Near the start of October I returned back to the river. When time is short, I can launch the boat at Pioneer Park and paddle up the river and back in an hour. On this day, I paddled the river, then secured the boat and played tennis right next-door.
Some fall color is a feature of fall paddling on the South Thompson River. Winds were light and there were no other boats on the river.
A few ducks dabbled in the river. There were lots of birds – an eagle, magpies, crows, gulls, robins, woodpeckers, and various smaller species.
The river is too busy and too noisy in the summer so we wait until October to return. There will be more days of paddling on the river before the end of the kayaking season.
On a cool, grey day with a smattering of rain I drove down to Monck Park and launched the kayak onto Nicola Lake.
Nicola Lake can be a windy spot and some cool winds were blowing down the lake so I stayed on the shoreline of the lake, enjoying the quiet paddle in spite of the conditions.
Nicola Lake is a big lake so I launch out of three spots (north south, and middle-west) and do different loops each time. For 2023 this was my second time on the lake, day 67 of paddling. After paddling I secured the boat, then hiked the trails.
When there are winds forecast I try to get an earlier start because the winds get stronger by late morning. I also chose a smaller sheltered lake and one of the best for this kind of day is McConnell Lake. I launched early, the only boat on the lake that morning.
I paddled twice around the lake, once in each direction. The wind was consistent at 10 – 15 km/hour.
Near the end of the second lap, the winds died down for a short time, but were back just after I finished the paddle.
After paddling I secured the boat, then went for a hike on the trail, exploring the forest before returning back to town.
A few moments from the paddle on the lake are shared here in a short YouTube video on the Ramble On Channel.
On a cool, sunny late September morning I chose Edith Lake for an hour of paddling. When I got there I found out that the World Fly Fishing Championships were scheduled for that day. Eight women’s teams would be on the lake so I paddled out right away.
The back bays were quiet with no fishing boats, a perfect day for kayaking.
The competitors were clustered around the area out from the boat launch. Fishing was slow, but the organizers were hovering nearby to count and measure the fish caught. I gave the cluster of boats a wide berth as I completed a single loop of the lakeshore.
Edith Lake is one of my “go-to lakes.” It is closest to home, the paddling is always good (except at the busiest times, which I avoid), and it is a scenic spot for an hour or two of paddling.
Watch for a short YouTube video on the Ramble On Channel.
While the Ross Moore Fire was active, we avoided go to Lac le Jeune, partly because of smoky conditions, but we just wanted to stay out of the way too. By fall the smoke had dissipated so we went to Lac le Jeune Provincial Park and launched from the beach.
On a mild day, the winds were light and we paddled around the shoreline.
A few moments from the morning of paddling are captured in this YouTube video:
When we paddle on Paul Lake, we can pass close to the sheer slopes of Gibraltar Rock. On a June day, I paddled a loop route on the middle part of the lake.
Some video moments of the paddle are captured here:
This day in June was the third day of paddling on Paul Lake for 2023 and the 26th day of kayaking in the year. On to other lakes for the rest of the year…
Near the Fall Equinox on a cool morning, I arrived at Jacko Lake to find it very busy. The World Fly Fishing Championships was scheduled for September 24 to 30, but teams from around the world were arriving and practice rounds were on local lakes, including Jacko Lake. When I arrived the French team and the Italian team were ready to launch. I quickly unloaded and launched onto the lake, sticking to the shoreline, avoiding fishermen.
Winds were light at the start, but gusts started, blowing down the lake from the northwest. Remnants of the rainy/stormy weather of the night before hung on over the hills.
The lake’s body of water was low and the bays had lots of aquatic growth, making the loop around the lake a bit shorter. Jacko is ascenic lake so any loop is a rewarding one.
I left the fly fishermen to some hours on the lake and got out of the cold wind. Jacko is a favorite lake, always worth my time, but I will avoid the crowds and the wind on upcoming outings.
Although the Stake Lake Rec Site is officially “closed” because of the Ross Moore Lake wildfire, the gate to the parking area is open and lots of people are fishing or paddling the lake, and hiking, walking and biking the inner trails. On a cloudy but mild September day I launched my kayak into the lake and paddled around the shoreline.
There was a breeze on the lake, but not enough to deter me from a great day of paddling on the lake. I paddled around twice, once in each direction. That takes about an hour.
After paddling, I secured the boat on the roof rack, then hiked around the lake, mostly using single tracks where available.
After a period of extended drought the forest is still very dry. A few shrubs and perennials were still green if they were near water.
This is a favorite, three times around Stake Lake. We will do this again in the fall.
Some moments of the three loops are shared here in a short YouTube video:
On a sunny September morning I launched my kayak onto McGillivray Lake and paddled the shoreline.
The best boat launch is at the McGillivray Lake Outpost. From the Village of Sun Peaks, take Sun Peaks Road to the gravel McGillivary Forest Service Road. Continue for 6 km to the signed turn to the lake. A paddle around the lake is about 4.5 km. There are several shallow bays and 3 islands to explore.
On this day there was no one on the lake. I spotted an osprey, and eagle. a loon, and several ducks, but otherwise all was quiet. A few images are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
On a sunny September morning I launched my kayak into Isobel Lake and paddled around the lakeshore.
A complete loop of the lake is about 2.3 km so twice around is the usual routine, once in each direction. Since the trails are right there too, it is a good spot for a paddle and hike outing.
Some images are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
the marshy east end of the lake
the marshy west end of the lake
a small island
lake depths map
by the boat launch
on Isobel
The lake was fairly quiet, but there were some RVs in the campground and one other boat on the lake on a weekday morning.
On a sunny September day I arrived early at Leighton Lake. I launched the kayak from the campground boat launch in calm conditions.
There were lots of ducks on the lake and a few fishermen, but it was quiet, peaceful, and scenic.
Once around the lake was 3.4 km. On this day I secured the boat, then also hiked the Leighton Lake Trail, a 7 km signed route through the Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park grasslands, a recommended route.
This is a great choice for a late summer or early fall paddle.
Sometimes there are pelicans on Campbell Lake in late summer or the start of fall. We can never tell until we get there. The lake was hit with winterkill, so the campground was empty and with so few fish in the lake, the pelicans may have gone elsewhere. I did spot two of them on Scuitto Lake on the way in. I launched my kayak on a grey, windy, slightly smoky day and paddled the lake.
Much of the lake has shallow bays full of aquatic growth so we usually paddle around the lake in an oval shape.
There were lots of ducks on the lake, but no larger birds and no fishermen. It was a quiet paddle, mostly exercise and outdoor recreation; Day 57 of paddling this year.
I did a short video on last year’s paddle on the lake, provided here:
Buse Lake Protected Area extends from Barnhartvale Road, across the lake, then up into the hills to the Buse Hill hiking area. Buse Lake has no established access route, but it is only a short hike down to the shoreline from a pull-off area on the road. To paddle the lake, we have be haul the boat down the slope to the shoreline.
Buse Lake is a highly alkaline lake and by mid-summer the lake has brine shrimp and brine flies. A number of birds are attracted to lakes with high alkaline salt content. I spotted ducks, swallows and killdeer on this day.
It was a calm day for a paddle around the lake exploring the bays and the shoreline. Alkali salts fringe the shoreline in some areas and pickleweed was turning red right above the white band. The bays were choked with aquatic growth and there was some algae in the shallows.
Buse Lake is a spot for naturalists, or for a paddler interested in the ecology of an alkali lake in the summer. A few moments of the experience are captured in this video:
During September a few years ago, we traveled to Murtle Lake before smoky conditions in smothered the area and we decided to shorten our time there once the smoke moved in. On the second day we paddled the west end of the west arm of Murtle Lake. We launched from Birch Beach and paddled past Smoker Island. The wide bay at the mouth of File Creek and Anderson Creek is shallow and muddy so we kept our distance from the treed shoreline. The distance from Birch Beach to the landing at Diamond Lagoon was about 7.5 km.
At the end of the previous day and in the early morning, there was some smoke, but there was also some clearer skies too. We got an early start to take advantage of calm conditions on the lake.
The mountains to the north of Anderson Lake and Anderson Creek are part of the Mobley Range. There is a trail to Anderson Lake, but access to Mobley Mountain would be bushwhacking.
There is also a trail to a launch at File Creek. the river can be paddled for about 4 km upstream. McDougall Lake is another 5 km beyond. Draining into File Creek is Kostal Creek, running down from Kostal Lake (6km from the confluence). An old trail can be hiked to Kostal Lake, but it is mostly impassable at this time. The Goat Peaks rise north of File Creek.
We entered Diamond Lagoon by paddling a short distance down the Murtle River. The lagoon area is through a lava field. At the end of Diamond Lagoon are rapids on the river. A sign warns paddlers not to pass the sign.
A rough landing can be made on the south shore. A trail follows the river down to McDougall Falls.
We landed in a small bay below the Diamond Lagoon shelter. We had lunch and explored the area a bit. The shelter would be welcome in the rain or the cold, but it is a bit primitive otherwise. There was an outhouse and a bear cache there for campers.
The smoke continued to roll in as we paddled back along the south shore of the lake.
We paddled past the Tropicana Campsite and then across the lake to our own campsite, a total of 16 km.
On a day with better conditions, we would have hiked down to the falls and back, but paddling in the smoke limits the views, but it also takes a toll on the lungs. We spent 3 day at Murtle Lake, but we plan to return to do some more hiking in the area, perhaps in the north arm next time.
The boat launch on McArthur Island had a land-locked muddy pond, then there was a portage out to the river channel. This access proved to be muddy and a bit difficult. Once in the shallow channel, I paddled upstream in fast water, over gravel bars and eventually into the main river. Conditions improved a few hundred meters upstream.
The route was up toward Overlander Bridge, then down the other side of the river around Rabbit Island down to Mission Flats beach, across the river, and then up the channel between McArthur Island and Rabbit Island against the current in faster water.
Moments from the Thompson River Romp are captured in this YouTube video:
To be honest, this wasn’t a great paddle. The shallow channels were difficult, access to both ends of the lagoon was gone, the skies were smoky, and there was lots of noise from airplanes, trucks, and trains. Another day of paddling added though, Day 55 this year.
Community Lake is a favorite spot for a summer paddle. It is usually a quiet spot, except for long weekends in summer. On a Saturday morning there were only campers at the lake and when I launched, there was no one else on the lake. The lake was dammed and the shoreline has many fallen trees, small islands and shallow bays, all perfect for exploring in a kayak.
To get to Community Lake, turn onto the Knouff Lake Road from the Sun Peaks Road Watch for the sign to Community Lake Recreation Site. Access is by the Community Lake Forest Service Road, a gravel backroad that is suitable for most vehicles, but it would be best to wait for the roads to dry out.
Paddling around the lake takes about an hour, but there are a number of channels and small bays to explore for one or two loops around the lake. Some images are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view.
At 1380 m (4530 ft), the lake is usually a little cooler than the valleys below in summer. At 8:00 in the morning it was only 6 degrees C. I will continue to paddle Community Lake once or twice each summer for as long as I can…
A few ducks dabbled in the river. There were lots of birds – an eagle, magpies, crows, gulls, robins, woodpeckers, and various smaller species.
The river is too busy and too noisy in the summer so we wait until October to return. There will be more days of paddling on the river before the end of the kayaking season.
And a short Youtube video of this paddle:
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