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.

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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 (13.6km down the lake)
• Mahood River North campsite – N51 55.957 W120 14.782
• Mahood River South campsite – N51 55.697 W120 14.999