We can usually expect to paddle in the floodlands area near Tranquille by the end of May. High water lasts for 2 – 6 weeks, but usually it has receded by the end of June. On May 12, I was able to launch my kayak into the floodlands using a hand launch in the Tranquille Wildlife Management parking area. There … Continue reading →
With 4 days of rain forecast, I gathered my rainjacket, my gloves, a hat, and a sprayskirt, and I went out to different lakes each day. One of the days was a paddle of the west end of Paul Lake. Light winds made this into a pleasant paddle, the only boat on the lake on a grey morning. A few … Continue reading →
Over the winter I purchased a folding kayak so that I could use a backpack to hike to hard-to-get-to-lakes with a kayak. The first lake for this adventure was Island Lake, a grasslands lake in the middle grasslands of Lac du Bois Protected Area. With the backpack on, i hiked from the trailhead to the lake on a faint single … Continue reading →
Over the winter I purchased a folding kayak so that I could use a backpack to hike to hard-to-get-to-lakes with a kayak. The first lake for this adventure was Island Lake, a grasslands lake in the middle grasslands of Lac du Bois Protected Area. With the backpack on, i hiked from the trailhead to the lake on a faint single … Continue reading →
With rain forecast, paddling was sure to be a wet venture. Temperatures were mild so it was fine to kayak a local lake, but it was better to wear a spray skirt, a paddling jacket, gloves, and a hat. This was the first day of paddling on Edith Lake. There was a light rain for the whole paddle and the … Continue reading →
The forecast was for morning rain so I arrived at Jacko Lake at 7 am and launched my kayak. There were grey skies, but almost no wind. On a paddle around the lake I enjoyed seeing ducks – coots, mallards, and barrows golden-eyes, but there was also geese, loons, yellow-headed blackbirds, woodpeckers, and loons. Birds were exhibiting nesting behaviors, there … Continue reading →
On a mild but breezy April morning I paddled out into Little Shuswap Lake. The lake was very low so I used the boat launch on the river just below the bridge. Shallow water meant following the channel markers out into the middle of the lake, but I was able to paddle over on the north side of the lake … Continue reading →
Nicola Lake can be a windy spot so I wait for a good forecast before driving 50+ km south from Kamloops. There are a number of boat launches along the shoreline, but the lake was very low, making the launches a bit rocky. I did a counter-clockwise loop going to the north end of the lake, then around the shoreline … Continue reading →
Morgan Lake is a small lake in the Six Mile Hills area, west of Pat Lake. We used to call it The Slough, but it was dammed and stocked and now is a popular fishing lake, especially in spring. It is one of the first lakes in the hills to become ice-free. In April Pat Lake, Morgan Lake, and Stump … Continue reading →
In mid-April I returned to Trapp Lake for a second day of paddling, this time with a loop on the north end of the lake. Winds were light and the temperatures were moderate. Some video footage was taken with a 360 camera and mixed with mp4 video and photographs into a YouTube video: Trapp Lake is a favorite spring paddling … Continue reading →
On a calm spring day, Stump Lake called. There were lots of fishermen at the lake and the boat launches were packed so I went to a rocky hand launch spot at the north end of the lake. This is a less interesting area with highway on the west side and homes along the north shore, so I opted for … Continue reading →
Shumway Lake is the home of the Kamloops Canoe and Kayak Club and Kamloops Rowing Club and it has a well-developed facility with high performance and recreational programs for all ages. Since it is a private facility only members can park and launch at the facility. It is possible to haul a boat down the bank and launch into the … Continue reading →
In early April, the ice was off the lower elevation lakes, but windy days limited reasonable padding conditions. On a cool morning with a steady wind out of the south, I drove to Trapp Lake and launched out into the lake and paddled south, into the wind. The sheltered coves were still blocked in with ice, but the lake was … Continue reading →
In the early days of April, mornings are still cool (-2 to +2) and winds start late morning so the best time to paddle is mid-morning. It was all quiet at the Valleyview Boat Launch, but the river was very low, so the 18 foot kayak had to be hefted down to the rocky shoreline. A light breeze from the … Continue reading →
One of our best paddling outings is a circuit around Lac le Jeune. Interactive points of interest are embedded in the map below with photos, links, and other information. More information: Paddling Lac le Jeune Lakes Lac le Jeune Circuit
Continue reading →In early March we can paddle the rivers or the large lakes in the bottom of the valley. On a sunny morning I paddled downstream from Pioneer Park, under the Red Bridge, under the Train Bridge, through the Confluence of the two rivers, under the Overlander Bridge, and under/around the old Black Bridge before turning around close to Rabbit Island. … Continue reading →
