Every year I try to paddle some new lakes, even if they are difficult to access.    Two of the lakes paddled this last year included Pemberton Lake and John Frank Lake.

There are a few small lakes high on the shoulders of the ridges between Mt. Lolo and Shaw Hill.    We paddle Hyas Lake every year and it is one of our favorites.    Off side roads are other smaller lakes like Andy Lake, Pemberton Lake, and Warren Lake.   After paddling Hyas Lake, I packed my folding kayak on a backpack and hiked for 0.7 km into marshy Pemberton Lake.   I paddled around the lake twice (2.4 km), then hiked back out.    There is a small Rec Site at the lake, but the road is rough and there were fallen trees.    It is a pleasant spot, with marshy shoreline, but it is very quiet and seldom visited.

John Frank Lake is in Roche Lake Provincial Park.   It is accessed by a rough 2.5 km road.    There is a hand launch spot on the lake.    The lake has lots of marshy areas and some of the bays become grown-in with aquatic vegetation in summer.    A paddle around the shoreline is 2.8 km so two loops may be a good option.    It is a scenic spot and it would be a regular spot to paddle except for the rough road.   Nearby is Frisken Lake which I have hiked into, but haven’t yet paddled.    The rough road to the lake is about 1.3 km so it may be pack-and-paddle route in 2024.

More lesser-known lakes will be featured over the winter…