Category Archives: On the Lakes

Paddling the lakes in the many Kamloops area, some on main roads, but many in the backcountry too, and some more lakes found on our travels.

Paddling Ross Moore Lake

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Although Ross Moore Lake is a long drive on bumpy roads, it is still one of our favorite lakes to paddle.    It has a bit of a remote feel to it and the lakeshore is both interesting and relatively open.

Just getting to the lake requires some navigation (see the link below).    The road was in pretty good shape until the last part where it is rougher, requiring high clearance.    There is a small launch at the south end of the lake which is an easier spot to launch from than from the Rec site. A paddle around the lake is about 3.2 km.    We try to explore all the marshy bays too, but there are many sunken stumps and fallen lodgepole pines, a result of damming the lake.

Eagles flew and perched overhead, ducks with ducklings scuttled to safety, yellow water lilies were in bloom in the bays, and marsh skullcap was in bloom on the shoreline.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.

A Youtube video shares some of the moments at the lake:

More Information – Ross Moore Lake Page

 

 

 

Paddling Scuitto Lake

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On a hot summer morning I drove out to Scuitto Lake and enjoyed a leisurely 5.7 km paddle around the lake.

This is a first-class lake for paddling and there is a good boat launch and parking area for visitors.

Along the way I spotted hawks, eagles, blackbirds, a heron, geese with goslings, ducks with ducklings, a muskrat, and many shore birds.    These ducks were keeping an eye in every direction since there were three eagles on the lake.

A few moments were captured and compiled into a short YouTube video:

Information on this lake can be found on the Scuitto Lake Page.

 

 

Paddling Hyas Lake

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On a hot summer morning I drove up the Paul Lake Road to Pinantan Lake, then along the Pritchard Road to the Hyas Lake FSR turn.   There were no other vehicles all the way to the lake and no boats on the lake.

A paddle around the lake is about 4.4 km.    The lake is deep and the water is clear.

This is another favorite paddling destination, one I prefer to do in summer.

More information on this lake can be found on the Hyas Lake page.

 

 

 

Paddling Sullivan Lake

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Sullivan Lake is located at the community of Knouff Laje and is often referred to as Knouff Lake.    It is reached by driving up the Heffley – Louis Creek Road (toward Sun Peaks), then turning onto the Knouff Lake Road.   There are three boat launches, but for most kayakers, the ones at either the Rec Site on the west side of the lake or the one a bit farther north and fine for paddling on the lake.

With a resort on the north end and a community on the south end, the lake can be busy at prime times, but on this morning, there was no one else on the lake.

A paddle around the lake is about 5 km.    Large marshes at the north end create bullrush barriers, although I was able to find a narrow Channel through.    There are also a few islands to investigate.

More Information – Sullivan Lake page

 

Paddling Bleeker Lake

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Bleeker Lake is a good spot to paddle in late spring or early summer.   Because much of the lake is shallow, it is prone to draw-down for irrigation and evaporation without much recharge, so aquatic growth takes over the shallows, the shoreline recedes, and winter kill happens in some years,   In spring the lake is recharged and the shoreline can be paddled in a quiet, out-of-the-way spot.

In July aquatic growth was filling in some of the shallow bays, but I was able to launch at the Rec Site and kayak around the lake, a 4.8 km paddle.

The video has footage of the channel on the east end of the lake when it fills in and some drone footage from a drone flight over the lake.

Some Bleeker images are shared here.   Click an image for a lightbox view.

More Information:

Paddling Paska Lake

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Paska Lake is a fine paddling lake from late spring to mid-fall.   At non-prime times, the lake is a quiet spot surrounded by high country forest.

To get to Paska Lake, we drive up the Coquihalla, then turn onto the Meadow Creek (Logan Lake Road).    The Paska Lake FSR turns off farther along, heading north, to a basin in behind Chuwhels Mountain.   A signed turn leads down into the Paska Lake Recreation Site where there is a campground with a boat launch and parking.

A favorite route is to paddle down the lagoon channel that becomes Greenstone Creek.    In spring we can paddle to the end, but as the weather warms up, the lagoon fills with aquatic plants.

On this summer day, the distance going around the lake, including the channel was about 5 km, on the 40th day of paddling in 2022.

More Information:

 

Paddling Lac le Jeune West

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On a grey and drizzly long weekend summer morning I arrived early to paddle the west end of Lac le Jeune.    From the campground I paddled west to the end of the lake, then went through the watery tunnel under the road to the smaller lake.

After paddling around the western lake the route was back through the tunnel and along the south shore, a 5 km route.

The smaller lake is marshier and there is a channel to explore.    A loon chick and some ducklings were dabbling near the rushes and reeds, blackbirds patrolled the margins, and predators flew overhead, but all was quiet otherwise.    This is a must-do each summer.

More information – Lac le Jeune

 

Paddling Lac du Bois

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On July 1st it was a beautiful sunny day and I knew all of our lakes would be very busy with motorboats, fishermen, and paddlers so I opted for less busy spot early in the morning.   To paddle the lake I had to haul the kayak over the fence, then get it down to the lakeshore.    It is awkward to launch a longer boat anywhere on the shoreline since it is so marshy, but with some maneuvering, I launched and paddled the lakeshore.

The lake was quiet, but there were a number of ducks with ducklings, muskrats, birds, and western painted turtles.

cont

Western painted turtles were numerous and to get closer to them we have to soundlessly glide in (no paddling.  Click an image for a larger view and a caption.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”15″ gal_title=”Lac du Bois”]

More Information on Lac du Bois.

Paddling Lodgepole Lake

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Lodgepole Lake is small so its a good choice when it is windy, smoky, or rainy.   Whenever I go to paddle there, I go early to avoid competing for space on the lake, but also when it is quiet and peaceful.   Once around the shore is 1.3 km so I usually do 2 or 3 laps.

When I arrived at the lake it was raining, but I launched anyway and it cleared after one lap:

 

More information on Lodgepole Lake (page).

Steelhead Park Launch

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There are 3 or 4 launch spots in the Savona area to paddle the west end of Kamloops Lake.   During freshet some are not practical since the shoreline gets flooded and debris, including logs, fills the launch areas.    The public boat launch in Savona Park was closed and logs enclosed the area so the best launch was off the beach at Steelhead Provincial Park.

On this rainy morning the route was north past where the lake drains into the Thompson River, then north up the shoreline.   On a windy day an out-and-back route might be best, but with little wind it was an easy 1.4 km crossing of the lake.

The loop was completed by paddling down the lake to Steelhead Park, a 7 km paddle around the west end of Kamloops lake:

An Early Paddle on Edith Lake

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On the second day of summer the winds were forecast to be strong by 10:00 am so I was on a nearby lake by 8:30.    Edith Lake is a good choice in the wind because half of the lake is sheltered by hills.


By the end of the paddle, winds were stronger, but the effort to get in an early workout was successful.

Some short video clips captured the lake before the winds picked up.

Over time there will be a page for each lake we frequent.   Edith Lake is done and a link is provided:

Pass Lake

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On the last day of spring Pass Lake made a good destination paddle.   The distance around the lake is about 2.5 km so two loops is a good choice when conditions are right.

The road into the Rec Site was a bit rough, but both boat launches were in good shape.

On this weekday morning there were no other boats on the lake.    Blackbirds, a loon, ducks with ducklings, and some shoreline birds were active on the lake.

Pass Lake is one more good choice to paddle, one of about 100 area lakes to explore.

More Information – Pass Lake

 

Paddling Lac le Jeune

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Lac le Jeune is one of the best paddling lakes in the area.    Access is good – paddlers can launch from the beach, and the lake has a lot of capacity for fishermen and paddlers.   Although there is a dedicated boat launch, I usually launch from the beach area instead, going east or west in a loop route.

On this spring day I paddled the east end of the lake, a 5.5 km circuit.

I will be back to paddle the west end of the lake, including the waterway tunnel each way.

More Information on this lake – Lac le Jeune

Badger Lake in June

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The road from Knouff Lake to Badger Lake was wet, bumpy, and muddy in early June, but the slow drive is worth the effort to paddle one of our favorite lakes.   Because it is out-of-the-way on a potholed road there are only a few diehard fishermen at the lake, and on an early mid-week morning, the lake was very quiet.


A paddle around the lakeshore is about 8.3 km.    The highlight is the marshy back bay on the west side.

A short video offers a sense of the peaceful nature of paddling a backcountry lake on a fine day.

 

The highlight for the day was encountering a turkey vulture in an aspen tree on the edges of the marshes.

Badger Lake is one of our annual destinations, one we will return to paddle for years to come.

More Information – Badger Lake

 

Paddling Walloper Lake

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On a calm morning in June I launched my kayak at the Walloper Rec Site and paddled around Walloper Lake.A loop around the shoreline is 4.8 km.

There were ducks and a loon on the lake, a blue heron in the shallows, and this nesting loon in a small bay.

It was a peaceful paddle (the traffic on the highway is the only drawback for this lake).   Little wind made this a lovely day on the lake:

 

 

Spring Paddling on McConnell Lake

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On a grey spring day I paddled around McConnell Lake twice.   There were no other boats on the lake, but there was a bald eagle, a loon, some ducks, and fish jumping for insects.

Some of the moments at the lake are captured on video:

McConnell Lake Provincial Park is a lovely spot to kayak, hike, or snowshoe, one we return to a few times each year.

 

  • McConnell Lake is 20 km south of Kamloops on the Lac le Jeune Road.
  • There is a hand launch at the parking area.
  • A loop around the lake is 2.5 km.
  • Link to McConnell Lake Provincial Park.