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.

• Clearwater Lake Storm (video)
• Marine Campsites on Clearwater Lake – part 1
• Marine Campsites on Clearwater Lake – part 2
• Clearwater Lake Channel
• 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.

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