Author Archives: Kamloops Kayak

Rabbit Island

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Rabbit Island sits out in the middle of the Thompson River not too far away from McArthur Island.    Deer overwinter on the island, boaters land here in the summer, and an occasional camper sets up a tent on the island.   The island shrinks from the middle of May to the middle of June.    In late fall to early spring, it is possible to wade through the river channel from McArthur Island.   Much of the middle of the island is open grass and a few trees, but the northeast corner is more dense and the northwest corner is overgrown.

One way to check out Rabbit Island is to launch your boat at McArthur Island and paddle up river to the tip.   The riverbed is higher on the northside and the river tumbles down at the east end to the deeper south side.   If you paddle into the cascade, you will be pulled down and around the south side of the island.     The south shoreline of the island is steeper and this makes a more challenging landing.   Coming around the west end and then up the north side of the island, you will parallel broad sandy beaches.

To explore the island, just beach anywhere on the north side.   Go inland and follow game trails and tracks that wind among the trees and around the low spots.   In the later spring through summer, these are filled with water and in late June, are bug-brewing ponds.

You can paddle about 3.6 km around the island and then hike about 2.5 km on the island for a a day on the Thompson River.

Community Lake

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Community Lake is known as an excellent fishing lake in the high country.   A 10-site BC Forest Service Recreation site  on the southwest corner gives good boat launch access.   For the paddler, this is a pleasant spot.   There are many small islands and some bays to explore.   By following the shoreline and touring around islands, about 2.5 km of paddling is here, and on this last visit, two circuits provided enough exercise for the afternoon.   Loons and ospreys were seen.   From one point, the west meadows of Tod Mountain rise in the east.    Along the shore the amphibious smartweed was in bloom dotting the shallows with pink knots of flowers (its also called knotweed).

After paddling, I drove some of the backroads and I could see that many kilometres of mountain biking are also available.   Google Earth shows roads dividing out, but extending down to Badger Lake, and up over the ridges towards Louis Creek.

To get to Community Lake, take the Knouff Lake Road and after 9km turn onto the (signed) Community Lake Road and follow this good 2wd road up to the lake (almost 6km).     The lake sits at 4500 feet so dress accordingly.

Tunkwa Lake

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Tunkwa is a mecca for fishermen, quads, motorcycles, and for camping, but is not known for hiking, biking, or paddling.    The hike around either (or both lakes) is very pleasant.   Starting at the trailhead between the lakes (at the end of the campground) trails can be followed, although the meadows can be buggy in the early summer.    In the summer, the trails can be grown over, but the route is always obvious.    Similarly, paddling around either lake is a nice afternoon with several easy points to launch from.   We have hiked the uplands above the lake and the backroads to the east, but they are best explored by m0untain  bike (and will be featured in another story).

Stevens Lakes

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Although I have only been to Stevens Lakes once, I hope to get back there again soon.   It can be done in one long day, but it also takes some preparation.   I was lucky enough to have hired a fishing guide who took us in for the day.   I remember the long back road route, then the long hike in.   We went in and out in a single long day, but if I return, I’d prefer to backpack in and spend at least one night at the lakes.   I would do this after the bug season because both the route in and the lakes area is low-lying and wet.   I will bring fishing gear because everyone will catch his/her limit at this remote spot.   Preparation is required to figure out the best route in.   We used the backroad system going up the Raft River Forest Road (Rd. 9), then the Raft-Ritchie Forest Road and continued on for a total of 51 km before parking at a high and remote spot.   Detailed descriptions for this route are found in Roland Neave’s Exploring Wells Gray Park.   Today, Wells Gray Provincial Park advertises a route that goes up the Flank of Trophy Mountain, then winds around the back and over to the West Raft Creek Road past Skeeter Lake.   My assumption is that since this route is within the park, it is signed.   That exploration is yet to come.   Google Earth shows this route and hopefully it is quicker and better marked than the traditional route.

When we went to Stevens Lakes we enjoyed the gentle trail (downhill) into the lake.   Canoes are left at the campground at South Stevens Lakes for use so we paddled out and started fishing.   We had each caught our limit in 30 minutes and fish were jumping all over the lake.    This would be a quiet and pleasant camping spot for one or two nights.

Stevens Lakes sits in Indian Valley, a wet area between Battle Mountain and Murtle Lake.   All three of these areas are special in their own right and deserve to be explored more than once.

Kamloops Lake

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Every year we paddle Kamloops Lake and are surprised to see so few boats.    Its mostly a problem of access.   Any boat can travel downstream from Kamloops, but motorized boats have to be careful of the sandbars all the way down.   It is too far for canoes or kayaks to go all the way down or go back up, so we have to rely on 3 main access points.

Usually we paddle from Cooney Bay.   We drive towards Tranquille and take the left fork, passing by the entrance and continuing along a potholed road to a parking area.   At high water, the beach here disappears, but it is a fairly good spot to launch your boat otherwise.   Mosquitoes are a nuisance here from June 20 to late July since the area behind the bay floods.  From the launch spot, paddlers round the point into Cooney Bay.   Beyond Conney Bay are several good landing spots.   One of the best is at a point right before Battle Bluff.   A large golden eagle sat on a tree at the end of the point when we landed there.   Battle Bluff rises vertically out of the lake at 3.5 km from the launch point.   A few nesting birds swoop out of niches above.   The next spot after Battle Bluff is at Frederick.

The best access point to Kamloops Lake is at Savona at the town park or at the provincial campground.   A route can be paddled past the outlet to the Thompson River, then up the lake towards Copper Creek.   A very worthwhile destination is Painted Bluffs Provincial Park.   This takes about 1.5 hours each way to paddle, depending on wind conditions.

A new access point is now available at Tobiano.   Paddlers can pay at $10 fee to park at the lakes edge and launch.   Its nice to now have a place to access the middle of the lake.

Lac le Jeune

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Every year we paddle Lac le Jeune.   The far shore is quiet and forested.  There is an extensive marsh in the northeast corner which can be partly paddled.  Blackbirds nest there in the spring and the air is alive with their calls.   There are water lilies at the far east corner which bloom in July.    Loons fish the lake and call at dusk.    Paddlers can duck and travel through the tunnel under the road into the smaller lake which is open water for half and long channels into the marshes for the rest.   Bring a camera with a long lens to capture migrating birds in the reeds.    Lac le Jeune should be paddled in 3 seasons, then skied in the fourth.

Rabbit Island

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Paddling out from McArthur Island in high water means paddling vigorously upsteam, but it is quite doable, even past the confluence of the rivers and beyond.   On the way back downstream, the route was down the north side of Rabbit Island.   In winter and early spring, it is possible to wade over to the island in no more than knee-deep water.  At this time the island has in its largest area, with large sandy beaches on the north side.   At high flood, the north side is partly submerged and there are channels through the middle of the island.  The highest and driest spots are on the south side, but a paddler can still beach on the north side directly opposite McArthur Island and hike across the island in a circuit.   Last year’s fire has left some blackened stumps on the south end, but it is still a nice area to visit and linger on the shores on a sunny day.    No rabbits, some deer, lots of birds.    This is a must do for all explorers in the Kamloops area.

McLure to Kamloops Paddle

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A long, but very rewarding paddle is to start at the McLure Ferry Boat Launch (either side) and paddle to Kamloops.     This is a long day paddle and there are several options for landings.   If time is an issue, a good spot is to land at the end of Harrington Road (by the Dunes Golf Course).   There are a number of other possible landing spots, including Overlander Beach.   The paddling is good from McLure to Heffley Creek with the only thing to watch for are occasional sandbars.    Heffley Rapids are a whole different challenge, though.  The rapids change from season to season and it is advised that the paddler beaches his/her kayak/canoe at the mouth of Jamieson Creek, then walk down the shore to plan the best route through the rapids.   It will always be a bumpy ride, but it is also possible to spill in high water or with a poor route choice.   If you ride the rapids, be sure to wear your PFD, have all your safety gear, and secure everything in the boat.   You or someone in your group must know rescue techniques if your choose to ride the rapids in high water.  The rapids run in sections over a kilometer, then emerges in calm water for the rest of the trip.

Copper Island

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This hike is on an island.   For most of us, we have to use a boat from the Scotch Creek Campground, but access is also available from other points, including Blind Bay.    The best place to dock/beach is on the east side on a small gravel beach.   This is also the trailhead for the hike.   It is about 3km of trails over bluffs to viewpoints in a circle route.     Recommended…

North Thompson Channel

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This is a paddling spot that few people know, partly because it is mostly invisible from roads and partly because it can only be paddled at high water.   Put your boat into the water at any of the river access points off Banks Road.   We went down from the end of Cooper Place, but there are several launch spots in this area.    Paddle across the river and enter the channel at the south end directly opposite Garnet Road (at N50 45.530 W120 20.324) paddling upstream for one mile in the back channel.   Watch for beavers, shore birds, and an eagles nest.   Emerge from the channel at a narrows and float downstream to your launch spot.

Heffley Lake

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When you live in the Kamloops area, you have to paddle on the rivers or the lakes.    Both rivers are great but loop routes are not as easy when you have to paddle upstream.   Lakes offer an out and back choice and a good launch site and lots to see are what we want when choosing a paddling spot.   One of the best choices is Heffley Lake.   Drive to the far east end and take the road down to the beach and boat launch.   The route is down the lake to the west end (past the islet) and back.    One of my favorites…

Heffley Lake

Paddling the South Thompson River

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One of the easiest put-in points is at the Pioneer Park boat launch.  There is lots of parking, a good launch site, and easy access into the river but there is one drawback.   In the warm weather it is a crowded and noisy spot – not a great launch site with power boats, jetskis, and way too many vehicles.   Except in full flood, the river can be paddled upstream fairly easily, especially if you stay on the south side.   Up the river to the end of the Gregson Trail and back is a good paddle.   Another good launch spot is the Valleyview Boat Launch just on the west end of Thompson Drive.   Again you can paddle upstream and back, or if you have a two-vehicle system, you can paddle one way down the river to Pioneer Park, or beyond to McArthur Island or even the airport seaplane port.    An enjoyable paddle is to launch at either the Lafarge Bridge on the north side or even the Pritchard bridge (north side) and paddle downstream to any of the points noted.    On my last three paddles, lots of geese and ducks were nesting on the shoreline, eagles perched on tree branches watching the river, swallows soared over the banks and I enjoyed seeing all of the riverfront homes on the river.