Category Archives: On the Lakes

On Pat Lake

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I went up the Six Mile Road to paddle and hike.     There are two good launch spots on Pat Lake and I chose the one on the eastern shore.

I paddled around the lake twice (4 km).   I got there early in the morning before all the fishermen who were arriving just when I was finishing paddling.   There were lots of birds on the lake or on the shoreline, like this loon:

A few ducks stuck to the reeds on the shoreline like this coot:

Red-winged blackbirds were doing their territorial dance and yellow0headed blackbirds were paired off for nesting.

A goose was perched on top of a trimmed snag high above the lake.

I paddled the shoreline enjoying the light winds, wildlife, and the scenic hills around the lake.

For more information on paddling Pat Lake, click this link.

 

On Louis Lake

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On a grey and cool morning I decided to paddle a smaller lake.   I had done Louis Lake before on a SUP on a windy day.   This was the first time in a kayak.

The lake has extensive marshy sections with lots of bullrushes and cattails.  When the rushes are growing, they can be a barrier to paddle through, but in early spring, it was easy access.

On the lake were ducks and geese.   Blackbirds, an osprey and a woodpecker were spotted near the shoreline.   The duck most spotted was Barrow’s golden eye.

The west end of the lake is shallow with long sections of rushes.

The hillside rises up on the south side providing shade and darker water.

When I paddled east the sun broke through the clouds warming the lake.

Some of the east end is in Paul Lake Provincial Park.   Although there is no trail to the lake from the south, it would make a nice route.

The ridge that separates Louis Lake from Paul Lake rises 340 m and is covered in forest.    I have hiked to the top of the ridge from Gibraltar Rock (there is no trail).    I call this unnamed ridge Louis Ridge.

A paddle around the perimeter of the lake is 4 km and on this day I did it twice, building some stamina for the longer paddles of the summer.

 

On Little Shuswap Lake

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Little Shuswap Lake clears of ice early and has good launches and parking spots so it makes a nice spring paddle.   I launched from the boat launch ramp by the Chase Bridge where the lake empties into the South Thompson River.   I was surprised to find a number of kayakers there, but I spoke to one of the instructors and found out that it was part of TRU’s Adventure Tourism program.    I launched and paddled northeast to the north side of the lake.

The north side of the lake has steep rocky bluffs for much of the length of the route, though a dead-end road comes from either end to support vacation homes.  I paddled up the lake for an hour and then turned back.

There were a few ducks and geese on the lake, like this common merganser.

There is quite a lot of shallow water on the west side of the lake so I steered down the navigation tunnel to the Chase Bridge to finish an 8 km paddle on a sunny morning.

On Paul Lake

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Although the ice on Paul Lake started to disappear on April 6th, colder weather delayed the first paddle on the lake to April 19th.   The main park gate stays closed until mid-May so I drove to the west end of the lake and used the hand launch there.   I paddled up the lake to the campground, crossed to the south shoreline, and then paddled back, a total of 7.6 km.

There was no wind at the start and the sun was still in the east as I paddled up the lake.

Ducks were nesting in small bays near logs as I continued up the lake.

There were barrows golden-eyes, mallards, ducks, geese, and  on the lake.

I crossed the lake near the campground and found that there was now a 10 km wind out of the west for the paddle back.

Gibraltar Rock is the main feature of the lake.

At the trailhead/launch area an osprey was staking out a nest for the spring.

I plan to return to Paul Lake to do a loop on the east side, launching from the beach area.      Although I have paddled the whole lake in one outing, it is over 12 km so most years I complete the lake in two separate days.

 

On Inks Lake

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Inks Lake is a small, muddy lake close to town.   I enjoy paddling on the lake in spring, usually doing 2 loops, a total of 4.9 km.   There are two back channels, one of which is hidden behind a hill.  It is rare to see another boat on the lake, but there are many ducks, geese, and shoreline birds to enjoy.

There were some blackbirds on the back channels

A narrow channel connects the main lake to the two back channels.

There were lots of ducks on the lake, including this male mallard.

The back channel is a good spot to paddle on a windy day.

There were lots of Barrow’s golden eye ducks on the lake.

The Inks Lakes are just one more paddling destination among about 100 in the area.   A list of the upcoming spots to be paddled are noted in a widget on the sidebar.

On Jacko Lake

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I paddled Jacko Lake on a sunny morning, taking some photos.

On the lake were many ducks, many of them Barrow’s golden eyes.

I paddled the 5 km shoreline.

Yellow-headed blackbirds were perched on cattails.

Overhead, sandhill cranes flew north.

Coots dabbled near the bullrushes.

I spotted two marmots on the shoreline.

There were a number of fishermen on the lake, but I stayed close to the shoreline and paddled my own pace, just enjoying the lake.

Jacko lake is one of my favorites so I will return for another paddle later in the spring.

Battle Bluff by Kayak

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Cooney Bay can be a busy place on Easter Weekend with fishermen, dog-walkers, hikers, and families parking at the end of the road past Tranquille, and walking out to the gravel beaches where the Tranquille River meets Kamloops Lake.   Getting an 18′ kayak out to the shoreline isn’t easy with a number of logs to get across, but with some rear wheels and some extra effort, the kayak was ready for launching from the muddy beach.   The route was around the point where quite a few fishermen had lines in the water.    A wind out of the east created some chop, but once the kayak was in Cooney Bay, it was calm.   Loons were actively diving in the bay.

Following the scenic shoreline is the safest route out to Battle Bluff.   The route out to the far end of Battle Bluff and back is 7.2 km.

Along the way, swallows were swooping over the water, ducks, and geese were along the shoreline, and crows and magpies flew along the beaches.   A headless small hawk floated in the water.   Coming back around the Battle Bluff point, a river otter rounded the corner then dove below the kayak.   An eagle circled above.   Bighorn sheep sat on the hill watching the show.

The winds were forecast to pick up by late morning so I turned around and followed the shoreline back to the landing spot.   This is a favorite route.   On a less windy day, a good route is to cross the lake (if you have a seaworthy boat with a rudder) and come back by the south shoreline.

More information:

Moose Valley Canoe Route

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Moose Valley is located 22 km west of 100 Mile House, accessed by the Gustafson Lake Road.   The Moose Valley Access Road turns off and follows the chain of lakes to a campsite on Marks Lake.   The road does continue onto the end of Maitland Lake, but it is a rougher section.    Paddlers can start at either lake and work their way southeast to Canoe Lake.

Although all of the portages are short, they are not suitable for canoe or kayak carts.   Each boat will have to be carried to the next lake, pond, or waterway.   In spring, though, there is more water between the lakes allowing for paddling through wetlands or hand-lining in shallow areas.  There is one rocky portage near the Beaverlodge Lakes.

At the southeast end of the chain, the route goes from Long Lake to Moose Lake to Canoe Lake in a loop.   From the south end of Canoe Lake, there is a portage out to an access road for a second vehicle pick-up.


The lakes are shallow and don’t make great fishing.   After June 1st, mosquitoes are likely.   After August 1st the wetlands will be drier meadows so the ideal time would be in May.   Options include camping at Marks Lake and going right through in a long day or paddling part way through the chain and camping at rough campsites on Canoe Lake or Long Lake.   Another option is to go out and back in a day.

The through route is only 7.5 km end-to-end from Marks Lake to the portage out to the Gustafson Lake Road.   The advantage of doing it all in a day (or camping at the trailhead and doing it all in a day) is that the canoes or kayaks can go through the chain unloaded, making the portages much easier.

The right time to do this route is in May or early June to have higher water levels, low mosquito populations, relatively warm conditions, and spring birds and ducks along the way.    We haven’t done this route yet, but its on our list for this year.

More information:

 

Paul Lake in October

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By October, there are very few other boats on Paul Lake, but the water in the lake is still warm and if the day is not windy, paddling is still a good activity.   Conditions usually don’t become too cold until mid-November.

002The easiest launch is from the beach at the provincial park.   A loop around the whole lake (article) is about 12.5 km.

paul-lakeOn this paddling day, silvery light on the east end of the lake greeted me.   For paddlers, the light on the water is part of the scenery.

img_1614The sun tried to break through the haze at the marshy east end of the lake.

img_1615The south side of the lake has forested steep slopes.   A breeze moved the kayak down the lake toward Gibraltar Rock.

img_1617

It is always best to check the wind forecast before heading out.   As the winds picked up, the day’s paddle was shortened to about half the lake.   A few more outings in the kayak will end the season so each day on the water is valued.   We may get to do the other end of the lake before the end of fall….

More information:

Little Knouff Lake

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Between Sullivan Lake (Knouff) and Badger Lake is another shallow lake.   Official topographic maps label it as Knouff Lake but the locals call it Little Knouff Lake.   Sullivan (Knouff) Lake got its name from James Knouff who built a log cabin on the shore near the Knouff Lake Resort.   Later, Sullivan Mill was established on the shore and the owner asked for the name to be changed.   Locals still call it Knouff Lake though.

There are a couple of homes on the east side of the lake and a gavel road on the west side where a vehicle can be parked next to s short steep trail for a one-boat launch and in this case, a stand-up paddleboard.

knouff lakeThe lake is shallow for almost the entire area, except for a deeper spot on the northwest side.

IMG_0761rTaking photos from a paddleboard is never easy.   The best system is to sit down to get an on-the-water shot.

IMG_0758rThe distance around the shoreline is 2.5 km.

IMG_1472rIn late season the lake is so shallow that care must be taken not to catch the fin (or kayak rudder) on sunken logs and vegetation.

little knouffLittle Knouff Lake is not a destination lake for paddling, but if we are trying to complete 100 lakes in our area, it is one more to try.

Monck Park on Nicola Lake

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Nicola Lake offers kayakers days of paddling, but it is a windy lake so checking the wind forecasts is recommended.   Since the lake is too big to paddle the entire shoreline in one day (or even two), we can pick one area for a shoreline exploration of a loop route.   One of the best launch spots is at Monck Provincial … Continue reading →