Category Archives: On the Lakes

Paddling Jacko Lake

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On a windy morning I drove the rough road into the Jacko Lake boat launch area and paddled twice around the lake.   This can be a busy spot so I got an early start and paddled the shoreline, dealing with the winds as they gusted.   Jacko Lake has a few side channels to explore, so on the first loop, I paddled the whole shoreline where I could.

Jacko Lake is one of my favorite lakes.    It has open views and is usually a quiet spot in the hills.    Peterson Creek runs into and out of the lake so it was full of clear water in June.

I spotted many yellow-headed blackbirds, a great blue heron, eagles, ducks, geese and goslings, spotted sandpipers, wrens, crows, and some grassland songbirds.

On the west shore is an old shaped snag, always asking me for another photo.

Two loops amounted to 7.2 km of paddling in about 1 hour and 50 minutes.    I usually paddle Jacko 3 – 4 times every year so I will return at the end of summer for another morning of kayaking.

 

On Roche Lake

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On a grey morning I got an early start to get to the boat launch on Roche Lake before the winds came up.    I paddled the lakeshore, a 2 hour, 9.2 km outing.

There were some goslings following the geese around the shallow bays on the lake.

The lake was calm, but there were many fishermen all over the lake.    It is best to avoid weekends and prime time on Roche Lake.

In a shallow bay away from all of the fishermen,  a loon had her baby on her back.    The chick will be swimming soon.

I paddle Roche Lake very year, picking a good time to avoid too much traffic on the water.

On Scuitto Lake

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On a cool morning I launched my kayak from the boat launch at the Scuitto Lake Recreation Site.    There was a light breeze from the northwest.

In protected bays, the water was calm with clouds reflected in the lakewater.

There are always lots of birds on both Scuitto Lake and on nearby Campbell Lake.    On this day I spotted ducks and ducklings, geese and goslings, a great blue heron, an osprey, spotted sandpipers, blackbirds, loons, swallows, wrens, and more.

On the west end of the lake, Mt. Vicars stood above the lake, a hike I have done a few times.

Scuitto Lake is one of my favorite paddling spots, one I do every year.    I will be back to paddle Campbell Lake in late summer.

More Information:

On Tunkwa Lake

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Tunkwa Lake is one of my favorite paddling lakes in the Kamloops area.   The lake has open views, lot of birds, and many small bays to explore.    On the other hand, it can be very busy on weekends and in summer, and it can be too open on windy days.     I usually pick a weekday morning and paddle around the shoreline, which takes about 2 hours.

On this mild June day, mixed skies made for silver light and reflected clouds on the lake.

While paddling I spotted two muskrats, many geese and ducks, goslings and ducklings, a spotted sandpiper, yellow-headed blackbirds, a great blue heron, sparrows, swallows, a robin, and an osprey.    A few images are shared here.   Click any image for a larger view.

There were a number of fishermen on the lake, but I stuck to the shoreline, keeping out of their way, but also paddling away from ducks in the bays, where possible.

This was a mostly calm day, a paddle through silver light, worth the drive to the high country.

More Information:

  • Tunkwa Lake is northwest of Logan Lake.
  • Launch in Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park.    Follow the signs on the road.
  • Article – On Tunkwa Lake

On Stake Lake

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Stake Lake is one of my favorite lakes.   It has good access and lots of parking.    There are rarely any fishermen or other paddlers on the lake.   The water is crystal clear.   But it is only 2.3 km around so I usually do 2 or 3 loops.   On other days I will paddle a loop, secure the boat, then go for a hike.

On a cool and breezy May morning I launched my boat for a paddle with no one else in sight.

The wind was gusting out of the south and it was forecast to become much windier in the afternoon.    I found it quite manageable, but it did hail twice.

While paddling I spotted loons geese (with goslings), ducks, and a woodpecker.I completed two laps around lake in about an hour before the stronger winds came in.    Of all the lakes I paddle, I return to Stake Lake the most so I will be back in late spring again.

On Paska Lake

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On a  grey, drizzly May morning I drove up toward Logan Lake, then turned onto the Paska Lake Road.   Just after the 8 km mark, I turned into the Paska Lake Recreation site.   All was quiet as I launched into the lake.

In spring there is a long channel hidden from the lake which can be paddled down and back.   It is the drainage for the lake, but has a lagoon-like quality.   In summer it is full of lily pads, but in spring it floods the shoreline where ducks and geese were nesting.

 

The channel is about 1 km long (one way) for an out-and-back exploration,  adding 2 km to the paddle around the lake.   From there I went around the south end of the lake and then back up the east side.

There are some shallow bays all along the east side of the lake, under the slopes of Chuwhels Mountain.

Rain clouds were all around and the showers started just after I had loaded the boat and started back.

There were no other people or boats on the lake.    I spotted an owl, a great blue heron, killdeer, loons, a muskrat, a woodpecker, and many ducks while paddling the 5km circuit at an elevation of 1451 m (4760 ft).

This can be a busy spot on weekends in the summer, but it is a perfect destination for a late spring paddle.

 

On Walloper Lake

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On a cool May morning I drove to Walloper Lake and launched at the Rec Site.

There was a steady breeze on the lake, but there were bays and coves to tuck in to to avoid the winds.

A paddle around the lake takes about an hour, but wetlands called for some exploration while following the shoreline.

 

At the west corner of the lake is a marsh where I have previous spotted nesting loons.

Walloper Lake is a favorite paddling spot, but it is even better when it is not a busy afternoon or weekend.   For most of the outing there was only the kayak and the birds on the lake.

More information – Walloper Lake

 

On Mamit Lake

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I drove through Logan Lake then turned down Highway 97C to get to Mamit Lake.

On a sunny day with no wind, I launched onto the lake and paddled the north and middle part of the lake, exploring the bays, for about 7 km of kayaking.   I had done the whole lake before so I was content with the north end for this day.    I will kayak the south end next time.   I prefer to paddle the lake in spring when spring runoff fills the shallow lake.    In summer, the water is drawn down and algae forms over the lake.

I explored an old homestead on the western shore.

The lake has a scenic setting with grasslands and rounded hills surrounding the lake.

The lake was calm for about 1.5 hours of paddling.

I spotted bank swallows, ducks and geese, an immature eagle, an ospry nest, least sandpipers, and loons on the lake.   Another fine day of paddling in the high country.

There is a good launch area on the east side of the lake.    It is not a popular fishing or boating lake so it is not crowded, even on a sunny weekend day.

 

On Bleeker Lake

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Bleeker Lake is  long narrow lake just 1 km from Roche Lake, accessed by the Bleeker Lake Forest Service Road.    The backroad has potholes, but can be driven by most vehicles.   Most people who fish or paddle the lake launch from the Rec Site on the north side of the lake, but I used my truck to launch from the end of the lake in an informal campsite area in a shallow lagoon.

I paddled around the lake, a 5 km loop.

There had been winter kill so there were no fishermen on the lake, but there were lots of ducks

I like to explore the shallow, marshy areas around the lake.   All of the lakes in the area (Roche, Horseshoe, Scuitto, Black, Hosli, etc.) have lots of birds, insects, and wildlife.

I will be returning to paddle more lakes in that area in the weeks to come.

On McConnell Lake

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On a sunny May morning I drove into the high country and paddled McConnell Lake.    I was there early and there was no one else in the park.  Winds were light and I launched my kayak for two loops around the lake.

On the east side I spotted two sunken boats.

Each lap around the lake is 2.5 km.   I reversed by direction for the second lap, finishing the paddle in an hour.

By the time I finished there were more dog walkers, paddlers, and hikers in the park.   This can be a busy spot in season.

On Lac le Jeune

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On a grey May day I drove into the high country and launched my kayak at the beach on Lac le Jeune.

Loons were fishing in the lake on a calm day.

I paddled around the lake in a clockwise loop.   Gulls were clustered in one of the bays.

In the marshy area on the north side of the lake a great blue heron stood on the shoreline.


Various ducks were on the lake, like this Barrow’s golden eye.

I paddled for 1.5 hours (7.3 km) doing the whole shoreline.   It was great to be back paddling on another favorite lake.

On Sullivan Lake

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On a cool May morning, I drove up to Knouff Lake and launched my kayak at the Sullivan Lake Rec Site on the northwest corner of the lake.

The north end of the lake has lots of marshland with bullrushes, cattails, and reeds.   Red-winged blackbirds called out as I glided by.

A paddle around the lake is about 4.7 km.    One loop was enough for this day since I had a Mother’s Day appointment down at Heffley Lake.

I always enjoy both Sullivan and Badger Lake and I make sure they are both included in my rotation of lakes to be paddled each year.

Maps and more information can be found on http://www.kamlopstrails.net

 

 

On Edith Lake

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On a grey, cool, windy morning I chose to find a smaller nearby lake to paddle. I drove up to Edith Lake and launched onto the lake by 8:30 am.

The main part of the lake was windy and cool, but there are two back arms that are more sheltered.   Fishermen do not go back there so it was just the kayak, the ducks, and the geese.

Surrounding the lake are grazing lands

It is preferable just to keep paddling, treating the outing as good exercise.   On many of these days, I would go twice around the lake, but I had a tennis game set for the afternoon, so it was just once around, 4 km in 55 minutes.

A Google Earth tour of the paddle from Relive:

On Heffley Lake

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On a nice Sunday morning, I drove to Heffley Lake and launched from the northeast end near the Rec site.    There was no wind to start out.

From the south shore the view to the north was of Embleton Mountain.

On the lake were loons, ducks, geese, a heron, and many small birds.

I paddled almost all of the lake in just over 2 hours.

 

There will be more lake destinations this week…

On Pass Lake

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I heard that the ice was off Pass Lake, so I drove up to the Rec Site on a grey morning.    There was no one else at the campsite, nor on the lake when I arrived.    I launched my kayak from the gravel boat launch spot (there are two of them now):

I paddled around the lakeshore, passing the old Agriculture Canada field site, now private property.

On the marshy shores there were geese, ducks, and blackbirds.

redwinged blackbird

marsh wren nest

loon

 

I had heard that Pass Lake had suffered from winterkill and indeed I spotted a number of dead fish in the shallows.   But, there were two loons on the lake so I have to assume there are still some fish to catch.

A loop of the lake is 2.5 km so I went around twice.   As I was packing up another truck arrived and two fishermen were getting ready to launch.   I then toured the rec site and all seemed well.    The road into the site was muddy and at this time is best suited to high-clearance vehicles.   I will be off to another lake later this week.