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.

On Bleeker Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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.

On Pat Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

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.

On Trapp Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I padded Trapp Lake on April 12th.   It is a personal favorite with the only drawback of the highway traffic.   It has good parking, a good hand launch and provides scenic paddling.    It is best to go in the morning before the late morning winds start.

Along the eastern shoreline there was some wildlife, like this coyote:

Farther along was a herd of deer.

There were thousands of ducks, some geese, an eagle, killdeer, some marsh wrens, and some blackbirds.

I particularly like the north end of the lake.

A paddle of the perimeter of the lake is 8 km, a good 2 hour effort.

At this time of year, there is good paddling on Trapp, Stump, and Nicola Lake.   The higher lakes will become ice-free soon.

 

On Ross Moore Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I drove backroads all the way to Ross Moore Lake, something I do every year.   The date has to be after the roads dry out so we make the trip sometime between June and September.  It takes about an hour to get to the lakeshore, making all the right turns on the many forested backroads in a remote area.   The first part of the drive is through the scenic Long Lake Hills.

There is a small recreation site on the southeast corner of the lake with a good boat launch area.  I launched the kayak and then paddled 3.2 km around the lakeshore.   In some years, I go around the lake twice.

A late morning breeze brought a chop to the lake, but the winds also cleared out the low-hanging clouds.

The Rocky Mountain Rangers cabins on the north shoreline were closed up for a Covid year.

When the lake was dammed it flooded some swampy areas in bays and the snags are still standing

There were some sandhill cranes on the shoreline.   I drifted in as close as they would allow to get some photos.

On the way back I turned onto the McConnell Forest Service Road to make a loop route, stopping at the Bute Lakes to take a short hike in and back out.   The small lakes are at their best in late spring.   I plan to return in early June next year.

More Information (inc. maps and driving directions):

 

Late Season on Inks Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

As winter approaches cold and windy conditions limit the number of times we can paddle on the lakes and rivers, so if an opportunity arises, I load up the kayak and head out.   In late October, the day was still quite cool and my time was limited so I chose to paddle on Inks Lake.   A paddle of the shoreline, including the channels is 2.5 km so I usually go around twice.

Some blue sky here and there, a variety of clouds, and intermittent sun with little wind provided the right light for a scenic paddle.

Grassland hills reflected in the lake’s surface.   When it is like that it is nice to float before resuming the paddling stroke.

 

There were lots of ducks (Barrow’s golden eyes and mallards) in the back bays, hidden from roads.   The final section was a paddle down the shoreline towards the sun, breaking through layers of clouds.   I keep the outings short since the cold air and colder water has a chilling effect.   The lakeshore was very muddy making it awkward to launch and land.    Good paddling boots helped to protect my feet from the cold, muddy water, but i was happy to rig the boat and change my shoes.

This was Day 63 of paddling in 2020.    I hope to find a handful of days yet before putting away the kayak for another year.