When the weather gets hot an option is to drive to the high country (4000 feet+) and paddle one of the lakes, then go for one of the hikes nearby. On this blue sky hot day, I paddled twice around Stake Lake, then hiked a snowshoe route nearby. It was an early morning start and winds are usually calm until … Continue reading →
I camped at Big Bar Lake Provincial Park to hike trails in the Marble Range, but I also paddled Big Bar Lake. In sunny weather I paddled 3 times, doing the whole lake (12 km), with some sections twice. With creeks running off limestone mountains, Bit Bar Lake is a marl lake with clear water shoals. There were 4 pairs … Continue reading →
My plan was to paddle Minnie Lake (and possibly Stoney Lake) on the Pennask Lake Road, then tour through the Douglas Plateau on the way back, but winds picked up and by the time I reached Minnie Lake, there were whitecaps on the larger open lake. I decided to drive through to the Douglas Lake area and evaluate the … Continue reading →
Neskonlith Lake is a 40 minute drive from Kamloops. Access to the lake is through Neskonlith Provincial Park. There is a hand launch spot not far past the first campsites. I launched my kayak on a mild June day and paddled clockwise around the lake. A circuit of the whole lake is 11.5 km and that goal is best done … Continue reading →
Every year I drive the backroads (38 km) up to Red Lake and paddle the 8.5 km shoreline. Since its a popular fishing lake, I try to go early on a weekday. When I arrived at the boat launch there were only 3 other boats on the lake, a quiet paddle in the high country. There are 3 launch spots … Continue reading →
On an overcast day, I launched my kayak at the Tranquille Wildlife Management Area parking pullout and paddled out into Tranquille Bay. With no wind the skies were reflected in the calm floodwaters. There are many route choices possible during freshet, but on this day I kayaked down to Cooney Bay and back. At the mouth of Tranquille River, eagles … Continue reading →
Jacko Lake is a very popular fishing lake and since it is one of the first to be ice-free, it will be a busy place in spring before the other lakes open up. On weekends and in prime times it stays busy right up to summer. When I paddle the lake I go early in the morning and paddle around … Continue reading →
When freshet arrives the low-lying floodlands fill with water and we can paddle out from the Tranquille Wildlife Preserve into Tranquille Bay. An early start often means no wind. At about 11:00 am the winds start and will be stronger yet by noon. “Islands” of shrubs stand in the floodwaters. The Thompson River and Kamloops Lake become one larger lake … Continue reading →
On a sunny May morning, I launched my kayak into marshy Lac du Bis and paddled the shoreline, a 3.3 km route. There was lots to see and no one else around. There were lots of ducks on the lake, including this coot. In the morning the low sun shone with filtered light into the shaded bays of the lake. … Continue reading →
Bleeker Lake is 2 km north of Roche Lake. Take the Bleeker Lake FSR and follow the bumpy backroad to the Rec Site on the north shore of the lake. there is a small campsite there and a rough boat launch. It is a popular fishing lake, but the lake is large enough for paddlers too. A circuit of the … Continue reading →
Scuitto Lake is one of our favorite lakes to paddle. There is a nice Rec site with a good boat launch on the east shore of the lake, just off the Scuitto Lake Forest Service Road. On an early May morning we paddled our kayaks out onto the lake following the shoreline in a clockwise loop. When the lake was … Continue reading →
I have driven past Napier Lake many times, but had never paddled it; the challenge was to find access to launch a boat. After a number or stops along the road, I settled on a steep grassy slope near the north end of the lake. There was a small pullout there to unload. I attached wheels to the back of … Continue reading →
I paddled out of Cooney Bay in April and instead of heading out into the bay and then farther out to Kamloops Lake, I chose to paddle upstream into the shallow river channels and explore the delta sand islands. At low water, the river divides into 3 channels near the mouth before entering Kamloops Lake. The main channel is about … Continue reading →
In April most of the lakes in the hills are still covered in ice so we do a rotation of the valley-bottom lakes first (Kamloops Lake, Little Shuswap Lake, Nicola Lake, Stump Lake, Trapp Lake, Shumway Lake, then move to the lower lakes in the hills. When we paddle the larger lakes, we watch for a day with no wind. … Continue reading →
Trapp Lake is a long narrow lake in the bottom of the gully south of Shumway Lake. There is a good launch spot halfway down the lake. It is one of the lakes in which the ice clears off early, so I usually pick it for a spring paddle. I paddled down the west shore and then back on the … Continue reading →
We launched our kayaks in April from a boat launch on the east side of Nicola Lake close to the southwest end. The lake was low and almost all of the water was quite shallow, but there was a channel of deeper water heading west toward Upper Nicola. On a sandbar across the lake were 3 American white pelicans (only … Continue reading →