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.
More information on Jacko Lake at this link.
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.
More information – McGillivray Lake
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 lake was fairly quiet, but there were some RVs in the campground and one other boat on the lake on a weekday morning.
More information – Isobel Lake
@dsmith941 On Isobel Lake
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:
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…
More:
On a hot and smoky day I drove early towards Chase, then up bumpy backroads to the Harper Lake Recreation Site.
There was no one else in the area and all was quiet on the lake.
A paddle around the lake is 3.3 km. There were loons and dragonflies on the lake.
With smoky and hot conditions, once around the lake was perfect. A few moments on Harper Lake are shared in this YouTube video:
More information – Harper Lake Recreation Site (link).
On a hot summer morning I drove up to Monte Lake. The launch on the north side of the lake is the best choice. Right at the north end of the lake turn onto Mill Road and the launch is an obvious spot. It was a busy spot on that morning, but there is lots of room for parking and for launching.
A paddle down the west shore of the lake takes about 45 minutes. The east side has the highway so I usually go down and back on the west side. A train went by while I paddled down the lake.
With burned forest on both sides of the lake, the area seems barren, but is was a calm day, and the lake had loons, ducks, eagles, an osprey, dragonflies, swallows, and a few fishermen.
This is a good lake to wear earphones to block out the highway noise. Ninety minutes of music while paddling Monte Lake…
On a hot summer day I parked at the gate area by Lac le Jeune and then hauled my kayak down to the lakeshore. We have to lift our boats over a fence now, then carry them about 40m down to the lakeshore, then do a muddy launch among the cattails and bulrushes.
A paddle around the lakeshore is about 3.5 km. There is a lot to see, so an easy pace works well for this lake.
On this day there were lots of western painted turtles, ducks and ducklings, geese, loons, blackbirds, marsh wrens, killdeer, and spotted sandpipers. A few of the paddling moments are captured in this short YouTube video:
More information – Lac du Bois
On a hot summer morning I drove southwest past the smoke to paddle Tunkwa Lake. The lake had a few fishermen on it, but it was otherwise quiet. I launched from the day use area.
Tunkwa is a lake created by a dam and it is shallow, making it a popular spot for waterfowl and shoreline birds. On this day I spotted loons, ducks, geese, blackbirds, eagles, an osprey, gulls, swallows, killdeer, marsh wrens, and hawks.
I paddle Tunkwa every year. It takes about 90 minutes to kayak the whole shoreline. A few moments are captured in this YouTube video:
I will be back to paddle nearby Leighton Lake at the end of summer. These two are recommended lakes for paddling.
On a clear summer day I paddled around Pinantan Lake. There are several spots to launch a boat, but I prefer the one at the end of Cridge Road. Drive past the school on Holbrook Road and continue to Cridge Road.
A paddle around the lake is about 4 km.
I paddled up the lagoon channel to the beaver dam and chose not to portage (the lake was low and the route was muddy) to the upper lake.
The lake was peaceful and quiet on a weekday morning. Rockface Mountain stands over the west end of Pinantan in the distance.
More Information – Pinantan Lake
