Category Archives: Kayaking

Kayaking Badger Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

One of our favorite lakes that we paddle every year is Badger Lake.

Badger Lake is at the end of the maintained roads in the hills north of Knouff Lake.    Two roads can be taken, and we usually go up one and return by the other one for a loop route.  More information can be found on the Badger Lake page on this website – Badger Lake.

Badger Lake is almost always a quiet spot and it is even quieter in the back channel.     On this day, the noise of the blackbirds were the only sounds to be heard.    A few moments of the paddle are found in this YouTube video:

 

 

Kayaking Paska Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Paska Lake is a fine destination for kayaking.    It can be a bit busier on weekends, but it is usually fairly quiet at other times.   There is a gravel boat ramp at the Rec Site.

A paddle around the lake is about 4 km.    If the back channel/lagoon is full of water, we can paddle an extra kilometer.   The lagoon is usually navigable in spring.  The first water lilies were blooming in the shallow channel.   By the end of June it will be shallow and full of aquatic vegetation.

There was a light breeze on the lake.    There was a great blue heron, loons, and some ducks on the lake.  There was one other boat on the lake and the campsite was mostly empty at the start of June.

More information can be found on the Paska Lake page (On the Lakes > Paska Lake).

 

Floodlands – Cooney Bay

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

By June 1st the river was already dropping a bit, but we can still access the floodlands for a couple of weeks yet.

On this day I paddled west down to Cooney Bay.  There is no beach at high water and the shoreline is packed with floating logs.    The high water extends up the Tranquille River outlet for 150 meters.

After kayaking through Cooney Bay, I paddled upstream through the floodlands

The bays were calm, except for the activity of waterfowl.

It is wonderful to paddle in the floodlands each spring during freshet.

Kayaking Walloper Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Walloper Lake is one of about 50 lakes on a once-a-year paddle list.     There is a small Rec site on the south side, just off the Lac le Jeune Road with a hand launch.

A paddle around the lakeshore is about 4.8 km.   I either paddle it twice around, once in each direction or I paddle one loop then go for a run or hike.

The lake is busier on weekends so a weekday morning is usually a quiet paddle.

On this day I spotted a great blue heron, a beaver, loons, and ducks.   My kayak was the only boat on the lake.

More information – Walloper Lake

 

 

Paddling Pass Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Pass Lake is usually a prime fishing spot and the BC Parks Campground is often busy, but Pass Lake suffered from winterkill and then the hot water encouraged algae growth so the lake was very quiet when I arrived for a paddle around the lake.

I paddled around the lake enjoying the peaceful forested lake in the hills to the northwest of Kamloops.    It was a day for a paddle and a hike so I paddled around the lakeshore, then drove to the trailhead down the road.    We paddle Pass Lake once a year.    Here is a link to more information – Pass Lake.

A few moments on the lake are captured here in a YouTube video:

 

 

 

A Paul Lake Morning

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a calm morning over the long weekend, a paddle on Paul Lake was the plan for the day (with a short hike afterwards).

For this day the route was a paddle to the east end of the lake down one shoreline and back by the other shoreline, a 5.2 km kayaking route.

The lake was calm for the whole time and there was only one fishing boat on the east end of the lake.    There were two sets of loons, and lots of ducks (mergansers, coots, mallards, and Barrow’s golden-eyes) and geese.

Paul Lake is one of our prime destinations for kayaking and so we paddle there about 4 times each year.

 

Louis Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a smoky morning Louis Lake was the paddling destination.    It is a marshy lake on the Paul – Pinantan Lake Road with a grassy hand launch area.

It is best to paddle the lake in the spring when there is lots of water in the lake and aquatic plants have not filled in the bays.    It is a marshy lake, and we can see lots of underwater activity while paddling.    There were two loons on the lake so there must be some coarse fish in the deeper sections of the lake.    There were lots of ducks and geese around the lake too.

A paddle around the whole lakeshore is about 4.5 km.

More information – Louis Lake

 

On Inks Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Inks Lake is a small, muddy grasslands lake that seldom has anyone paddling on it, but it is a seasonal home to ducks, geese, killdeer, spotted sandpipers, muskrats, turtles, and shoreline birds.     It is a scenic and quiet place for a paddle.

There are three arms to the lake, and since it is not a large lake, I usually go around twice, once in each direction.

A few peaceful moments are shared here:

 

 

 

 

McConnell Lake in May

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

The high country lakes became ice-free and opened up near the start of May so we can now paddle a number of our favorite lakes like Lac le Jeune, Walloper, Paska, Leighton, McConnell, Stake, and others.   On a mid-May day the sun was shining and there was no wind for a morning paddle on McConnell Lake.

McConnell Lake can be a busy spot so its best to launch early in the morning.    I paddled twice around the lake for a total of 5.2 km in about an hour.

More boats were coming in as I finished and there were lots of hikers and dog walkers on the around-the-lake trail.

This is a good spot for a morning paddle and hike.    More information on McConnell Lake can be found on the On the Lakes page on this website.

 

 

First Paddle in the Floodlands

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

We can usually expect to paddle in the floodlands area near Tranquille by the end of May.    High water lasts for 2 – 6 weeks, but usually it has receded by the end of June.    On May 12, I was able to launch my kayak into the floodlands using a hand launch in the Tranquille Wildlife Management parking area.    There was enough water to paddle over the tops of barbed wire fences.    Many of the channels were full of debris, but there were also open water channels out to the river.

Later in the season we can paddle across the river and go up more floodlands channels on the south side of the river. A 10 km loop through the floodlands is possible during freshet.

A few moments of the morning of paddling are found in this YouTube video:

 

 

 

A Rainy Paddle on Paul Lake West

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

With 4 days of rain forecast, I gathered my rainjacket, my gloves, a hat, and a sprayskirt, and I went out to different lakes each day.   One of the days was a paddle of the west end of Paul Lake.    Light winds made this into a pleasant paddle, the only boat on the lake on a grey morning.

A few moments of the morning’s efforts are captured in this YouTube video:

More information on Paul Lake.

 

 

 

In the Drizzle, on Edith Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

With rain forecast, paddling was sure to be a wet venture.     Temperatures were mild so it was fine to kayak a local lake, but it was better to wear a spray skirt, a paddling jacket, gloves, and a hat.   This was the first day of paddling on Edith Lake.

There was a light rain for the whole paddle and the winds got worse by the end, but it was good to get out anyway, the second day of 5 paddling in the drizzle.   A few moments of kayaking are found on this TikTok video. Click the full screen icon to get a better view.

 

@dsmith941

In the drizzle on Edith Lake

♬ original sound – dsmith941

Early, on Jacko

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

The forecast was for morning rain so I arrived at Jacko Lake at 7 am and launched my kayak.    There were grey skies, but almost no wind.

On a paddle around the lake I enjoyed seeing ducks – coots, mallards, and barrows golden-eyes, but there was also geese, loons, yellow-headed blackbirds, woodpeckers, and loons.    Birds were exhibiting nesting behaviors, there was a hatch on the lake, fish were jumping, and spring was evident along the shoreline of this lake in the grasslands.    Jacko Lake is one of our best paddling spots.

 

 

 

Paddling Little Shuswap Lake in April

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a mild but breezy April morning I paddled out into Little Shuswap Lake.

The lake was very low so I used the boat launch on the river just below the bridge.    Shallow water meant following the channel markers out into the middle of the lake, but I was able to paddle over on the north side of the lake after a while.   I returned the same way I paddled out.    In the previous year I could paddle closer to the shoreline.

Some moments from the paddle are found in this YouTube video:

More information on paddling this lake can be found at the On the Lakes page.

 

 

 

 

Kayaking the North End of Nicola Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Nicola Lake can be a windy spot so I wait for a good forecast before driving 50+ km south from Kamloops.     There are a number of boat launches along the shoreline, but the lake was very low, making the launches a bit rocky.

I did a counter-clockwise loop going to the north end of the lake, then around the shoreline to the south.


The cliffs overlooking the lake on the west side have interesting rock formations.    There were ducks, geese, killdeer, and loons on the lake.    This is a lovely lake to paddle when the conditions are right.

A few of the kayaking moments are captured in this YouTube video:

More information on Nicola Lake can be found on the Kamloops Area Paddling Lakes page.  (On the menu bar at the top)

 

On Morgan Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Morgan Lake is a small lake in the Six Mile Hills area, west of Pat Lake.    We used to call it The Slough, but it was dammed and stocked and now is a popular fishing lake, especially in spring.     It is one of the first lakes in the hills to become ice-free.   In April Pat Lake, Morgan Lake, and Stump Lake are the busy spots.    On a weekday morning I came to the launch area from the Tunkwa Lake Road and launched onto the lake.

I paddled close to the shoreline keeping away from fishermen, going twice around the lake, 4 km in all, then I hiked around the lake.    Photos by the author.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.

A short video shows some moments on the lake.

We hiked around the Six Mile Lakes and will paddle Pat Lake too sometime soon (in a new kayak).