McQueen Lake is not paddled very often, mostly because of poor access. To get to a reasonable launch spot requires hauling the boat to the shoreline where there is a break in the bullrushes. Once on the lake, though, it is a very nice 2.7 km paddle around the marshy shoreline.
I paddled around the lake twice, once in each direction:
All of the lakes of the area would be busy on a Sunday morning, but on McQueen Lake, there was one person only, along with the loons, ducks, geese, blackbirds, marsh wrens, painted turtles, and a muskrat.
Painted Bluffs Provincial Park lies on the north side of Kamloops Lake east of Copper Creek. Access by land is difficult, but it can be done from the Copper Creek Road just below the Sabiston Creek Road junction (link). We have been in to Painted Bluffs five times in the last 2 years, with the last time by kayak from Savona. We paddle on Kamloops Lake a few times each year, but we always check for weather conditions before heading out. Typically the lake is calm in the morning and winds arise after 11:00. Strong winds may be difficult for paddlers and they are often at their worst at about noon. A crossing of the lake is about 2 km.
There is an official boat launch on the west end of Savona, but we hand launched from the former Savona Provincial Park area not far from the mill instead. Access to the parking area and the beach below is blocked by large boulders so we parked on the side of Savona Access Road, then hauled our kayaks down to the beach (using rear wheels). The beach is rocky but this is no problem in calm conditions. We launched and then angled northeast to the far shore. The paddle to Painted Bluffs is 6.5 km.
It takes about 1.25 hours in calm conditions to paddle across the lake and up the shoreline past Copper Creek. The whole route over and back is very scenic.
There is a good beach/shore for a kayak landing. We pulled our boats onto the beach and hiked up across the train tracks and into the bluffs. As we approached the ragged ridges and gullies, there was very little vegetation below the cinnabar, iron, and copper infused slopes.
There are no trails, but with some light scrambling we can go over ridges to gullies that can be hiked or we can hike up the narrow eroded ridges.
All exploration is limited by eroded green (copper) red and orange (cinnabar and iron) ridges Over the years we have clambered over all parts of the park.
The outing was on 9/11 and only by serendipityI spotted and took a photo with N11 in it.
Every trip into Painted Bluffs is a bit different because of changing light conditions. Ragged shapes and patterns can be seen, depending on the angle of the view and the light. No matter how many times I hike in Painted Bluffs, my sense of wonder is never diminished.
We paddled back just as the winds came up and we had about 1 km of concentrated paddling with waves coming out of the southeast. We came under the shelter of Six Mile Hill and then paddled west along the south shore of the lake back to Savona.
This is an outing that we try to do every year. The combination of paddling on Kamloops Lake surrounded by its scenic, rugged hills and hiking in Painted Bluffs is a prime Double Feature for our summer.
Freshet brings meltwaters from the north and the east to Kamloops and the South Thompson River and the North Thompson Rivers join to bring floodwaters to the area near the head of Kamloops Lake. On the north side the 2km x 1km flatlands become covered in 2-3.5 meters of water to become Tranquille Bay. On the south side of the river the 2.5 km x 0.7 km areas also become inundated and channels and bays form among small islands and willow groves. If we paddle through channels into both areas, crossing the river twice, we can cover 10km in our kayaks.
By mid-May the floodwaters reach the shoreline near Tranquille, but we need to wait for the waters to rise enough to cover the barbed-wire grazing fences too. We can usually launch and paddle through this area for 6 – 7 weeks.
When there is no wind, the waters of Tranquille Bay are mirrors of the shoreline features.
Mara Mountain provides colorful background terrain, standing above Tranquille Bay and the Floodlands.
Willows stand out in the floodwaters like floating islands.
We often paddle south for 1.3 km to the river then we have a 1.1 km crossing of open water. Our seaworthy ocean kayaks handle any wind and waves well. Smaller boats without rudders should probably stay on the north side of the river on a windy day. All kayakers should be carrying a paddle float, tow rope, a bailer/pump, and some kind of communication device if crossing Kamloops Lake or the open river of this area. Too few kayakers have practiced self-rescue but they still venture into exposed conditions.
Once we are on the other side, the river channels provide protected paddling. The channels are a maze of navigable routes and dead-ends, but in general if we stay close to the shoreline we can paddle all the way through the south floodlands to the east end.
The channels of the south side have a special quality not available anywhere else in the Interior. There are some grazing fences on this side, but when the water is high, we drift right over them.
We take any channel that leads back to the river which we cross, using the current to take a long diagonal route northwest. Once we are on the other side, we look for more channels to work our way into Tranquille Bay. We took our time and paddled for 3 hours in a large loop.
On other days, we stay in channels and bays on the north side only (a good plan for smaller boats or less-experienced paddlers). We watch for wetland birds, turtles, raptors, muskrats, river otters, carp, and water-tolerant flowering shrubs as we explore the floodlands. We will continue to explore these “water trails” as they change with flood volumes right up to the point when the rivers drop at the end of June.
The only Hawaiian island that has navigable rivers is Kauai. The Hanalei River is the second largest (in flow) on the island, descending from the upper slopes of Mt. Wai’ale’ale to the ocean in 15.7 miles. The lower part of the river flows slowly through dense forests, past taro fields, and then it winds through a flat coastal estuary. The Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge is a bit inaccessible to visitors, except by kayak to the lower half of the Refuge.
We paddled upstream into the current for 2 km to the forested Refuge.
The Refuge protects endangered waterbirds, but there are also 18 other species that use the wetlands area. We spotted a few birds in the dense forest and at the water’s edge.
This is a quiet area and kayaks can enter the watery corridor discretely without scaring off birds, amphibians, and reptiles.
Box turtles sunned themselves on logs at the river’s edge.
From the Refuge we paddled downstream to the mouth of the river where it entered the incoming waves of Hanalei Bay.
We landed at Black Pot Beach to watch the surfers in the crescent-shaped bay. We paddled upstream for the last kilometer of our 10 km route on the Hanalei River.
The first half of the Bowron Lakes Circuit is a challenge with difficult portages, some rough campsites, and long paddles. The return to Bowron Lake, the second half of the Circuit, is a much more enjoyable wilderness experience. The Bowron River empties into Lanezi Lake then there is another shorter downriver paddle to Sandy Lake, an easy paddle with the current. From Sandy Lake there are no long or difficult portages all the way to the launch/landing at the north end of Bowron Lake.
There are wide sandy beaches on Sandy Lake and fine scenery back up the Cariboo RiverValley. The weather had improved by this point.
The Cariboo River runs along between Needlepoint Ridge on the north and the Cariboo Mountains on the south side. There was a fresh layer of snow on the 8000 foot mountains.
Sandy Lake is a fine spot for paddle-camping but it is an even better with clearing skies.
From Sandy Lake, there is another 3.7 km paddle down the river. Paddlers can choose to continue downriver to Unna Lake to camp and to hike the trail down to Cariboo Falls or they can veer into Babcock Creek to start the uphill (but reasonable) 1.1 km portage to Babcock Lake. For kayakers, a series of short portages becomes a series of chores – unloading, hauling, and reloading. Across Babock Lake is a 2.8 km paddle followed by two shorter portages with one brief paddle in-between (0.4 km, 0.6 km, 0.3 km). Once we entered the Spectacle Lakes, the portages were over and we just paddled down the lake to a fine campground on a point with views in both directions
The route continued up the lake to the northeast, for 13 km down Spectacle Lake into Swan Lake and then to the outlet. The west end of Bowron Provincial Park has lower and more rounded hills as compared to the mountainous east side.
After days of wind and rain, it was wonderful to have calm and clear conditions for the final part of the trip.
From the north end of Swan Lake a channel drains down toward Bowron Lake and the Bowron River enters from the east along this 3km section of easy paddling.
The start of fall brought some color the shores of Bowron Lake. The final paddle across Bowron Lake is 7 km. The BC Parks landing is just a dock and steep walkway in a marshy area, followed by a steep trail, an awkward set-up for a loaded kayak. We would land over at the boat launch on the west side next time and walk back to get our vehicles.
After having done the whole circuit, in retrospect, we found the first half of the Bowron Lakes Circuit to be a demanding challenge for long kayaks, especially in marginal weather and muddy conditions.
The second half was an enjoyable backcountry paddle in beautiful terrain. The Return to Bowron Lakes section from the Cariboo River to the end of Bowron Lake is so good that we may return to paddle the west end only. This shorter route goes from Bowron Lake to Unna Lake (with an extra hike to Cariboo Falls), a 60 km out-and back route with 3 short portages, although the portages could be done with an unloaded boat if camping on Spectacle Lake.
Ross Moore Lake can be hard to get to. We have skied and snowshoed into the lake in winter. We have biked into the lake from Lac le Jeune and run to the lake from a parking area area Fred Lake, but driving in with a kayak requires a circuitous route via the Long Lake Road. Most of the 15 km backroad route is unmarked so a good map or a GPS is helpful.
There is a small Recreation Site on the southeast corner of the lake for a hand launch.
The lake sits at 4185 feet (m) and a paddle around the shoreline is about 3 km.
Ross Moore is surrounded by high country forest with some swampy areas and some flooded trees along the shoreline. The Rocky Mountain Rangers cabin stands on the north shore of the lake
There were loons on the lake, killdeer on the shoreline, and deer along the route in. Although it is a bit of a journey in with a kayak, it is a nice lake for a shorter paddle on a summer or fall day.
Community Lake is acessed by driving up to Knouff Lake, then turning onto the Community Lake FSR. The backroad to the site is a good one, but there were lots of potholes over the last kilometer. The best launch spot is at the Community Lake Recreation Site.
The lake sits at 1370 meters (4500 feet) in high country forest, but the area has been extensively logged and replanted.
The paddle around the shoreline is 3.5 km. A few small islands make this an interesting route.
I spoke to a fisherman who had spotted a cougar earlier that morning. He said there was a cry from the bush, likely a kill for the predator.
From the lake the summit of Tod Mountain could be spotted to the east. Community Mountain is a sprawling high plateau between the Sullivan Range and Tod Mountain. The highest point is a forested crest at 1600m (5250 feet).
This is a quiet and pleasant spot for a summer or fall paddle.
With milder winters, I have been able to get the kayak onto the river in February for the last two years. In 2015 the last paddle outing was in the middle of November (although I paddled in New Zealand after that). There is no one around this early in the season and if there is no wind, paddling is good. The water is not too cold, but I wear neoprene boots and a good paddling jacket, but I am also protected by a good spray skirt. I launched from Pioneer Park on a fine day at the end of February.
With no wind, the river was calm. Paddling upstream is hard work, but the South Thompson is the best choice for an upriver-and-back workout.
With blue skies, the hills were reflected in the water.
I went upstream for an hour then turned back for an easy return paddle downstream. By getting out early and paddling long slow distance, we can build for the endurance we will need in the main part of the paddling season. We have planned to do the Bowron Circuit, Clayoquot Sound, the Wallace Island area, the Columbia River Reservoirs, and Murtle Lake, among others. This was Day 1 of an estimated 70+ days of paddling for 2016….
