Paddling Pinaus Lake
Pinaus Lake is found in the hills between Falkland-Westwold and Okanagan Lake. Just after passing Westwold, a Forest Service Road leads up into the hills. Follow the Pinaus Forest Service Road for 18 km, ignoring turns to Ingram Lake and Tuk (Tuktakamin Mountain). The Pinaus Lake Resort is at the start/west end of the lake. The narrow road continues to wind along the north shore. Watch for a sign for the turn down to the Pinaus Lake North Rec Site. This is a larger campsite (8 open sites) on the shore of the lake. There is a good hand launch site.
I paddled 8 km along the the shoreline on a windy day.
There are a few homes/cabins along the northeast shoreline, but most of the lake is surrounded by steep forested slopes. On a Monday morning the lake was very quiet, with only a few loons, ducks, dragonflies, and an eagle active on the lake. A few sand/gravel beaches were found along the north shore providing easy landing spots along the way.
The goal is to paddle all the larger lakes in the area and we return to paddle the best ones. Pinaus Lake is a very good choice for a quiet paddle on a remote lake. Recommended.
- Launch site – N50 25.742 W119 35.832