When the weather bakes up, we try to get on the water (or hike to altitude). Our rivers and lakes become destinations and we are situated right in the middle of dozens of paddling routes. Kayaking in a longer boat (faster/steadier) means finding larger lakes. Our goal is to have enough lakes and rivers in the area to not have … Continue reading →
Johnson Lake sits high in the hills above Adams Lake. The best road up to the 3800 foot lake is from the Agate Bay Road. The road is wide and well-graded. The other route is from Adams Lake, either from Brennan Creek or from the 28.5km mark. I followed the latter route which climbed through a series of switchbacks with … Continue reading →
After a number of years visiting Painted Bluffs Provincial Park, we now only visit by boat. The land route is not easy, nor pleasing. After a long drive to Copper Creek, there is no suitable access because of private property, fencelines, and the railway. On the other hand, a boat can launch from Savona (or Tobiano) and go … Continue reading →
Painted Bluffs Provincial Park is a very special place, one that we try to visit every year. Our favorite route is to kayak across the lake from Savona. Other routes can be taken too (see this post link). Every time we visit, the light is different and we hike to different perspectives (post link). A follow-up article will detail the … Continue reading →
While basecamping out of Jedediah Island, we paddled out into the Sabine Channel and explored around most of 30 islands in the area. All of the islands are rocky with very few landing spots, but we found a couple that would be good for camping as long as we brought our own water. Tidal currents are minimal in this area. … Continue reading →
For those who love to kayak, Jedediah Island is a destination for exploration. Most kayakers launch from the Sunshine Coast. Go north of Sechelt to Half Moon Bay for a good access to a short crossing to the Thormandby Islands. The crossing of Malaspina Strait from North Thormandby is 8km of open water and should only be attempted in calm … Continue reading →
The Copper Island route has been featured in a past post (link). This time, we left Shuswap Lake Park in flood. All of the beaches were under water. Debris flanked the possible entry points. Mosquitoes were breeding in the standing water in low points. We launched nonetheless and to our delight, the ban on speed boats made the 2km crossing … Continue reading →
The area immediately east of Tranquille floods each year and becomes the home to wildlife in channels and riparian zone on both sides of the river. The designated area is on the north side, but across the river 2km away is another larger area. The flood zone also extends up the shores of the river trail and west along to … Continue reading →
When the Thompson River is in flood, the flat lands near Kamloops Lake become part of the river. The Wildlife Management area on the north side is part of Lac du Bois Provincial Park. A parking area there can be used to do a hand launch at the end of the fence, just short of Tranquille on the Lake. The … Continue reading →
On a kayaking trip on Adams Lake, we camped at Spillman Beaches, but the next day we took a long paddle up the lake to a green spot on the map, listed as Poplar Point Provincial Park. The route was 10km one way so we followed the treed east side shoreline. All along the way, we saw sandy/pebbly places to … Continue reading →
Kamloops Trails usually provides fairly specific directions to each trail, route, or site, but there have been a few exceptions. When an article on the Petrified Forest was published, no specific coordinates or directions were given. Fossil beds and game trails have not been included to preserve the sites and avoid motorized users from spoiling the spot or route. Spillman … Continue reading →
In a single week, the rivers have risen a great deal, but the North Thompson is ahead of the South Thompson, so much so that it has backed up the South Thompson's progress. One week ago, I paddled the South Thompson and the river had its usual slow flow, but this week the river was sluggish. I paddled downstream from … Continue reading →
We have a green corridor right down the middle of Kamloops Whenever we get out to paddle the South Thompson River, we are amazed by the amount of wildlife, and the relative quiet of waterway. We launch most often at the Pioneer Park boat launch and paddle up river, cross under the Yellowhead Highway and go past the Kamloops Indian … Continue reading →
Shuswap Trail Alliance has had 7 years of success in promoting, planning, developing, and maintaining trails (link). We have often remarked that this kind of initiative should also be seen in the Kamloops area. The first steps toward this goal were started this week. A group met to start the first steps. The initial group included the City of Kamloops, … Continue reading →
We had time to do two separate outings – one on the cliffs and hills to the east, north, and west of Battle Bluff and another on the water around the foot of Battle Bluff. Click any photo to enlarge it.
Continue reading →Following the last post are coordinates and distances for each spot noted. Spot Coordinates Distance Boat launch N52 04.316 W119 35.752 0.0 km Murtle Lagoon Camp N52 04.464 W119 36.9544 1.5 km Straight Creek N52 07.731 W119 37.201 8.0 km Moonlight Bay N52 11.587 W119 40.342 16.5 km Eagle Point to be revised 21.8 km Murtle Beach N52 15.648 W119 … Continue reading →