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.

Kayaking Community Lake

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Community Lake is a favorite spot for a summer paddle.    It is usually a quiet spot, except for long weekends in summer.   On a Saturday morning there were only campers at the lake and when I launched, there was no one else on the lake.    The lake was dammed and the shoreline has many fallen trees, small islands and shallow bays, all perfect for exploring in a kayak.

Community LakeTo get to Community Lake, turn onto the Knouff Lake Road from the Sun Peaks Road  Watch for the sign to Community Lake Recreation Site.   Access is by the Community Lake Forest Service Road, a gravel backroad that is suitable for most vehicles, but it would be best to wait for the roads to dry out.

Paddling around the lake takes about an hour, but there are a number of channels and small bays to explore for one or two loops around the lake.   Some images are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view.

At 1380 m (4530 ft), the lake is usually a little cooler than the valleys below in summer.  At 8:00 in the morning it was only 6 degrees C.    I will continue to paddle Community Lake once or twice each summer for as long as I can…

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Kayaking Harper Lake

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On a hot and smoky day I drove early towards Chase, then up bumpy backroads to the Harper Lake Recreation Site.

There was no one else in the area and all was quiet on the lake.

A paddle around the lake is 3.3 km.    There were loons and dragonflies on the lake.

With smoky and hot conditions, once around the lake was perfect.   A few moments on Harper Lake are shared in this YouTube video:

More information – Harper Lake Recreation Site (link).

 

Kayaking Monte Lake

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On a hot summer morning I drove up to Monte Lake.    The launch on the north side of the lake is the best choice.    Right at the north end of the lake turn onto Mill Road and the launch is an obvious spot.    It was a busy spot on that morning, but there is lots of room for parking and for launching.

A paddle down the west shore of the lake takes about 45 minutes.   The east side has the highway so I usually go down and back on the west side.    A train went by while I paddled down the lake.

With burned forest on both sides of the lake, the area seems barren, but is was a calm day, and the lake had loons, ducks, eagles, an osprey, dragonflies, swallows, and a few fishermen.

This is a good lake to wear earphones to block out the highway noise.    Ninety minutes of music while paddling Monte Lake…

 

Kayaking Lac du Bois

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On a hot summer day I parked at the gate area by Lac le Jeune and then hauled my kayak down to the lakeshore.    We have to lift our boats over a fence now, then carry them about 40m down to the lakeshore, then do a muddy launch among the cattails and bulrushes.

A paddle around the lakeshore is about 3.5 km.    There is a lot to see, so an easy pace works well for this lake.

On this day there were lots of western painted turtles, ducks and ducklings, geese, loons, blackbirds, marsh wrens, killdeer, and spotted sandpipers.    A few of the paddling moments are captured in this short YouTube video:

More information – Lac du Bois

 

Kayaking Tunkwa Lake

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On a hot summer morning I drove southwest past the smoke to paddle Tunkwa Lake.   The lake had a few fishermen on it, but it was otherwise quiet.    I launched from the day use area.

Tunkwa is a lake created by a dam and it is shallow, making it a popular spot for waterfowl and shoreline birds.    On this day I spotted loons, ducks, geese, blackbirds, eagles, an osprey, gulls, swallows, killdeer, marsh wrens, and hawks.

I paddle Tunkwa every year.    It takes about 90 minutes to kayak the whole shoreline.   A few moments are captured in this YouTube video:

I will be back to paddle nearby Leighton Lake at the end of summer.   These two are recommended lakes for paddling.

 

 

Kayaking Pinantan Lake

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On a clear summer day I paddled around Pinantan Lake.   There are several spots to launch a boat, but I prefer the one at the end of Cridge Road.    Drive past the school on Holbrook Road and continue to Cridge Road.

A paddle around the lake is about 4 km.

I paddled up the lagoon channel to the beaver dam and chose not to portage (the lake was low and the route was muddy) to the upper lake.

The lake was peaceful and quiet on a weekday morning.    Rockface Mountain stands over the west end of Pinantan in the distance.

More Information – Pinantan Lake

Kayaking Scuitto Lake

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Scuitto Lake is in the running for one of our top 5 paddling lakes in the Kamloops area.     The Scuitto Lake Recreation Site is reached by driving out through Barnhartvale and onto the Robbins Range Road, then onto the Scuitto Lake Forest Service Road.    There are three launching spots in the Rec Site area.

When Scuitto Lake was dammed, the lake rose and flooded the shoreline and there are still a number of tree stumps and rocks along the shoreline, as well as 3 islands, and some marshy bays.    It is a fun lake to explore and we often see various birds and waterfowl on the lake.   A few images are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view and caption.

CFJC TV has a featured content video on kayaking Scuitto Lake Out and About – Kayak at Scuitto Lake.  

Kayaking Pat Lake

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Pat Lake is a small lake in the Six Mile Hills.    It is reached from a bumpy road going off the uphill side of the TranCanada Highway just west of Tobiano.   It is a popular fishing lake and it is a busy spot in spring, but by mid-summer it is quiet at the lake.

The road to and under the lake was once the Kamloops to Savona Road.    We launch right into the submerged roadbed.

I paddled around the lake twice, once in each direction.

There were loons and ducks on the lake and raptors searching for a meal.    This is a scenic and peaceful spot, one we return to paddle every year.

Kayaking Glimpse Lake

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On a summer day that had smoky conditions in Kamloops, I used firesmoke.ca to look for smoke-free areas and I found that areas south were clearer.    To get to Glimpse Lake, we first drive to Nicola Lake, then turn and drive towards Douglas Lake.    At the power station, we turn left onto Lauder Road and follow it to the lake.    The easiest boat launch is the first one on the north side of the lake.

It started with a light breeze down the lake, but the winds picked up as clouds blew in from the southwest.    Returning was harder work.

Glimpse Lake is a quiet spot mid-week.    There are a number of marshy bays to explore.    On the lake were loons, a great blue heron, an osprey, geese, and some ducks.    One other boat was spotted as I paddled around the shoreline in 75 minutes.

More information – Glimpse Lake

 

Kayaking Peterhope Lake

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On a hot summer morning there was smoke in town, but the smoke forecast maps showed clear skies towards Merritt so I drove down Highway 5A past Stump Lake and then up to Peterhope Lake.

A paddle around the whole lakeshore took about 90 minutes, including the lagoon channel and hidden lake off the southwest corner of the lake.   A few images are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.

Note that the bladderwort in flower is a carniverous plant, trapping insects in bladders for later consumption.

Peterhope Lake is a favorite, one we paddle every year.    A great spot to visit.

John Frank Lake

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John Frank Lake is one of several hard-to-get-to lakes in Roche Lake Provincial Park.    Access to Black Lake, Frisken Lake, Bulman Lake, Ernest Lake, John Frank Lake, and Bog Lake is by rough roads.    In spring there are giant mudholes.    In summer, the roads have big rocks, but we can drive them if we have high clearance (trucks or jeeps, not SUVs), good tires, and if we have the patience to drive very slowly.   Most of the lakes in the area suffered winterkill so there are no fishermen out (except on Black Lake and Horseshoe Lake).    On a hot summer morning, I drove the rough road to John Frank Lake.    There is a small backcountry Rec site on the lake and a hand launch.    Most of the shoreline of the lake is marshy.

I paddled around the lakeshore (3 km).    I spotted lots of ducks, but also loons, an eagle, and a river otter.   Some photos are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.

A few moments of the outing are captured in this YouTube video:

This was a lake I really enjoyed, so I hope to get back, braving the rough backroads.   Frisken Lake, though, is upcoming first.

 

Kayaking Surrey Lake

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It was smoky in Kamloops but I used the excellent website firesmoke.ca to see the smoke condition in the area and it showed clear skies to the south, especially at higher elevations, so I picked Surrey Lake, one of my favorite lakes to paddle.    The roads were in good shape.    I turned right at the entrance to Wildlings Resort and followed the double track south along the lakeside.    There are two hand launch spots off that backroad.

It takes about 65 – 70 minutes to paddle the whole lake including the two shallow, marshy arms.


There was no one else on the lake on a Friday morning.    There were ducks and ducklings, an osprey, a bald eagle, many songbirds, dragonflies, and an assortment of pond creatures in the shallows.   Skies were relatively clear and it was warm, but not yet hot in the Surrey Summit area.   A few moments of the paddle are captured in this short video:

 

 

Hyas Lake Kayaking

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Hyas Lake is located in the remote hills north of Pinantan Lake.    The Hyas Lake Forest Service Road climbs to the bumpy track in to the Hyas Lake Recreation Site.  When I arrived, there was one other boat on the lake.

A paddle around the lake takes about 75 minutes.    Hyas is one of my favorites, but I also choose a weekday in summer to avoid other boats and campers.

A few moments of paddling the lake are found in this YouTube video:

More information – Hyas Lake

Kayaking Bleeker Lake

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We kayak Bleeker Lake every year.    In the last few years it has suffered some winterkill and with dry conditions, it was drawn down for irrigation so the lake has far fewer fishermen, but it is still a fine lake to kayak in spring or early summer.

Aquatic vegetation grows and fills in the bays at either end, but we can still paddle down channels until later in the summer.    It is a dammed lake so there are a number of stumps and logs along the shoreline, making it a fine spot for waterfowl.   A paddle of the whole lake takes about 75 minutes.

A few moments from my kayaking outing on Bleeker Lake here are captured in a YouTube video:

 

Knouff Lake

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Sullivan Lake is sometimes referred to Knouff Lake.    The community of Knouff Lake is on the southern shore and a short way north is Little Knouff Lake.    In terms of geography, it is referred to as Sullivan Lake.    We usually get to it by driving up the Sun Peaks Road, then the Knouff Lake Road.    We usually return by the Knouff – Vinsula Road.   There is small Rec Site on the west side of the lake and a boat launch a bit farther north.   There are a number of homes on the southern end of the lake and a large resort on the north end.

When I paddle Sullivan Lake, I usually avoid the area by the homes and the resort.    There are some marshy areas to explore and 5 islands.    It takes about 1.25 hours to go around the lake in a kayak.

This is a lake I paddle every year.   A few moments from this year’s paddle are captured in this YouTube video:

More information on Sullivan Lake.

 

Roche Lake West

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Roche Lake is normally a popular fishing lake, but winter conditions resulted in winterkill in Roche Lake.   As a trophy lake, there are usually lots of campers in both campsites and many boats on the lake.    On a mild June morning I drove to the west campground on Roche Lake and launched the kayak for a paddle of the south end of the lake.

There was one boat on the water, but the fishermen reported no bites and left.     For the rest of the paddle, there was no one in sight.    A loop route to the south end of the lake and back on the eastern shoreline takes about 75 minutes.

This was a quiet and enjoyable paddle.    I will return to paddle the other end of the lake in the summer.   A few moments from the paddle are found in this YouTube video:

More information on paddling Roche Lake can be found in the On the Lakes page (link).