Near the end of the 2024 paddling season, a day in mid-November featured mild temperatures and sunny skies. The forecast had been for light winds early, then strong winds to develop by noon. I loaded the boat early and drove to Jacko Lake. I was on the water by 9:15. there was one fisherman on the lake, but no one else around. Cattle were grazing on the west side of the lake, ducks were feeding in the shallow bays, and a few birds could be heard near the shorelines. The lake levels were down by about 4 feet from spring so the bays were too shallow to paddle.
I paddled a loop route around the main part of the lake, going around twice, once in each direction.
There was some wind at times, but not too cold on this day. Jacko is one of my favorite lakes and it may be the last lake paddle for the year. This was the 72nd day of paddling in 2024.
Over the winter season when paddling awaits ice-off in the spring, some pages of information on some of our area paddling lakes is added, from time to time. Two new pages were recently added and links are provided here:
A list of lakes with dedicated pages can be found on the menu or at this link – On the Lakes
More pages will be added. On the list, to be added, are Dunn Lake, Inks Lake, Johnson Lake, Cooney Bay, Kentucky Lake, Neskonlith Lake, Murtle Lake, and more.
Windy days have discouraged paddling recently. I still hope to get out before the cold sets in….
As the paddling season winds down, I look for calm and mild days to get out for a morning paddle on local lake or on one of the rivers. I had only paddled once on Lac le Jeune so at the end of the first week of October, I launched my kayak onto the lake on a morning with light winds. The plan was to paddle the west end of the lake and possibly go under the bridge to the smaller lake. The water was low and I could not go through the channel under the bridge so I paddled up the south shore to the end of the lake. I was the only boat on the lake as the sun rose in the east.
There was a light wind out of the west, but conditions were good. As I finished the paddle, the winds started up, just as forecasted.
As I finished securing the boat on the rack, the winds had arrived in earnest. A young couple arrived at about 10:30, but at that time conditions were not inviting on the lake. I use Environment Canada’s forecasts. We can narrow down the forecast to a specific area on the website/app and we can get hourly forecasts 24 hours in advance. Generally speaking, there is less wind from sunrise to about 10:30 to 11:00, then the afternoons are windier. I try to get an early start to paddle in the best conditions. there are days when strong winds start early in the morning. Those are the days I hike instead. I will have paddled over 70 days in 2024, another good year of kayaking.
When stormy weather is forecast I look for opportunities to fit in a hike or paddle. This often means an early morning start. I use Environment Canada’s Hourly Weather Forecasts to look for opportunities. If kayaking is possible, I try to match the wind forecast (strength and direction) with a suitable location. Any lake that has a bowl shape and has treed shorelines (like McConnell Lake) is a better choice than a large lake with open water to the prevailing winds of the day. Edith Lake is a bit open, but it has parts that are sheltered from the wind. A paddle around the whole shoreline takes about an hour.
The winds were from the southeast so I aimed into the wind. Keeping the bow into the wind is more stable than paddling 90 degrees to the wind direction.
There are sheltered areas in the back bays too where the winds are not as strong.
Needless to say, there was no one else on the lake and this would probably true for most lakes in the area….
With the change in seasons, the weather cools and we see more windy days. We can paddle in the wind, but it is harder on larger lakes so we often choose to do loops on smaller lakes. Any lake that sits in a forested bowl below a ring of hills has more protection from the wind. This may mean doing two loops and if so, we paddle once in each direction. Two loops of these lakes takes about an hour so we can add a hike too, doubling the workout. Three favorite spots to paddle and hike were visited recently and are featured here.
On a mid-September day I was first on McConnell Lake and finished paddling before any other paddlers or fishermen arrived, then went for a hike. Click an image for a lightbox view.
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Jacko Lake has less forest so can be a slight bit windier, but it is a scenic spot. Between summer drought and draw-down, the lake was significantly down and the shallow bays couldn’t be paddled.
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One of the best spots to paddle and hike is Stake Lake. At the equinox, I paddled around twice, then hiked for an hour on the trails.
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We still hope to get out to any lakes we haven’t yet paddled before the end of the season, but we are waiting for the right weather for these outings.
The Bush Creek Provincial Park site can be a busy spot in the summer, so I usually wait until September to kayak the south end of Adams Lake. The road into the park is 4 km north from the end of the lake. There is a nice campsite, a boat launch, a protected pebbly beach, and some bays to explore. On this day the forecast was for light winds, but there were stronger winds out of the north, with whitecaps forming over the middle of the lake. I started by going south along the shoreline.
Paddling into the sun with the wind at my back was fine, but I still had to keep an eye on the incoming waves. Around the point is a bay more protected from the wind, but there are cabins and the mill near the south end, so I turned and went back up the lake into the wind.
I aimed out to the middle of the lake to keep the bow pointing into the waves. Although its more work and slower, kayaks handle waves best going right into the line of waves.
contAfter paddling up the lake for a while, I came back along the shoreline. The winds abated right at the end.
Bush Creek is a beautiful spot to paddle. The water is clear and there are no private homes or much access to the lake north of the launch. We have paddled across the lake, landing at various spots for tea and beach time in the past. We hope to return for another paddle on the lake this year, possibly at Agate Bay.
In early September I drove out the Scuitto Lake Road and continued on to the Campbell Lake Recreation Site. When I went by Scuitto Lake I was surprised by how low the lake was. Summer evaporation, drought, and summer draw down had reduced the lake size noticeably. One of the boat launches was closed. The boat launch at Campbell Lake seemed to have seasonal levels, but there was a lot of algae in the lake. Much of the lake has shallow, muddy bays and by mid-summer the aquatic plant growth fills the many areas. It is a better paddle in late spring, but we may choose to go at the end of summer to see the pelicans, sandhill cranes, waterfowl.
I have paddled the lake when there have been dozens of pelicans, but on this day, there were only a handful, scattered in shallow waters around the lake.
There were more sandhill cranes, in small clusters on the south and eastern shoreline. Their calls can be heard right across the lake, making them easier to find.
Getting close enough to the pelicans and cranes is difficult when the bays become very shallow and choked with vegetation, so I used a long lens to photograph the birds, but it is still not easy from a kayak. I did a large loop route around the lake.
By this time of year there were only a couple of boats on the lake and few campers at the Rec Site. I was pleased to see the cranes and pelicans, but Campbell Lake is not a favorite. I prefer deeper lakes with clearer water, especially if the roads are long and bumpy. In any given year I will not get to all of the lakes in our area. Each year I drop some lakes off the list, mostly because of poor water quality, but also I prefer lakes that don’t have too many powerboats, too many private homes, or are too busy. I will try Campbell Lake again in May next year, but I may remove it from the list for future years.
Buse Lake is not really a paddling lake. It is smaller, there are no good launch spots, and it is an alkali lake with lots of aquatic growth. But, it is scenic, it has a different ecosystem, and would be very unlikely to meet another boat on the lake. On the last day of August, I drove to the lake and found my usual spot not available, since someone was camped at the access point. Instead I parked farther back. I had to haul the kayak down the slope, over a barbed wire fence and along to a shallow, muddy area. Most of the lake is within Buse Lake Protected Area, but the lower end of the park (around the lake) is protected because of the alkali environment and the wildlife that occupies inhabits the area.
The protected area continues all the way up to the Buse Hill. The bluff on the left is the viewpoint for that hike.
There were brine flies in the shallows. They feed on cyanobacteria, algae, and diatoms. Pondweed filled the shallow bays. Ducks fed on the flies and other insects. Killdeer hunted on the shoreline.
I paddle the lake to enjoy observing the life that thrives in the highly alkaline environment. This is a slow paddle, with no thoughts of time or distance.
In some summers, the lake becomes eutrophic, that is, it becomes nutrient rich, but oxygen poor. As the supply of fresh water dwindles, cyanobacteria and algae may multiply and the lake may begin to change color. On this day, the water was clearly alkaline, but not yet-oxygen depleted.
At the end of August I drove down to Falkland, then turned onto the Falkland to Chase Road. After arriving on the road at the southern end of the lake, I turned down a gravel road to the Pillar Lake Recreation Site. I launched my kayak before 9:00 am and paddled in calm waters along the lakeshore.
I paddled south to the end of the lake, and then back up the west side of the lake.
The lake is narrow with steep sides. There are a number of fallen trees along the lakeshore. On the eastern side the Pillar Lake Resort sits on a hilltop above the lake.
I paddled to the north end of the lake, then turned and paddled down the east side.
A paddle around the lake is about 5 km. On this day, I was able to do the whole loop in less than an hour. I try to paddle Pillar Lake every year. In some years, I drive a loop route, going north to Chase, then back on Highway 1. On this day, I secured the boat, then hiked to the Pillar before returning on Highway 97.
A new YouTube video features kayaking on Pillar Lake (coming soon).
On a late August day I drove through Logan Lake, then down to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. at a road junction i turned down the Leighton Lake Road and parked at the boat launch area. I launched the kayak and paddled around the lake.
This is a scenic paddle with forest and some cabins on the east side and grasslands on the west. Tunkwa Lake is directly south, on the other side of the dam. There were lots of ducks on the lake, some flowering aquatic plants, lots of dragonflies, and birds. After paddling the lake (3.4 km), I secured the boat and hiked the Leighton Lake Trail. A few images are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption:
Access to Frisken Lake is limited to 4WD vehicles. I had hiked in previously so I knew what the roads were like. To get to the lakeshore, we need to drive the Smith Lake FSR on the west side of Roche Lake. When the gravel road goes under the power lines, a rough road follows the power line, bearing north. It climbs over a rough hill and then another rough road turns right and goes to Frisken Lake. I could have driven the roads in, but I am wary of the amount of wear and tear on the older truck. I chose to park by the power line, then backpack my folding kayak and gear in to the lake (1.5 km each way).
Frisken Lake is a nice spot to paddle or fish. It has marshy sides and is surrounded by forest.
I assembled my folding kayak, the paddled around the shoreline (2.5 km).
There was no one in the area, the lake was calm and peaceful, and I enjoyed watching the ducks, loons, and lakeside birds.
Frisken Lake is the eighth lake I have paddled in Roche Lakes Provincial Park. There are still more, but they will require a longer backpack to get a boat in. I have hiked them, so I know what will be required, but Bulman Lake and Ernest Lake will remain on the list for a future backpack.
On a mid-August day, I drove down to Nicola Lake, then turned left on to the Douglas Lake Road. About halfway up the road, I turned left onto Lauder Road and followed it to Glimpse Lake. there are two Rec Sites on the lake and either one would be fine to park and launch a boat. Both were empty on this weekday morning. My preferred launch, though, is an access road and launch on the first turn before the community of Glimpse Lake. there is a good launch there and lots of parking. On this day there was no other vehicles, and when I paddled the lake, no other boats on the lake.
The lake was calm and all was quiet on the lake.
The lake has a number of large shallow bays and by this date, there was lots of aquatic growth, but I was able to paddle the whole shoreline, going around bullrushes, cattails, milfoil, bladderwort, smartweed, and arrowroot.
A paddle around the shoreline is about 6 km, which takes me about 90 minutes. A recommended lake to paddle. More information can be found by clicking On the Lakes on the Menu Bar of this website.
On a warm summer morning I drove through Logan Lake, then down to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. Most boats launch from the campground boat launch, but I prefer to park and launch from the day use area. It is less used and on this day, there was no one else there. The launch is on the southeast corner of the lake. By mid-August the lake was down from both evaporation and draw down. Many of the shallow bays were full of aquatic vegetation and the lake had some algae, but the main part of the lake was open water and I launched into calm waters.
In some of the bays on the west side, smartweed was in bloom, filling the waters with pink knotweed flowers.
I paddled around the lakeshore in about 90 minutes. Cumulus clouds were turning to cumulonimbus clouds to the south and by the end there were some rumbles of thunder.
Tunkwa and Leighton Lake are favorite spots to paddle and hike. Last year I paddled Leighton Lake, then hiked the Leighton Lake Trail. This is planned again for late summoer or early fall.
We have also snowshoed around the edge of the lake in winter when the roads can be driven. If conditions are right, we hope to return in late winter.
One of the best lakes to kayak in our area is Badger Lake. It is at the end of a longer bumpy gravel road. We drive up the Knouff Lake Road and continue north. There are lots of potholes, but we eventually reach the Badger Lake Road. There is a BC Recreation Site on the northeast side of the lake, but there is a short road to a dedicated boat launch area before the site. There is lots of parking and a good launch spot. For this day, I launched and paddled north, past the campground and up to the north end of the lake. From there I looped back on the other side, going into the back channel. Some maps call this area the Spooney Lakes. It is a long shallow and marshy area, perfect for kayaks, but not for motorized boats.
There was no wind and no mosquitoes at the launch.
The lake was like glass as I headed to the north end. There is a dam at that end and I have never seen anyone at the dam access track.
There are some narrower spots lined by cattails in the back channels.
contAfter paddling around a bay in the back channel, I paddled north, then watched for the narrow channel (short cut) out to the main lake.
I finished the loop on the lake, paddling for about 90 minutes. The lake was quiet and conditions were ideal. Badger Lake will remain on my favourites list for a long time.
