Saul Lake is on the Sawmill Lake Forest Service Road about 30 km northwest from Kamloops. A short drive leads to a boat launch and an open spot for camping. The whole area is very open with cutblocks and replanted areas all around. There are also extensive marshes to the east. The bays on the east side are full of … Continue reading →
Tranquille Lake lies at the foot of the southern end of Bonaparte Plateau. Porcupine Ridge is due north and backcountry surrounds the lake. The road ends at Wendego Lodge, the destination for most people who go to this area. We drove through Lac du Bois, then took the Pass Lake Road and continued on the Sawmill Creek Road.until the 40 … Continue reading →
Plateau Lake lies in the hills of the Douglas Plateau, accessed on backroads from Highway 5A. From the highway, it is a quick drive to Peter Hope Lake, but a slow and difficult drive over the hills to Plateau Lake. It is not easy to get there. There are several possible routes in, but Rec Sites and Trails BC … Continue reading →
Shumway Lake lies in the lake chain gully south of Kamloops on Highway 5 A. The west shoreline is right next to the highway and the east side is at the foot of a mostly treed hillside. It is not a fishing lake. It is one of the “reservoirs” along 0hte Campbell Creek drainage, used for irrigation by ranches in … Continue reading →
Trapp Lake is in the lake chain Highway 5A. When we drive south across the grasslands hills we drop down Cardew Hill to Shumway Lake then 3 km farther along is Trapp Lake. All of these lakes are murky, alkaline lakes, prone to algae build-up in summer. Half-way down the lake is a short track to water’s edge with a … Continue reading →
We paddled out to Wallace Island on a calm day, so we went right through the middle of Trincomali channel, but on the way back 2 days later, the winds were stronger from the southeast so we did a crossing of the channel right to the bluffs of Galiano island, then followed the line of cliffs for 15 km all … Continue reading →
We paddled much of the south end of Mabel Lake, launching out of Mable Lake Provincial Park. The shoreline down to where the Shuswap River drains into the lake is 3.5 km away. A circuit of the south end is about 10 km. There is a concrete boat launch at the park, but we hand-launched off the beach. The lake … Continue reading →
When the weather gets hot, we often go to the high country to find shade, to be next to a lake, and to enjoy moderate in the hills trails. In this last outing, we brought our kayaks and paddled 2 loops around the lake then hiked one loop around the lake. We find the water in Stake Lake to be … Continue reading →
Bonaparte Plateau is a high forested area north of Kamloops. Access is by backroads. Jamieson creek Forest Service Road is the best road to use from Kamloops. All hiking and paddling in this remote area requires a good sense of navigation and preparedness for the backcountry. The best hike is to Skoatl Point. The other hiking trails follow deactivated … Continue reading →
When freshet brings the North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers to a high water point , the area at the head of Kamloops Lake floods. The flat floodplains near Tranquille get covered in several feet of floodwaters. In addition, Cooney Bay floods, the beach disappears, and the shoreline recedes. We paddled out of Tranquille Bay then followed the river downstream … Continue reading →
Freshet brings meltwaters from the north and the east to Kamloops and the South Thompson River and the North Thompson Rivers join to bring floodwaters to the area near the head of Kamloops Lake. On the north side the 2km x 1km flatlands become covered in 2-3.5 meters of water to become Tranquille Bay. On the south side of the … Continue reading →
We visited South Pender Island and stayed on Drummond Bay at the south end of the island, only 1.5 km from the U.S. border in Boundary Pass. A crescent gravel beach fronted a rocky bay. Several rocky islets were popular with birds and seals. Rocky headlands book-ended the bay. Observing wildlife was an all-day experience.Bald eagles fished on the waters … Continue reading →
Once the weather improves and the lakes open up, we bring our kayaks out to the lakes to explore the shorelines and waterways, to see wildlife, and to enjoy the from-the-lake views. We have done over 100 lakes in our area now so in spring we usually start with a few that are close to town. This year we chose … Continue reading →
The delta lands at the head of Kamloops Lake are covered in water now, but in early spring there were large sand/silt islands with shallow channels to explore. We launched out of Cooney Bay, then went across the lake to the south shore, working our way back into shallow channels, landing on sandy islands. At the end of the flooding … Continue reading →
The Gulf Islands area has many opportunities for kayaking, using one of the islands as a starting point and paddling the bays, harbours, coastlines, and channels. We have paddled out of Saturna, Galiano, Cortez, and Salt Spring Islands, and recently out of the Pender Islands. With a short term decision to go to South Pender Island without our kayaks … Continue reading →
At the upper end of the Lac du Bois Grasslands at 983m (3225 feet) elevation the area turns to forests, ponds, lakes, marshes, backroads, hills, and a few trails. To the south of McQueen Lake are the Nature Conservancy of Canada Lac du Bois Conservancy lands, accessible on foot to hikers and snowshoers. To the north are forested hills, a … Continue reading →