plan on staying long enough to explore the park.

 

Finding Information on the Site

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As of today, there are 156 posts on this site.   Over the next year, it will grow to over 300.   How do you find information on this site?

  • Use the Search function (on your right).    It works very well.
  • Go to the Site Map page (see Pages on the right) for a quick scan of content.
  • Search by Category.   Over time, I may have to add more categories if the number of posts in any one category gets too large (ie Hiking).

 

Resolutions and Musings

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If you don't set goals and targets for your efforts, you won't set aside the time and effort to explore new areas.    A new area takes time to research, time to prepare, time to travel to and from, and will probably take longer than planned if you are exploring new territory.   For some areas, there is no information, so you have to commit to exploration in spite of many unanswered questions.    For other areas, conditions will limit your efforts – snow, rain, heat, cold, bugs, mud, road access, forest fires, deadfall, vehicle problems.   For these you have to match up the trip to the conditions, and cancelations could be the result.  A "Plan B" will be needed.    So many people are fair-weather hikers.    Should we brave the elements and just persevere?  

We make a plan and pick dates, then the conditions don't cooperate.   Since we need to get out, we have learned to have a backup plan.    Except in the coldest or wettest conditions, there can always be a Plan B.    In the Kamloops area, we don't lose many days.    If we are planning to go to the alpine, though, decent weather is needed, so hillside hikes or bikes, or a paddle are in our "alternates list."   When the winds howl, we put away our paddles, and find the forest.   When the bugs swarm the high country, we paddle on open water or hike on open ridges.    On a hot day, a mountain bike on a backroad is a good choice.  On an overcast day, a paddle around the shoreline of smaller lake is a good choice.    Since geocaches can be in any location, a caching journey can provide interesting outdoor experiences.    With so many alternatives, should we just stick to Plan B routes?

To explore new areas, to challenge ourselves, to widen our knowledge of our environment, and to be a part of the natural history of our world, we need to set out goals and plan for trips, journeys, tracks, and trails.   We can make our own private lists, or we can share them.   We can personally commit to our list or we can invite others to join us.   We can show leadership, or we can follow others.   We can keep our experiences private, we can share them, or we can celebrate them.  

It is impossible to do them all.   There are just too many trails, routes, ridges, backroads, rivers, meadows, scrambles, lakes, coastlines, caves, hills, and tracks.   And, of course many trails need to be visited many times.   Wells Gray, the Dewdrop Ranges, Lac du Bois Grasslands, Lac le Jeune, Rogers Pass, the Trans Canada Trail, Garibaldi Lake, the Great Divide, Cathedral Lake, and many more areas have to be experienced many times.   We can't imagine a year when we don't hike to Trophy Meadows or paddle the North Thompson River.   

So, each year we set goals and try to do as many as possible.   In the end, some carry over to a new year and we finish half of our list, but others get added.   Over many years, the total list of tracks and trails is a long one.   Many of them now are reflected in posts on this website, but there are also many that haven't reached publication yet.  

So, for 2011, our resolution is to hit as many of our goals as possible:

  • There are a few hikes that hikers travel to from all over the world.   We will complete one of these this year – The Kalalau Trail along the NaPali coast on Kauai.   There are also world-class hikes in Kokee State Park and Waimea Canyon State Park.    We have done some of them already, but we will be looking to do the Kukui Trail, the Awa'awaphui Trail, the Alakai Swamp-Pihea Trail, the Waimea Canyon Trail, and the Jungle hike under Mt. Waiaiele.   
  • We have paddled the North Thompson River many times and have even camped on islands on an overnight trip.   We think that a trip from Clearwater to Kamloops with one or two nights on the river will be in our 2011 plans.
  • We have also paddled the west arm of Murtle Lake, but we have not yet paddled the north arm.    This trip is high on our list.    A fall trip on Clearwater and Azure Lakes is an alternate (both would be better).   
  • We have biked or walked many sections of the Trans Canada Trail, but we want to add more sections.    The section from Hope to Chilliwack is in our sights.
  • Exploring new areas that have almost no information is always on our list, but sometimes it is a success, and sometimes just doesn't work out.   We keep a few on our list.    The ridge extension on Red Plateau from the end of the Dewdrop Trail to the end of Hardie Hill is on our list.   We can see that it can be followed on logging roads, but we are looking for hiking and biking alternatives along the rim of the ridge too.  
  • New rivers to paddle are on our list.   We are looking at other sections of the Shuswap River, the Eagle River, and the Fraser River (north).    Rivers can be safe or hazardous, depending on the time of the year.   The North and South Thompson Rivers are safe year round, but at high flood, attention must be paid to logjams, sweepers, sideslides, and rapids.    When rivers become Class 3, we have to make sure we are ready, well-equipped, and with the right group.   
  • Mountains to hike in 2011 include the ridges up to Dunn Peak, Trophy 3, Table Mountain, Needle Peak, Stoyama Mountain. Thar Peak,  Queest Mountain, Pukeashun Mountain, Tsuius Mountain, Mt. Bowman, Mt. Kerr, ….
  • Areas to explore and populate with geocaches include the Roche Lake area, Wells Gray trails, the Masters Subalpine Walk, Tranquille Canyon, and any mountain top that requires a hike or scramble to get to the top.  
  • We still haven't yet explored the right place for the Petrified Forest in the Monte Hills or the natural arch in the Dewdrop.   There are numerous lakes to explore and photos to take.   
  • The Rockies call to us every year and many are in our return list – Cauldron Lake, Bow Hut, Floe Lake, Skoki, Egypt Lake, Maccarib Pass, Upper Fish Lakes, Carthew Summit, …..Too many too far apart….
  • The sea calls to us and our ocean-going kayaks will see at least one journey on the waves.
  • Our bikes have many backroads to explore.   We also want to do at least one section of the Kettle Valley route each year.
  • And, we are open to invitations to join others who can share their favorite places with us.

In reflection, it appears we will need to retire to meet our goals for 2011.    laugh     Plan B is to do as many as possible and finish the list in 2012!      cool

Kamloops Lake

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We chose to paddle from Cooney Bay to Savona at the end of October.   The forecast looked good, but at the last minute there was a warning about winds from the east, a tailwind for the paddlers.

With an escape route (at Tobiano) in mind, we started early in the morning.   We had chosen to paddle the south shore of the lake.   I had paddled most of the north shore at one point or another, but the shore shore had always been across 1.6km of lake, so we were interested in what we would see.   We also kept Tobiano in mind if the winds became too strong.

We crossed the 1 km section from Cooney Bay over to the south shore without too much difficulty, although we knew right away that the wind was going to be a challenge.   The winds were blowing right down the lake and this made paddling easier and we were making good time.

Along the south shore, we were impressed by the train tunnels and the stone walls supporting the railbed.   The stones were clearly quarried.   We wondered how old they were?   One of the walls had been recently reinforced with concrete pillars.   Another featured a classic arch (see photos below).   Just about the whole route to Cherry Creek had a sheer rock slope rising right from the lake.

As we proceeded down the lake, the winds increased and we were surrounded by 1-2′ waves.   Our kayaks rose and fell as the waves overtook us.   I checked my GPsr and we were averaging 7km an hour assisted by the wind.   When the shoreline was parallel to the winds, the going was fast, and paddling was straightforward, similar to paddling in the ocean with the current.   When the shoreline angled out with rocky points, there was much more difficult paddling.   As the waves pounded the shoreline (with breakers), waves rebounded back and slowed down the waves coming in, and these waves mounded up into 2-3′ waves.   We found ourselves between whitecaps in the center of the lake and active breakers closer to the shore.   In between there was a comfort zone, where the waves ran straight, but we paddled farther out from the shore.   When we had to angle out into the lake, we had to cross the wave barrage at 45 degrees, which was manageable as long as we anticipated the waves over our right shoulders, paddling into and bracing into the oncoming wave.   We were breached a few times, but as long as we kept our focus, we made good time down the lake.

We chose to make a beach landing at Tobiano on a nice sandy beach.   There is a road down to the beach, a boat launch ramp, and a gangway down to a floating dock there.   No one was around on a windy end-of-October Saturday morning, but we were glad to have a spot to have lunch and dry out.

From the Kamloops Airport to Six Mile Point is a straight line of unimpeded open water.  The winds pick up speed down this corridor.   We launched and found ourselves in 3′ waves.   Looking over at my friend Russ, I would lose sight of his kayak as he dipped into the troughs and then be carried aloft again.   As I paddled and a wave lifted me, the front 4′ of my kayak would be out of the water.   We could surf the waves if we paddled hard enough, but after a minute or so, the wave would steam ahead, leaving us in the trough again, looking over our right shoulders for the next wave.

The most difficult challenge was when the corner of a wave passed us and we slid off the edge.   This would tilt our boat at an angle.   We could brace for this (if we saw it in time) but at times it caught us unprepared and we fought to keep from being turned siideways in the shifting waters.   A combination of angled waves and a rudder out of the water (on the backside of the wave above the trough) might cause us to be spun about, and then the next wave swamped the boat.   With spray skirts on, most of the water swept away, but we got wet nonethless.

The angled sweep out around Six Mile Point was achieved by paddling hard and anticipating the waves.   A few rogue waves broke onto the kayaks in this section.   Who would be out paddling in such weather?

Kamloops Lake can be divided into two sections with the east end aiming northeast and then at Six Mile Point the lake angles southwest.   Rounding the point was like being on a  different lake.   Six Mile Point acted as a natural breakwater for the whole shoreline down to the west end of Savona.   We found the next section leisurely.   The shoreline near Savona has many shallow sections so we paddled out farther into the lake, but still only encountered smaller waves.   The landing at the boat launch was a welcome sight after 5 hours on the lake.

The scenery on the lake is outstanding.   The route is a long one, and best suited to a calm summer day.   But on those days, there will be other boaters and a lot of shore activity.   We saw eagles and shoreline birds, but no boaters, and no one else in sight.    We will return for a Savona to Kamloops paddle up the north shore, hopefully with no wind.

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Reflections on Paddling Upriver

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The North Thompson River rises in the glaciers of the Premiers Range west of Valemount, flows east to the Monashees, then is steered south and down the North Thompson Valley.   Many rivers flow into it – the Albreda, Mad River, Thunder River ,Blue River, Mud Creek, Raft River, the Clearwater River, the Barriere River, Jamieson Creek – and many other streams and creeks.    It flows steadily south to Kamloops at 3-4 km/hr.   It is joined by the South Thompson River in Kamloops, the outflow of Shuswap Lake and all its feeders.    Starting from Kamloops, the paddler can paddle either river upstream for days north or east, but few will choose to paddle upstream for more than an hour.   Its hard work above all.

But we do choose to paddle upstream every week:

  • We embrace the challenge as a strength and endurance workout.
  • While we are still fresh, we find a steady rhythm of strokes, without a break until our turn-around point.
  • We pick one side of the river for the way up, and the other side for the way down.
  • The first half is all concentration, a focus on precision, balance, and finding the aerobic threshold.
  • The second half, on the flow downstream propelled by the current, is easy, meditative, a reward for all the hard work upstream.

North Mabel Lake

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The best (paved) road into the north end of Mabel Lake heads east from Enderby, following the Shuswap River upstream.   Be sure to stop to at various points (Cooke Creek, Skookumchuk, etc.) to look at the river along the way.   As you approach the lake, the road really ends at the RV Park/Golf Course/Airstrip/Resort and there is some limited access to the lake there, but there is a good access at the marina which sits at the mouth of the river.

Mabel Lake is a large lake – 35 km long.      There is no road along the west shore and only a Forest Service Road along the east side north of Mabel Lake Provincial Park starting at the south end.

We enjoyed paddling out into north end of the lake.   For a short paddle, aim north towards Tsuius Narrows and cross the lake to the mouth of Tsuius Creek, then follow the shore south to Cottonwoods Beach.   There is a 20 site BC Forest Service Campsite there with a sandy beach.

For a longer paddle, the north end of the lake is about 14 km.   Noisy Creek campsite is on the west shore.

Shuswap River

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The Shuswap River rises high in the Monashee Range on the west side of the Monashee Divide behind Mt. Begbie, Blanket Mountain, and the Greenbush Basin.   It flows south into Sugar Lake, and south then west towards Lumby.   At Shuswap Falls, it turns north and continues until it flows into Mabel Lake.   Twenty five kilometres north, the river flows out of Mabel Lake into a two kilometre section called the Skookumchuck.    Coming out of the canyon, the river runs for 36 kilometres down to Enderby, where it again turns north and meanders through the farmlands to Grindrod, then northeast to Mara Lake.   The waters channel through Sicamous Narrows into Shuswap Lake.   It is a long journey with a number of opportunities for paddling.

The section featured here is the leg from below the “Chuck” to Enderby.   The Skookumchuck is best left to whitewater experts.   Below the rapids, there are a number of hand-launch areas to pick from.   The first is at Brandt’s Landing, a small BCFS camp area across from the Three Valley Road.   We found this site a little tight for parking and launching so we chose a site a short distance downstream next to “the mailboxes”, where there is ample parking, a beach and a back eddy for easy launching (approx. N50 36.569, W118 46.500).   Further down, there is also an excellent launch area at the Cooke Creek campsite.

The first few kilometers travel through canyons and high-banked wooded forest.   Some of the sections feature faster water and a few bumpy rapids, but nothing serious.   There was a cable across the river at one point warning paddlers of a sweeper on the river curve, so we portaged around the spot, but we saw that we could have paddled close to the shoreline on the south side instead.

We were lucky enough to paddle the route during the salmon run and the entire 35 km route was a journey passing through the sockeye and chinook’s migration upstream.   Fisheries staff were carry ing on studies on the river, eagles and kingfishers sat on snags, scavenger birds pecked at the dead fish, a bear prowled the shoreline, and salmon constantly jumped into the air.   In shallower gravels, females waited for males before laying eggs.   In water about 1m – 1.5m deep, a line of red sockeye swam upstream.    Larger black speckled chinook also joined the parade.   In the shallowest sections, we had to be careful not to strike the fish with our paddles.

The water is incredibly clear so we could see the sockeye, chinook, and trout in the river below the kayaks in almost every part of the river.   The first half of the route runs through clear waters.   The middle section of the river is dotted with many islands, the river bottom is siltier and the river runs slowly, but is still clear and weed-free.

The entire paddle is 35-36 kilometres to Enderby.   On the top part of the paddle, the river runs quickly and straight.   With the current and paddling we were able to maintain 9km/hr.   When we hit the middle section, the river runs slowly and requires more paddling.   There are many beaches and sandbars in this section, any of which make a good place to stop for lunch.   The lower section of the river meanders through farmlands, although there are also two short sections of fast water in canyons.   The final few kilometers wind through the pastures to the southeast of Enderby and the river’s current is slowest here.     We landed at the bridge in Enderby.   It took us 4.5 hours to cover the 35km journey.

20101004_36rThere are many signed hand launch spots along the road so a paddler can pick a shorter route.   A recommended shorter section would be to launch at Cooke Creek and pull out at the Trinity Bridge (Ashton Creek).   A two-vehicle system is needed, but we have often thought of launching, then landing at journey’s end, locking up our boats, and calling for a taxi ride back to our vehicle.   There is actually a drop-off, pick-up service for tubers in Enderby for the “float season.”   If you try this method, you will need to exit near a landline, though, since mobile phones have no coverage up this valley.

This section of the Shuswap River is why kayaks and canoes were invented.   Include it in your ‘(paddle) bucket-list.”

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Painted Bluffs Provincial Park

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This site feels prehistoric, other-worldy, unique.

The combination of shapes and colors makes this a very special place.   Its quite close to home, but hard to get to.

  • Route Choice One – Go past Savona and turn onto the Sabiston Creek Road.   Follow it to the Copper Creek Road and descend towards the lake.   You will come to private property.   You can proceed and ask permission to cross the property and if you do, park near the railroad tracks.   If you don’t want to ask for permission, you can park above the property and traverse the sidehills for about a kilometre.   There is no trail and there are some fences.   If you can park at the lake, the Bluffs are to the east and you have to either go through the train tunnel (not recommended), around the shoreline on rocks (boulder hopping), or climb over the hill (scramble).      None of these routes are long but all involve some rough terrain.
  • Route Choice Two (recommended).   Launch your boat from Savona or from Tobiano and paddle across the lake.   Crossing the open lake on a windy day is not recommended so either wait for a calm day, or hug the shoreline to the river mouth and paddle up the shoreline.   The paddle across from Savona or Tobiano is about an hour.   There is a sandy/gravel beach to land on.   Beach your boat, put on your hiking boots, and head north up the gully.   Cross the tracks and start your exploration.

Once you arrive at the spot, you can explore the eroded canyons, ridges, and boulder slopes.   Bring your camera and your sense of wonder.   This site is one of the “Seven Wonders of Our Area.”

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Paddling the Lakes

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The Kamloops area is blessed to have so many lakes and rivers.   Paddling the rivers is always great because they are close and there are a number of good access points, and 150 km of river paddling within an hour’s drive, but paddlers will always face going upstream for half the journey unless they can use some kind of a two-car system.

We also have hundreds of lakes to paddle, and if you are willing to drive up to an  hour, there are dozens of prime spots.   If the paddler has only 30 minutes of travel time,  three lakes stand – Heffley Lake, Paul Lake, and Lac le Jeune.

Launch from the Provincial Campsite boat launch/beach area for Lac le Jeune and you can paddle in either direction, paddle the whole lake, or even duck under the bridge and paddle the smaller lake to the west.   There is 1-2 hours of paddling and exploring on LLJ.

Launch from the Provincial Campsite boat launch/beach at Paul Lake and again you can paddle in either direction.   There is 1-1.5 hours of paddling on PL.

Heffley Lake is deceptive.   It is longer than it appears from the road.   There is a good boat launching spot at the east end of the lake adjacent to the BC Forest Service site.   You can paddle around the islands and plan for about 1- 1.5 hours of enjoyable time on the lake.

One Hour on the River

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Our two rivers run through the heart of the city, natural wilderness corridors, watery trails complete with wildlife.   On the river today, dead salmon floated along or lay on the beach, crows, magpies, and seagulls scoured for scraps, gaggles of geese clustered in bays, ducks dove for aquatics, a bear foraged for fish on the shore, all while cars, trains, and planes roared by.

This is not a route to paddle in the summer.   Too many power boats; too many for the space available.   But the river is quiet and peaceful in the spring and the fall.   An hour for yourself.   Start at Pioneer Park and paddle upstream to the Gregson Trail and back.   The river’s current will make you work upstream.   It will take you ten minutes less downstream.