Paddling Snohoosh Lake
There is a chain of lakes in the upper Deadman’s Valley and Snohoosh Lake is the largest of them. It is a long, narrow, and winding lake bordering the Deadman – Vidette Road. From the Trans Canada Highway, we have to drive 38 km to the south end of the lake. The backroad continues to wind around the shoreline of the lake for another 4.4 km. At the north end of the lake is a Recreation site with a hand launch in a small bay.
The paddle down one shoreline to the end and back to the launch is 8.5 km. At the south end of the lake is the outlet to Deadman’s River where the water pours over a small dam.
There are only a couple of cabins on the roadside of the lake; the rest of the lake has willow, red ossier dogwood, wild roses, alder, and birch next to the water and pine-fir forest above rising up the slopes on both sides. In two hours on the lake, no vehicles could be heard and there were no other boats on the lake. Loons, ducks, American dippers, and swallows were spotted on the lake. Small schools of fish swam below the kayak in great numbers. This is a peaceful spot.
Other lakes we can paddle (or fish) in this quiet back valley are Deadman’s Lake and Vidette Lake. There are Forest Service Rec sites at all 3 lakes.