The launch for Clearwater Lake is 3 km up the road past the campground. Part of the reason for this is Osprey Falls. The Dragon Tongue lava flow blocked the Clearwater River (7600 years ago) and increased the size of Clearwater Lake, but the lava wall also created a waterfall 540m wide. For much of the year, it is … Continue reading →
We launched our kayaks at the McLure Ferry and paddled to Kamloops. We had dropped off a a vehicle at the end of Harrington Drive in Westsyde and we were paddling 36 km downriver when the river is high. The paddle is not very technical except when you have to be careful at side channels and in the Heffley Rapids, … Continue reading →
From Tranquille Bay or Cooney Bay, paddlers can follow the shoreline to Battle Bluff, which is a sheer face rising 1150 feet from the lake. The shoreline to the east is often protected from the wind, but there is usually some wind around the point. When there is no wind, the walls of the bluffs are reflected in the lake. … Continue reading →
As the rivers reach freshet, the floodland near the mouth of the Thompson River can be paddled. A small launch spot next to the Y in the road provides parking and a hand launch spot for one boat at a time, suitable for kayaks and canoes only. From this spot, paddlers can paddle through the Tranquille Wildlife Management Area (Tranquille … Continue reading →
Badger Lake is a fine paddling destination, one of the forty lakes of our area within an hour's drive. To get to Badger Lake, turn off the Sun Peaks Road onto the Knouff Lake Road and continue past Knouff Lake without turning off, until you reach the BC Forest Service Site on the northerat side. Some fishermen also take the … Continue reading →
Paddlers in the Kamloops area are blessed to have many paddling destinations within an hour's drive. There are more than 40 lakes within that radius, but the lakes must be big enough to get a good workout by going around the perimeter once or twice. Some of the lakes are large enough that it will take several trips to do … Continue reading →
Clearwater Marine Campsites Part Two is the second in a series on paddle camping on Clearwater Lake. From the boat launch to most of the marine campsites we will paddle north, but Caribou Beach Campsite is southwest, only 750 metres away. If it is a blustery day, this is a good backcountry destination. We found 4-5 sites with beach front … Continue reading →
At the end of the Wells Gray corridor, the road ends at Clearwater Lake. Further progress is marine access only. The lake runs for 24km north and has 7 campsites along its shores. Beyond is an upriver paddle to Azure Lake or a rough portage. Some people take the water taxi to the end of Azure and then paddle back. … Continue reading →
Even in November, we can paddle on Kamloops Lake. It remains a wild spot, with rocky shorelines and steep slopes, hard to access. A lone paddler will see no one. Trains and airplanes infrequently pass by, but the lake is the domain of the gulls, loons, and eagles. Fall colors ornament the hills. As the river drops, sand bars rise … Continue reading →
A popular fishing lake, Campbell Lake is also a nice paddle. Grasslands surround two sides of the lake and forest on the other sides. The approach to the lake is to drive up the Campbell Range Road, then turn onto the Scuitto Lake Road. Follow this good gravel road to Scuitto Lake. Follow the road along the lake going … Continue reading →
Holdings Road runs the length of Adams Lake along the west shore. It is an active logging road, but much improved. I would be happy to pull my trailer on this road all the way to the north end. There are some beautiful campgrounds on the shores of the lake. An earlier post described the marine campgrounds in the middle … Continue reading →
Edith Lake is small enough that it will take two loops around the lake to get a good paddle, but it has an interesting shoreline, with grasslands, a north-aspect bluff, a swampy area, and probably a few fishermen to dodge. The shoreline is 3.5 km rorund. There are 3 places to launch from off the Edith Lake Road. A long … Continue reading →
We try to paddle every lake in our area, following the shoreline, exploring bays, watching for wildlife, waterfowl, and aquatic plants. We have to paddle around fishermen and snags. Sometimes we go around the lake twice, once in each direction. On a quiet afternoon, I launched from the provincial recreation site on the north shore, not far from the fishing … Continue reading →
Paddling on any large lake is a transit from one marine campsite to the next. There are 4 backcountry campgrounds on Azure Lake. Each has its own special quality. They all have tent sites, a beach, a metal food cache, firepits, outhouses, firewood, and picnic tables. The best of all the campsites is at Rainbow Falls, as noted in the … Continue reading →
At the end of Azure Lake is a magical spot. Rainbow Falls Campground sits about 5km from the east end of the lake. Angus Horne River flows into the lake here, tumbling over Rainbow Falls. Millennia of silt deposits have created a sandy crescent of a beach from the river mouth west around the bay. Campsites in the woods fronting … Continue reading →
Azure Lake lies deep within Wells Gray Park. At the end of the Wells Gray Corridor Road, Clearwater Lake starts, extending 24 km north. At the farend, the Clearwater River empties into the lake. To get to Azure Lake, boats have to paddle up the river for 3 km. There is a portage at the halfway point, but when I … Continue reading →