Pinaus Lake is found in the hills between Falkland-Westwold and Okanagan Lake. Just after passing Westwold, a Forest Service Road leads up into the hills. Follow the Pinaus FSR for 18 km, ignoring turns to Ingram Lake and Tuk (Tuktakamin Mountain). The Pinaus Lake Resort is at the start/west end of the lake. The narrow road continues to wind along the north shore. Watch for a sign for the turn down to the Pinaus Lake North Rec Site. This is a larger campsite (8 open sites) on the shore of the lake. There is a good hand launch site.
I paddled 8km along the the shoreline on a windy day.
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There are a few homes/cabins along the northeast shoreline, but most of the lake is surrounded by steep forested slopes. On a Monday morning the lake was very quiet, with only a few loons, ducks, dragonflies, and an eagle active on the lake. A few sand/gravel beaches were found along the north shore providing easy landing spots along the way.
The goal is to paddle all the larger lakes in the area and we return to paddle the best ones. Pinaus Lake is a very good choice for a quiet paddle on a remote lake. Recommended.
Allan Lake is found at the northeast end of the Bonaparte Plateau. Bonaparte Lake is the largest of all lakes in the area but Mayson Lake and nearby Allan Lake are the next largest vehicle-access lakes. To get to Allan Lake, drive for 45km up the Jamieson Creek Forest Service Road, then turn east onto the Gorman FSR. At 2.7 km along the sideroad, a signed turn leads us into the Allan Lake Rec Site.
The campsite is a good spot to launch a boat for a 9km (2 hour) shoreline paddle around the lake. The lake has been dammed to maintain the water levels so there are a lot of tree stumps along the shoreline.
There is also lots of marshland around the edges with shallow bays to explore.
Traveling this far up backroads to paddle a lake is warranted for a number of reasons:
there will likely be no one around (I saw no one at all in the whole area on this August weekday)
there were bald eagles, ospreys, loons, kingfishers, and other birds
from the appearance of the water lilies, moose had been grazing in the shallows
I spotted a bear and some deer nearby
the lake is large enough to paddle for 2 hours, a good workout
we can drive a loop route back
From Allan Lake, I drove down the Gorman Lake FSR for 6 km to Gorman Lake.
Continuing along the Gorman FSR we are provided views northeast across to the Dunn Range.
It is 9.5 km from Gorman Lake down to Westsyde Road. The whole route is 2WD, but it is slow-going. From the junction, the right fork follows Fishtrap Creek down to the McLure Ferry and beyond to Westsyde Road. The left fork goes back to Barriere.
We can paddle on a busy lake or we can find an out-of-the-way peaceful lake in the backcountry. Both Allan and Mayson Lakes are fine choices for a day with only the birds and fish.
Every year a paddle across Kamloops Lake to Painted Bluffs is planned, but I vary the hike in the hills. To avoid the strong winds that can blow down Kamloops Lake in summer, I watch the weather forecast carefully. This year the launch point was in Savona and a double loop was chosen, one on the lake, and one in the hills.
The 2 km crossing of Kamloops Lake is best done in calm conditions in a seaworthy kayak. The south-facing barren hills across the lake rise above the north shore of the lake.
Passing Copper creek, the edge of Painted Bluffs Provincial Park comes into view.
By July there is a good beach landing spot in the bay past the train tunnel.
From the beach, there is no trail up the shoreline and over the tracks. There is some poison ivy above the waterline, but also a number of wildflowers there and above in the hills.
primrose
white clematis
blazing star
poison ivy
The shapes, colors, and alien landscapes of Painted Bluffs comes into view right after crossing the tracks.
The park area is surrounded by rocky grass-covered hills overlooking Kamloops Lake. A loop through the bluffs and then up to the tops of the hills was part scramble and part hike. The view east extends past Six Mile Point and Peregrine Bluffs.
Last year I launched from Tobiano, following the shoreline west from Peregrine Bluffs.
It is about 13.5 km to paddle from the east end of Savona to Painted Bluffs and back. The lake was calm on the return paddle, about 1.25 hours each way.
This is an annual event within the summer schedule, one of the best paddling routes of our area.
If we drive up the Wells Gray corridor, the road ends at the boat launch on Clearwater Lake, From that point on, it is boat access only. Clearwater Lake stretches for 22km northward and along the way are 8 marine campsites. Beyond the end of the lake the Clearwater River drains Hobson and Azure Lakes. One option is to take the water taxi to the end of Azure Lake and paddle all the way back, a total of about 50km. We have paddled the lake many times but this time we chose to launch and paddle up the east side of the lake to enjoy the quiet beaches of Clearwater Lake.
On a 3 day forecast of stormy weather we paddled up the lake and found campsites mostly empty. Bar View is a prime campsite with a sandy point and beach about 8.5km up the lake.
We also paddled up to Ivor Creek (canoes and kayaks only) and Huckleberry campsites (both have fine beaches too) and back (10 km return) before the weather came in.
Rain fell to the south and north in waves. We had our tarps ready and enjoyed watching the progress of the storms from our campsite.
Late in the afternoon, the sun started to shine through the waning rainclouds.
Some blue skies first showed themselves in the west.
In the evening, the alpenglow on Mt. Huntley was an unexpected and welcome sight.
By the third day, the weather had cleared and we enjoyed a calm paddle back to the boat launch, sorry to leave the beautiful beaches of Clearwater Lake.
We returned to paddle all of Mahood Lake and spent 3 days paddling, hiking, and camping in this quiet corner of Wells Gray Park. We launched our kayaks from the west end of the lake at the Provincial Park Campground. We had hoped to paddle down to Travertine Campsite on the north shore of the lake, but it was not easy to find on a windy day (we were more focused on keeping our boats afloat), so we paddled on to the end of the lake, a 21.5 km route.
We picked the Mahood River North campsite and we were delighted with the user-maintained site/facilities. It had a pit toilet, a metal (bear-proof) food cache, some user-made tables, a tarp-rigged cooking shelter, a firepit, and a number of tent pads. The pebble beach sloped down to the lake, and it is west-facing so the rounded rocks warmed up in the afternoon sun each day.
Each evening, we looked west down the lake to watch the sun set.
Behind the campsite were lava cliffs overlooking a cedar-hemlock forest. The Mahood River is adjacent to the campsite. The river runs east for 6 km, down to meet the Clearwater River, descending in a series of rapids, chutes, and waterfalls. A fisherman’s trail runs down the north side to pools in the canyon and a Parks trail runs down the south side of the river from the Mahood River South campsite (only accessible by boat) to Sylvia-Goodwin Falls and beyond to the confluence of the two rivers (a separate article on this site).
The end of the lake is a very quiet spot, more than 20km from any roads/vehicles. We saw a few power boats on the lake for a half day of fishing, but no one else camped on the lake. Along the 21+ km route we noted 4 beaches on the north side that could be used for landings/camps if the weather dictated a shortened paddle own the lake. On the way back, we found Travertine campsite (a hand-made sign called it Candle Creek) and landed there to check it out for a future stay.
This is a fairly long paddle for kayaks or canoes and because it is a big lake, care for wind and storm conditions is important (see Mahood Lake). Launching in the morning is a good idea and paddlers can expect to take about 5-6 hours to reach the end of the lake. Afternoon weather seemed to come in from the west, blowing down the lake. We used longer ocean-going (seaworthy) kayaks with lots of storage space for camping gear.
Mahood Lake is a fine location for paddle camping and the beach/campsite at the end of the lake is a perfect wilderness retreat, especially to watch evening sunsets.
Notes:
Boat launch – N51 52.997 W120 31.418
Travertine campsite – N51 56.043 W120 21.061 (13.6 km down the lake)
Mahood River North campsite – N51 55.957 W120 14.782
Mahood River South campsite – N51 55.697 W120 14.999
We have enjoyed paddling Pinantan Lake, but we really like paddling up a narrow channel to the hidden upper lake.
The entrance to the lagoon channel is at the east end of the lake. It can be paddled in a canoe or kayak, but there is a dam-like blockage partway through that requires getting out of the boat and pulling it over the obstacle.
It is easy paddling on the other side and we emerged into the upper lake, an extra one kilometer shoreline loop.
There is no road access to the upper lake and it surrounded by swamp and meadows, a peaceful spot that is inaccessible to most other people. We saw only loons and ducks on the lake on this last paddle.
Launching from the community park, we did the shoreline of both lakes, a 6km morning paddle. The main body of Pinantan allows only electric motors so it is less busy and much less noisy than other area lakes.
This is a favorite, one we will return to do every year.
In the back valleys between Shuswap Lake and Adams Lake are a chain of lakes. Hummamilt Lake is the largest and a superb lake for paddling. To get to Hummamilt Lake, follow the North Shuswap Road past Anglemont on the way to Seymour Arm. Pass Albas Provincial Park and turn up the Celista Creek Forest Service Road. At 9.7 km, watch for a small Forest Service Site and a hand launch.
The launch area is in a small bay near the outlet and passes through a zone water lilies.
Hummalmilt is a long narrow lake. There are some small islands and 3 narrow channels on the way to the end of the lake.
Both sides of the lake have steep forested slopes. The entire paddle up one shore to the end and back on the other shore is 25km, a long paddle, but a scenic one. When I was there on a weekday, there were no other boats and no campers at the two Rec sites.
On the way back, the winds rose and the paddling was harder, but the snowy ragged Anstey Range peaks were right ahead coming down the lake. Loons, ospreys, ducks, and dragonflies were the only other occupants of this remote lake.
A loop route is possible and had been planned, but I blew a radial tire and without a spare, I was reluctant to continue on to Stukemapten, Mowich, and Adams Lake, coming down Holdings Road to Agate Bay. That will be another trip, with a stop ot paddle Mowich Lake. Hummamilt Lake is worth the long drive though, especially on a nice day with no one around.
It was raining on the West Chilcotin Plateau. While traveling east on Highway 20 there was a break in the weather right at Nimpo Lake, so I found a boat launch and paddled out into the quiet lake. There was no wind and no other boats on this larger lake.
It is too big a lake to go all the way around (27km) so I chose a loop through the middle, going around 3 islands. Birds kept me company along the shoreline and loons were on the hunt on the lake.
The Coast Range was in sight 30 km to the west, and the Itcha Ilgachuz Range could be seen 40km to the north, but the terrain of the area is mostly trees on a rolling plateau at 3700 feet.
Nimpo Lake is the Floatplane Capital of B.C. but no planes took off or landed until after I was finished paddling. It is a destination fishing area and there are a number of resort accommodations on the lake, though all were quiet on a weekday in June. I scouted out some more lakes for exploration in a kayak – Charlotte Lake, Tatla Lake, Punzi Lake, Tatlayoko Lake, and a lot of smaller lakes too, all earmarked for future trips.
The drive to Bella Coola and back has long been a call-to-explore and a week was set aside into the calendar for the tour. It is 740 km each way so I got an early start on a Monday morning. The road is paved all the way to Anaheim Lake so I proceeded along the route, stopping for gas as needed. The gravel section started just before Tweedsmuir Provincial Park and there were no vehicles along the upper section of the park. The weather was fine and I stopped at some trailheads in the park to scout out future hikes. Wide views were impressive at the top of Heckman Pass and I proceeded carefully down the Big Hill. I was happy the road was dry and I wasn’t pulling a trailer on this daunting 16 km section of road.
The Bella Coolla Valley was impressive with steep-sided mountains all around, glaciers and snowfields above, and waterfalls and creeks entering the valley into the Atnarko and Bella Coola Rivers. All of the campgrounds in Tweedsmuir were still closed and there were no vehicles at all in the upper valley. This is a coastal cedar-hemlock wet coastal zone forest with fast-flowing streams and dense green forest.
In the middle part of the valley, Hagensborg is a small community with Norwegian immigrant history. There were some services, regional parks, and a nice ambience to the area. Coming into Bella Coola was a bit surprising. The community is in a beautiful setting, but seemed a bit run-down. I drove past the town out to the Government dock where the ferry used to land, then beyond to a small regional park for a view out the North Bentick Arm.
I drove through the town and looked for a gas station. The one gas station was closed and though I wanted to stay in Bella Coola, I had to drive back up the valley where I ended up paying $3.84 a litre! A big disincentive to staying in town. I decided to looked for a camping spot near the western edge of Tweedsmuir Park. I spotted this this old homestead along the way.
I had noted some possible camping spots on the western side of Tweedsmuir Park and I settled on a spot by Burnt Bridge Creek, very near the end of the Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail.
The weather was mostly clear on day one. The moon was shining over the Coast Range in the middle of the night..
An early morning start and choices to make – paddle in the Bentick Arm or on a lake up in the Chilcotin? The weather was changing and I didn’t want to drive the Big Hill in the rain, so I made the decision to head east. The Big Hill is very steep, unpaved, and has drop-offs at the shoulder all the way to the valley floor 4000 feet below. I carefully drove the 16km section to the top at Heckman Pass. At the top is a viewpoint back across the Coast Range above the Bella Coola Valley.
The upper part of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park has high (5000 feet) wet meadows and small lakes.
The plan for the day was to hike the first part of the Rainbow Range Trail in the morning.
Just before the trailhead, I spotted two silver-backed grizzly bears stumping along the meadows not far from where I had planned to hike. There were no other vehicles around and I was hiking alone. So, I drove on.
It started to rain west of Anaheim Lake. I chose to drive east to attempt to outrun the weather. At Nimpo Lake, the weather cleared a bit so I found a boat launch and paddled for 2 hours on this peaceful lake.
At the end of this pleasant paddle, the weather started to deteriorate. The plan was to turn down to Tatloyoko Lake to hike, paddle, and camp for a day or two. When I reached the turn-off, the rains had resumed, but more heavily now so rather than tent in the rain, I continued east. The weather really came in after that.
My plan to paddle Charlotte Lake, Tatla Lake, and Tatloyoko Lake and to hike around Tatloyoko was rained out. I continued east. At Riske Creek I turned down toward Farwell Canyon. The roads were muddy by this time and I passed quite a few loaded logging trucks. I stopped at the Sheep Junction Park trailhead and went for a walk along the track, but the rain discouraged any further exploration. This will be a return bike/hike.
Farwell Canyon was in a grey weather zone, but it was nice to see the hoodoos above the Chilco River.
In the end, I drove all the way home. The planned 5 day trip to Bella Coola and the Chilcotin took only 2 days. It rained for the next day and a half after that. The road trip was quick, but it was fun to see all the villages, Reserves, ranches, rivers, lakes, and mountains along the way. This became a “scouting trip” for a return (summer) trip to hike and paddle sometime in the future.
There is a chain of lakes in the upper Deadman’s Valley and Snohoosh Lake is the largest of them. It is a long, narrow, and winding lake bordering the Deadmans-Vidette Road. From the Trans Canada Highway, we have to drive 38 km to the south end of the lake. The backroad continues to wind around the shoreline of the lake for another 4.4km. At the north end of the lake is a Recreation site with a hand launch in a small bay.
The paddle down one shoreline to the end and back to the launch is 8.5km. At the south end of the lake is the outlet to Deadman’s River where the water pours over a small dam.
There are only a couple of cabins on the roadside of the lake; the rest of the lake has willow, red ossier dogwood, wild roses, alder, and birch next to the water and pine-fir forest above rising up the slopes on both sides. In two hours on the lake, no vehicles could be heard and there were no other boats on the lake. Loons, ducks, American dippers, and swallows were spotted on the lake. Small schools of fish swam below the kayak in great numbers. This is a peaceful spot.
Other lakes we can paddle (or fish) in this quiet back valley are Deadman’s Lake and Vidette Lake. There are Forest Service Rec sites at all 3 lakes.
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One of the best paddling destinations we try to do every year is Clearwater Lake. The boat launch is at the very end of the Wells Gray Corridor Road. Beyond the launch is 22km of wilderness lake with treed shorelines and snow-capped mountains rising above. Along the shoreline are a few wilderness marine campsites. We have enjoyed going to the far end of Azure Lake and paddling back 45km over several days. For a day trip, though, we head up the lake past the curving eastern shoreline below Easter Bluffs.
Once we have gone up the lake a few kilometers, the views start to open up. We can see Mt. Huntley at the end of the lake. Azure Lake lies beneath the mountain and to the northeast. It drains into Clearwater Lake by a short section of the Clearwater River.
If the winds cooperate, we go up the lake and then cross to the other side to Divers Bluff. This is the deepest part of the lake. Campers at the marine campsite there sometimes dive off the bluffs into the lake on a warm summer day. There is a 1.5km trail to the top of the bluffs too. We landed on the beach for lunch. The bay there is sheltered from the winds coming down the lake.
We returned down the lake back along the western shoreline. Thunder heads started to form over Chain Meadows and the Easter Bluffs in the boat launch area.
Paddling Clearwater Lake is best done in a seaworthy kayak or canoe. Winds often come up in the afternoon and it can be more challenging. We stay close to the shoreline when the winds come down the lake.
On this day we had tailwinds helping us back to the launch, but a thundershower burst over the last leg, bringing hail and rain.
Several articles on Azure Lake too; type Azure into the Search Bar
The route up the shoreline to Divers Bluff and back is about 13km, taking about 3 hours. There are two beaches at campsites along the route and we spotted two other small beaches for potential landing spots too. Small waterfalls and streams enter the lake from both sides. We paddled this loop in May when there were no power boats on the lake. The only sounds were the calls of birds and a few rumblings of thunder. We will be back for an extended paddle on Clearwater Lake.
One of our best paddling lakes is Lac le Jeune. The ice comes off in the spring and we can paddle there in April, but at 4200 feet, we usually go to the lower lakes and the river first. Later in the season it is a busy place as boaters and fishermen fill the lake. Early in the season it is a quieter destination for a 9.5 km paddle.
We enjoy paddling both lakes, going through the water tunnel under the road. The smaller lake to the west has extensive marshes. Yellow and red-winged blackbirds and marsh wrens filled the reeds and bullrushes with sound. A hatch must have also been in progress because fish were jumping all over the west lake.
South shoreline
yellow-winged blackbird
marsh wren
the water tunnel
When the winds pick up, we usually avoid the larger lakes, but Lac le Jeune is higher on the Interior Plateau so the winds are not the gusting cross-valley east-west winds found at lower altitudes. We followed the shoreline, ducking into the lee of bays when we could. For local paddling Lac le Jeune, Paul Lake, and Heffley Lake are our three best choices for the spring (for many return outings).
One of the best lakes to paddle in our area is Paul Lake. We launch from the Provincial Park beach and follow the shoreline all the way around.
We can head east or west and our choice is often governed by the wind.
On this occasion I paddled west to Gibraltar Rock, then down to the west end of the lake.
Coming back on the south side, I passed a number of homes, then come back into the park across from Gibraltar Rock. The south side shoreline is a steep slope covered in trees.
The east end of the lake ends in a shallow, marshy area. The inlet stream from Pinantan Lake comes in there. We paddled down the north shoreline past homes back to the park.
The entire loop is about 12.5 km if we follow the whole shoreline, including the bays. We paddle this a couple of times each year. It is a quiet spot in spring and the fall, but can be busy in the summer. We avoid weekends and any time after 11:00 in the morning in the summer. Winds pick up after about 11:30 so mornings are usually the best time year round.
BC Parks has removed the boat launch ramp from the Park so that only cartop boats can launch there now, but there are still homeowners who have big docks and big powerboats on either end of the lake. The lake is too narrow for these powerboats which invade the peaceful valley with echoing noise pollution and big waves sent out from the motors, which continue all the way to the shoreline both ways. The lake really needs a horsepower limit, but since it likely won’t happen, we just paddle there in the off-season.
It would be rare to meet someone at Painted Bluffs. It is a remote and quiet spot on the north side of Kamloops Lake. For those who do visit the site, most stay on the lower slopes, but some of the upper gullies and ridges have some surprises for explorers. On this last paddle and hike, I was able to find a gully that took me all the way to the top and then used two more gullies to come down into a different area. New views and some finds awaited me.
Blazing star
Bighorn sheep skull
An old mine opening
Boulders on the wash
The descent came down a gully into another world, a primeval and strange landscape, a place to quietly focus one’s sense of wonder.
High on the ridges in a barren, infertile soil infused with iron, copper, and cinnabar, a few scrubby plants survive and some blazing stars can be found in unlikely spots.
As winter approaches, we reflect on the seasons now past and a few special places blaze in our memories. Canyonlands, Zion, Azure Lake, and Painted Bluffs burn bright in our connections to the outdoors.
Tunkwa Lake is reached on the the Tunkwa Lake Forest Service Road from Logan Lake (15km) or from Savona (km). The lake lies entirely within Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. Follow the paved road to the campground and look for the gravel launch on your left.
The lake is a busy fishing lake so paddlers can choose a quieter time to stay out of the away of fishing lines. The shoreline is often shallow or choked with underwater weeds. Early in the season, paddlers can do the entire 8.5km shoreline, but later in the year may choose to skip or skirt the long inlets and shallow areas. The lake is surrounded by grasslands. The east shore has a few cabins. Fish swam in the shallows in this stocked lake. “Toonqua” Lake in local Indian dialect means “Goose” Lake. On this September day, there were many ducks and geese on and around the lake. A good place for a quiet paddle.
From Tobiano we can launch our kayaks and canoes into Kamloops Lake and then paddle across the lake for 2.2km to Peregrine Bluffs. This rocky rib is called Peregrine Bluffs because peregrine falcons nest on the cliffs. Look for the guano on the rocks for their nests.
The north side of Kamloops Lake is rocky and there are no homes between Frederick and Copper Creek, but the whole route is scenic. As we paddle west, we pass by the impressive cliffs of Rousseau Hill, then Rousseau Creek Valley. Continuing along this 7 km route, we pass the remnants of the 12 Mile Ranch near Jaleslie on an outwash plain. The hills resume as we travel west to Painted Bluffs. There will be no one on the shoreline or in the hills above, but we spotted bighorn sheep on a ridge. Painted Bluffs is a good spot to stop for a break, lunch, and some exploration. There is a large beach here at low water, but even at high water, it is still a good landing area.
The paddle from Tobiano to Painted Bluffs is 9km each way. It is a rewarding route, but care must be taken to go in calm conditions. Kamloops Lake can have strong afternoon winds. Kamloops Lake gets little fanfare, but it is a superb paddling lake in good conditions.
I paddled 8km along the the shoreline on a windy day.
The goal is to paddle all the larger lakes in the area and we return to paddle the best ones. Pinaus Lake is a very good choice for a quiet paddle on a remote lake. Recommended.
