Surrey and Sussex Lakes

Surrey and Sussex Lake lie near to the Surrey Summit (1444 m /4738 feet) on the Coquihalla Highway, but the access route is off the Logan Lake Road. Going west towards Logan Lake for 7 km, we turn left onto the Surrey Lake Forest Service Road and follow the road up the hill for 6.9 km until it passes under the Coquihalla. Watch for a Surrey Lake Fishing Resort sign and turn right onto that sideroad. At 1.3 km, the Resort is reached, but look for another side road going to the right. This narrow road follows the western shoreline of Surrey Lake and beyond to Sussex Lake.

I found 3 spots to park and hand launch on the side of Surrey Lake. Paddlers could also ask to launch at the Resort which would involve a small day-use fee. The shoreline paddle is 4.6 km, including the shallow bay on the northeast side of the lake.

In fall this lake was very quiet. The cool morning temperatures left a few lingering mists, but there were some ducks in the shallow bays. There are a small handful of cabins on the lake in addition to the fishing resort, but no one was stirring on this day. Most of the shoreline is treed and even through there has been extensive logging in the area, most of the cut blocks are not visible from the lakes, except on one side of remote Sussex Lake.

The road continues over to Sussex Lake, but it is narrow and rough 0.6km to the Sussex Lake Rec Site. Bring an axe or chainsaw for any fallen trees. From Google Earth, there appears to be another route through a cutblock to the west that will be fine for an ATV, but I did not try to bring the truck on the track.

The Rec Site sits on the banks of the lake. There is a room for a few campers there, an outhouse and some user-made fire rings. A small hand launch area makes easy unloading. The paddle around the lake was 3.2km. There are no cabins at Sussex Lake; its just a nice high country spot for fishing or paddling.

After paddling the two lakes (7.8km), I came back down the FSR and stopped at Desmond Lake, visible from the Coquihalla. This small, marshy lake would be better suited to a paddleboard in the spring when it is full (1.7km around the shoreline).