Paddling

Kamloops Lake Access

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Access to Kamloops Lake is difficult, with only three points to launch a boat.   Some notes are provided here:

Cooney Bay

  • There is a road that goes past Tranquille to the Cooney Bay parking lot.   It is quite potholed, but slow driving allows us to get to the parking area.
  • Bringing a boat down to the rivershore means hauling it down about 150m.   Wheels are a good idea.  In freshet, logs jam the access route, but it is okay in spring and later summer.
  • It is my first choice, but not an easy haul.

Tobiano

  • In theory, we can launch a boat from Bruker Marina when it is open, paying a launch fee ($10).
  • It is a busy spot in summer when out-of-town power boat users are active on the lake, a more difficult time for paddlers to use the facility.
  • I have used the Marina, but I have found staff to be unwelcoming and sometimes rude, so I don’t go there anymore.

Savona

  • The best launch spot is at Savona Lakeshore Park at the end of Tingley Street.
  • When the lake drops down, it may be a longer haul to the water.
  • There are some other possible launch spots in Savona, all requiring some hauling.

 

The Four Winds

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Windy days can be a problem for paddlers.    Some insights are offered.

Wind Forecasts

  • Environment Canada issues wind forecasts the day before.   The app allows hourly forecasts.
  • Forecasts are for the City so if you are heading into the hills, it may be different.    For example if you are paddling at Badger Lake, check the Barriere forecast too.   If you are paddling Lac le Jeune, you can get a forecast for that specific spot too.
  • There are also wind-specific forecasts available like Windfinder
  • Winds of 20 km or greater mean that paddling will be difficult.

 

Wind Speed

  • Calm – 5 km/h – good paddling
  • 10 km/h – some chop – better on smaller lakes
  • 20km/h+ – difficult conditions and large lakes are a poor choice

 

The Day’s Cycle

  • Kamloops sits at the bottom of a valley, much lower than the Interior Plateau so there will be difference between the valley bottom and the hills
  • Generally speaking winds are light in the morning then it becomes windier after 11:00 am.
  • This is mostly because the valley will heat up and updrafts start, then colder air descends to replace it, starting a valley wind.
  • Winds may abate in the late afternoon.
  • Higher elevation lakes may not see the same cycle if it is a cloudy day.

 

Places to Avoid on a Windy Day

  • Any large lake, but especially Kamloops Lake, Shuswap Lake, Little Shuswap Lake, Adams Lake, Nicola Lake, and Okanagan Lake.
  • Any open lake, that is, without any hills or trees around the lake.    Open lakes tend to have no leeward zones.
  • Smaller lakes surrounded with trees will have pockets of protection, but at 20 km/h, not enough.

 

Paddling in the Wind

  • If the lake has whitecaps, don’t paddle.
  • If the lake has a series of waves, then try to paddle the nose into the waves, where possible.
  • Paddling downwind can be unsafe if the waves are moving faster than the boat.   There is a tendency to slide off the wave and then get turned and face oncoming waves.   This is when a rudder makes a big difference.
  • If you have to paddle across a lake with the waves coming at a 90 degree angle, adjust your direction direction to paddle at 45 degrees, which may mean a longer route, but it will be a safer one.
  • When crossing a large wave loop upwind and watch the waves.   they will come in 3’s or 4’s and two of them will be steeper and larger.    Anticipate their arrival and paddle into the wave, timing your stroke to coincide with the wave.    You may have to paddle on the same side for a few strokes in a row.
  • When you are paddling in the wind, use good technique.    Sit up straight, reach forward, and paddle efficiently.

 

Safety

  • If you have no rudder on your boat, avoid windy conditions.
  • If you choose to paddle in the wind, you need to know self-rescue and have all the right equipment – a paddle float, a whistle, and a bailer or pump.   If the water is cold, hypothermia could be life threatening.
  • On a windy day, paddle near the shoreline, but not too close since rebound waves may make paddling difficult.
  • Don’t paddle alone on a windy day.   If conditions are unsafe, land your boat and either wait it out or line your boat from the shoreline.
  • The best possible choice is to know the wind forecast in advance and plan accordingly.

 

On Shumway Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I paddled Shumway Lake on a sunny cool morning.    I hauled my kayak over the bank from the area just outside the Paddling Center.   A paddle of the whole lake is about 8 km.

The facilities on the lake were built in 1991 by the 1993 Canada Games Society in partnership with the local rowing and canoeing/kayak clubs (I was the manager of sports and facilties at the time and was part of the design and installation team).   Access to the facility is now for Club members only so the general public has to access other spots on the lake to launch and land.

The main part of the lake has a 2000m racing course supported by an underwater cable system.   The above-water course had not yet been installed as I paddled down the lake.

Although the highway is on the west side of the lake, the east side is quiet and there were lots of ducks, geese, and shoreline birds.