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.

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 a route I done a few times and hope to continue in summers,  one of the best paddling routes of our area.

Revised – Dec. 2024