One of the first lakes in the hills to be ice-free is Jacko Lake. Since it is also a popular hike for fishermen, avoid peak times to paddle the lake. The Jacko Lake Road is an extension of the Inks Lake Road. It has been a rough road, but it has been improved by the Trans Mountain Pipeline Project staff. Nevertheless it is still a high clearance road.
With little wind and a dozen fishermen, I paddled around the lake twice (8 km if you paddle the bays too).
Jacko is a favorite to paddle so I will be back again soon.
On a cool morning I launched my kayak from Pioneer Park and paddled downstream. At the Confluence I stayed right and worked my way through a shallow section into the North Thompson River. I paddled upstream slowly since the current is stronger in that river. Wanting to paddle for about 1.5 hours, I picked a spit to turn back downstream to enjoy my face into the sun as I glided and paddled back to the Confluence, and then back up the South Thompson River.
Another fine day of spring paddling with many more days to come…
From the Valleyview Boat Launch we can paddle up the South Thompson River toward Barnhartvale and back. On this section of the river, the downriver paddle is twice as fast as the upriver paddle.
South Thompson River
The winds were light and the weather improved during the outing. Another fine day of paddling:
From Pioneer Park I paddled downstream under the Red Bridge, then the Train Bridge, and past the confluence to go under the Overlander Bridge, then beyond past the pylons of a half bridge, and back again on a fine day.
In mid-March the river was clear of ice, but the cold winds persisted and the right gear and precautions were still needed. On this day, there were many geese on the river and one other paddler.
I had hope to have paddled more by this date, but consistently windy conditions are a discouraging situation for paddlers.
We try to get our kayaks in the water in the river as soon as enough ice and snow melts to allow us easy access to launch and land. Our first choice is Pioneer Park. In early March when the gate to the boat launch is still locked, we have to transport our kayaks on wheels down to the river shore, and on our first launch, we had to pull the boat over layers of ice to get to the open water. In later paddling sessions, we were able to use the boat launch to unload and launch. When we ready the kayak for a paddle, there are no other boats in sight, but dog walkers are common. We launch and paddle upstream or downstream, alternating, but adjusting to wind conditions too.
The most common route is to paddle upstream first. It is 1.6 km to the Yellowhead Bridge. There is some faster water in the big S-turn east of the bridge. Turn-around spots vary according to the length of the paddle session planned and on wind conditions. We paddle up for somewhere from 40 – 80 minutes then turn back downstream.
On a sunny day, the sun glares down as I paddle upstream, reflecting in the river.
On a day with no wind, the going is slower upstream, about 3.5 km per hour, but much faster downstream.
When the wind blows from the west, the paddle downstream can be slow too.
We also paddle down to the Confluence then west on the Thompson River and back upstream. If we want a harder workout, we paddle up the North Thompson river and back.
Some Early season Paddling Tips:
The water is cold so either a dry entry or good boots helps to keep the feet warm.
to stay warm , we use a spray skirt, a paddling jacket, and paddling gloves.
If there is a cold wind, we usually wait for a better day.
Paddle close to the shoreline. If you capsize, it will be better to go to the shoreline than to try a wet, cold self-rescue.
Phillips Lake lies on the Skimikin Lake Road between Turtle Valley and Skimikin. The fastest approach from Kamloops is to drive on Highway 1 East to Squilax and turn onto the Squilax – Turtle Valley Road. Follow the valley toward Skimikin then turn onto Ptarmigan Road. A good parking area and boat launch is located on the northwest side of the lake.
The whole lake is surrounded by reeds and rushes. In fall, the lake was fairly quiet, but the lakeside would be full of blackbirds, marsh wrens, and ducks in the spring.
A paddle around the lakeshore is 2.5 km, but there is also marshland which can be paddled on the far end. This would be better in the spring when there is more water and before the water lilies fill the channels. In summer and early fall, an algae bloom also fills the lake. Spring is the recommended time to paddle this lake.The lake sits between the Fly Hills on the south (see below) and Black Mountain on the north. To the northwest are the rocky slopes of Squilax Mountain (seen above).
In fall, the Turtle Valley and the Squilax Valley were filled with color. We continued east to paddle Skimikin Lake on the same day, another fine small lake for paddling.
There was still ice on the shoreline and over much of the boat launch area. I hauled the kayak to a patch of beach at Pioneer Park and paddled up the river.
That part was fine, but the prelude was more interesting – I drove down the boat launch to the edge of the ice and unloaded the kayak. I placed the kayak on the ice while I got out the rest of the gear. I heard a noise and watched with horror as the 18 foot boat slid along the ice and into the river. The river picked it up and it was floating away. I had my dry suit on so I started to run down the shoreline. I was prepared to wade and swim out to the boat in the cold water. But the ice was slick and I fell. As I got back up, a man walking his dog saw my predicament and luckily there was a small back eddy which spun the boat, so he reached over and pulled the boat out. I thanked him, then took a moment to realize how lucky I was. A few minutes later, I launched the boat and paddled upriver.
When we launch our kayaks from Lac le Jeune Provincial Park we can choose to do a loop east or west and if we choose to head to the West Lake we then have to paddle to the bridge underpass. My loop route followed the north shore of the lake, then a circuit on the smaller lake, followed by a circuit of the south side of the main lake and back, a 5.5 km morning paddle.
In a year of high rainfall, the lake was full and that left minimal space to get under the bridge. By removing my PFD and laying flat on the deck of the kayak, I pulled myself through (barely).
Winds made even the small lake choppy, but I headed around the lakeshore, watching for birds and wildlife.
There are some interesting channels in the marshes at the far end of the lake. The waterway is the start of Meadow Creek which flows down to Logan Lake, then into Guichon Creek which flows south to the Nicola River.
Water lilies were in bloom on both lakes.
Goslings were steered by the mother goose in sheltered bays on the lake.
Silver light was cast on Lac le Jeune for the return paddle
Each summer I do a circuit of the area’s lakes, some of which are done every year (like Lac le Jeune), and some are in alternate years or every few years. I try to do a few new lakes each year too, but this now means more traveling time, smaller lakes, or a challenging portage. The overall goal is to get out paddling more than 50 times each year, and in 2021 it was 80 times.
Tranquille Lake lies at the foot of the southern end of Bonaparte Plateau. Porcupine Ridge is due north and backcountry surrounds the lake. The road ends at Wendego Lodge, the destination for most people who go to this area. We drove through Lac du Bois, then took the Pass Lake Road and continued on the Sawmill Creek Road.until the 40 …Continue reading →
McGillivray Lake can be accessed through Sun Peaks. Take Sun Peaks Road to the McGillivray Lake Forest Service Road. It is a 5.6 km drive on a gravel road to the McGillivray Outpost/Boat Launch. A paddle around the lake (inc. all the shallow bays) is 5.8 km. On a sunny weekend with an early start there were only a small number of boats on the lake.
Tod Mountain stands to the northwest, here seen between two islands in the lake.
In summer the marshy shoreline featured yellow lilies, an osprey, lots of sweet-scented marsh orchids, and a number of sedges, reeds, and rushes.
water lily
osprey
marsh orchid
little green sedge
McGillivray Lake is one of the lakes we paddle every year. Nearby Morrisey Lake is smaller and we sometimes paddle it too as a second stop in the area.
With little wind and a dozen fishermen, I paddled around the lake twice (8 km if you paddle the bays too).
