Tag Archives: kayaking

Glimpse Lake

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Glimpse Lake is in the forest at the upper edge of the Douglas Lake grasslands.   To get to the lake, turn onto the Douglas Lake Road at Nicola Lake and climb through the ranchlands for 7 km, then turn left onto the Lauder Road.   Follow the Lauder Road for 16 km as it passes the Lauder Ranch and a section of the Nicola Lake Indian Reserve.   At the starting edge of the lake at a cattleguard, a signed sideroad goes into Glimpse Lake Southwest Rec Site.  It is a shady site with 8 campsites and a shallow shoreline.

The main road goes around to the north side of the lake and there is a good public boat launch for fishermen (electric motors only) and paddlers.   There is also an open-forested recreation site (Glimpse Lake North) farther along the road with 17 campsites.

Paddlers can hand launch at either Rec Site, but the main boat launch is a good one and a better choice for both parking, launching, and landing.   The paddle around the shoreline is about 6 km.

There are extensive shallows in the lake and in fall, the lake was down a couple of feet so paddlers have to be careful to stay out of the reeds, milfoil, and mud.   The lake is popular with fishermen so it is best to pick non-prime times to visit the lake.   A sign at the boat launch states that 12 000 Pennask rainbow trout were stocked in the lake.

Click an image for a lightbox (larger) view:

 

 

The paddle around Glimpse Lake is a peaceful retreat off-season and a good choice for canoes or kayaks.   In addition, the drive up the Lauder Road is a scenic one.   The Charles Beaks cabin is passed not far above the Nicola River.

The Lauder Road climbs up through the open grasslands of the Douglas Plateau.

It is possible to return by backroads past Peterhope Lake too, but bring a current topo map and/or a GPS to navigate that route.   I chose to backtrack, taking the time to enjoy the views along the way.

Surrey and Sussex Lakes

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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 (1.7 km around the shoreline).

 

Near Surrey and Sussex Lakes are more lakes – Frogmoore (a favorite), Bob Lake, and Mildred Lake, more spots for exploration in the High Country.

Pass Lake

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Pass Lake is located on the Lac du Bois Road about 2.5km past the McQueen Lake-Isobel Lake turn-off.   Access is through the Pass Lake Rec Site.   There are 13 camping spots at this fishing lake and a good boat launch.

This is a small lake and I used the SUP to do a 2.5km loop around the lake.    Lakes with a perimeter of 2-4 km are just right for the board, leaving larger lakes to the kayak.

The shoreline is shallow but the water is about 30′ deep for much of the middle section of the lake.

At the west end of the lake is a former Agriculture Canada Field Research Station.   This was established in 1886, at first as part of a federal forest fire lookout station, but later was made part of the Ag Canada Station in Brocklehurst which then was closed by the Conservative Government in 2013.   The land is currently leased to local ranchers.   When I paddled by, it was actively being used.

Beyond Pass Lake the road continues and becomes the Sawmill Lake Forest Service Road going into the high country near Saul Lake, Tranquille Lake, and beyond to Criss Creek.   Another branch heads over the O’Connor Road to Mt. Hyde and back to Westsyde.

This is a popular campsite fishing spot so paddlers are advised to pick less busy times to paddle the small lake.   On an early morning in September, there were no boats of the lake in an hour of quiet paddling.

Paddling Peterhope Lake

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On a morning day with winds predicted to pick up in the afternoon, I headed south to Stump Lake to paddle for a couple of hours, but the winds were already strong by 9:00 in the morning so I had a backup plan ready – to paddle Peterhope Lake instead.   Just past the end of Stump Lake is the Peterhope Lake Road.   This is a good gravel road and the lake is 7.5 km up the hill.  At the end of the lake is the popular North Peterhope Lake Rec Site.    There are two good boat launches, easy access for paddlers.

The lake has a few reedy bays to explore.   The north end is not used by fishermen since it is too shallow.   The dam for the lake is at the northernmost end.   At the southwest corner is a narrow channel to a smaller lake, shallow but suitable for canoes or kayaks.

There are some homes along the east and west shores, but it was a quiet spot on a weekday in September.   The distance around the lake, including the shallow areas was 6.75 km.

The campsite is a nice one with trailer access so it will be a busy spot on a weekend.    We  try to avoid paddling at busy fishing times so a weekday or off season would be a good time to choose to explore Peterhope Lake.

On the way back past Stump Lake, the skies were clearing, offering nice views down the lake.

The plan is to paddle the north half of Stump one day and the south half another day, but windy days have been thwarting my plans.

 

 

Paddling Pinaus Lake

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Pinaus Lake is found in the hills between Falkland-Westwold and Okanagan Lake.   Just after passing Westwold, a Forest Service Road leads up into the hills.   Follow the Pinaus Forest Service Road for 18 km, ignoring turns to Ingram Lake and Tuk (Tuktakamin Mountain).   The Pinaus Lake Resort is at the start/west end of the lake.   The narrow road continues to wind along the north shore.   Watch for a sign for the turn down to the Pinaus Lake North Rec Site.   This is a larger campsite (8 open sites) on the shore of the lake.   There is a good hand launch site.

I paddled 8 km along the the shoreline on a windy day.

There are a few homes/cabins along the northeast shoreline, but most of the lake is surrounded by steep forested slopes.   On a Monday morning the lake was very quiet, with only a few loons, ducks, dragonflies, and an eagle active on the lake.  A few sand/gravel beaches were found along the north shore providing easy landing spots along the way.

The goal is to paddle all the larger lakes in the area and we return to paddle the best ones.   Pinaus Lake is a very good choice for a quiet paddle on a remote lake.   Recommended.

  • Launch site – N50 25.742 W119 35.832

Paddle to Painted Bluffs

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Every year a paddle across Kamloops Lake to Painted Bluffs is planned, but I vary the hike in the hills.   To avoid the strong winds that can blow down Kamloops Lake in summer, I watch the weather forecast carefully.   This year the launch point was in Savona and a double loop was chosen, one on the lake, and one in the hills.

The 2 km crossing of Kamloops Lake is best done in calm conditions in a seaworthy kayak.   The south-facing barren hills across the lake rise above the north shore of the lake.

Passing Copper creek, the edge of Painted Bluffs Provincial Park comes into view.

By July there is a good beach landing spot in the bay past the train tunnel.

From the beach, there is no trail up the shoreline and over the tracks.   There is some poison ivy above the waterline, but also a number of wildflowers there and above in the hills.

The shapes, colors, and alien landscapes of Painted Bluffs comes into view right after crossing the tracks.

The park area is surrounded by rocky grass-covered hills overlooking Kamloops Lake.  A loop through the bluffs and then up to the tops of the hills was part scramble and part hike.   The view east extends past Six Mile Point and Peregrine Bluffs.

Last year I launched from Tobiano, following the shoreline west from Peregrine Bluffs.

It is about 13.5 km to paddle from the east end of Savona to Painted Bluffs and back.   The lake was calm on the return paddle, about 1.25 hours each way.

This is a route I done a few times and hope to continue in summers,  one of the best paddling routes of our area.

Revised – Dec. 2024

 

 

From the Beaches of Clearwater Lake

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If we drive up the Wells Gray corridor, the road ends at the boat launch on Clearwater Lake,  From that point on, it is boat access only.   Clearwater Lake stretches for 22 km northward and along the way are 8 marine campsites.   Beyond the end of the lake the Clearwater River drains Hobson and Azure Lakes.   One option is to take the water taxi to the end of Azure Lake and paddle all the way back, a total of about 50 km.   We have paddled the lake many times but this time we chose to launch and paddle up the east side of the lake to enjoy the quiet beaches of Clearwater Lake.

On a 3 day forecast of stormy weather we paddled up the lake and found the marine campsites mostly empty.   Bar View is a prime campsite with a sandy point and beach about 8.5 km up the lake.

We also paddled up to Ivor Creek (canoes and kayaks only) and Huckleberry campsites (both have fine beaches too) and back (10 km return) before the weather came in.

Rain fell to the south and north in waves.   We had our tarps ready and enjoyed watching the progress of the storms from our campsite.

Late in the afternoon, the sun started to shine through the waning rainclouds.  A promise of some blue skies first showed themselves in the west.

In the evening, the alpenglow on Mt. Huntley was an unexpected and welcome sight.

By the third day, the weather had cleared and we enjoyed a calm paddle back to the boat launch, sorry to leave the beautiful beaches of Clearwater Lake.

Chu Chua Cottonwood Provincial Park

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On a recent paddling trip kayaking downriver from Clearwater to Kamloops, we explored islands in the middle of the North Thompson River and camped overnight on them during the 3 day journey.   At the end of the first day of paddling we landed on the final island of Chu Chua Cottonwood Provincial Park.

BC Parks describes the park as follows:

“An area of large, undisturbed, floodplain islands in the North Thompson River. The typical large floodplain area is in a natural, undisturbed condition.”

We landed on the gravel beach and camped up in low sand dunes on the edge of the green space – grass, willows, and osier dogwood surround cottonwood forests.   To go right to the interior of each island means pushing through tall undisturbed growth.   We saw many deer and bird tracks, but no human or cow traces were spotted.   This is a rarely visited set of islands.

In high water, there is a chain of separate islands, then when the river recedes, small channels separate them and by mid-summer, some go dry.

Muddy shoals and gravel bars appear in the river, making navigation difficult for anything but canoes, kayaks, and possibly river jetboats.

The river was peaceful, but Highway 5 is not far away on one side and the CN tracks are on the other side.

We landed on a number of other islands on our downriver paddle.   We camped on two of these and enjoyed explored the rarely visited isles of the North Thompson River.

 

Revised – 12/2024

 

Downriver: Valleyview to Cooney Bay

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The North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers provide many days of paddling each year.   Downriver paddles are easier so we try to go at least 20km and arrange for a vehicle at each end.   We started at the Valleyview Boat Launch.   This is a busy spot on weekends with many floaters entering the water to drift down to Pioneer or Riverside Park.   Be sure to park on River Road, not in the boat launch area (or you may be ticketed).  An early start is recommended to get on the river before the noisy arrival of powerboats.   The first section passes some secluded Valleyview beaches and the Indian Reserve, enroute to the Yellowhead Bridge.

On our way downriver, we paddled past four and a half bridges.

We went down the north side of Rabbit Island and had a brief break at Mission Flats beaches before heading downstream.   A channel around an island is part of the navigation route to the lake.

As we approached Tranquille and the Kamloops Lake, the river widens.

On the last section of shoreline near Tranquille, some river otters were curious about the paddlers.

The paddle from Valleyview to Cooney Bay takes 3 to 3.5 hours and is safe, easy paddling for all canoes and kayaks.   More sections of the rivers are planned up to the end of the paddling season (November).

Upper Pinantan Lake

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We have enjoyed paddling Pinantan Lake, but we really like paddling up a narrow channel to the hidden upper lake.

The entrance to the lagoon channel is at the east end of the lake.   It can be paddled in a canoe or kayak, but there is a dam-like blockage partway through that requires getting out of the boat and pulling it over the obstacle.

It is easy paddling on the other side and we emerged into the upper lake, an extra one kilometer shoreline loop.

There is no road access to the upper lake and it surrounded by swamp and meadows, a peaceful spot that is inaccessible to most other people.   We saw only loons and ducks on the lake on this last paddle.

Launching from the community park, we did the shoreline of both lakes, a 6 km morning paddle.   The main body of Pinantan allows only electric motors so it is less busy and much less noisy than other area lakes.

This is a favorite, one we will return to do every year.

Rabbit Island Circuit

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When the North and South Thompson Rivers rise from the spring melt, the boat launch at McArthur Island can be used to access the Thompson River.

Rabbit Island 001rDuring freshet, the volume of watyer increases and the current is stronger.   Once we enter the river, we look for slower water to progress upstream.   The north side shoreline can be followed towards Overlander Bridge, a good workout.   We enter the main flow and go across the river to come down the channel on the south side of Rabbit Island.   The current is slowest next to the island.

Rabbit Island 005rAt the west end of Rabbit Island, we turn the corner to come back up the shoreline.   The current is slower right next to the island, although the water is quite shallow.   We enjoy paddling right around the island.   When the river is very high, some of the interior channels of the island fill with water and we can explore them (article).

Rabbit Island 012rThe Rabbit Island Circuit is about 6 km.   We could do an extra lap around the island or go downstream farther and could easily extend the paddle to 10km.   The upstream sections add a good strength and endurance workout.

 

Clearwater Lake Loop

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One of the best paddling destinations we try to do every year is Clearwater Lake.   The boat launch is at the very end of the Wells Gray Corridor Road.   Beyond the launch is 22 km of  wilderness lake with treed shorelines and snow-capped mountains rising above.   Along the shoreline are a few wilderness marine campsites.   We have enjoyed going to the far end of Azure Lake and paddling back 45 km over several days.    For a day trip, though, we head up the lake past the curving eastern shoreline below Easter Bluffs.

Once we have gone up the lake a few kilometers, the views start to open up.   We can see Mt. Huntley at the end of the lake.    Azure Lake lies beneath the mountain and to the northeast.   It drains into Clearwater Lake by a short section of the Clearwater River.

If the winds cooperate, we go up the lake and then cross to the other side to Divers Bluff.   This is the deepest part of the lake.   Campers at the marine campsite there sometimes dive off the bluffs into the lake on a warm summer day.   There is a 1.5km trail to the top of the bluffs too.   We landed on the beach for lunch.   The bay there is sheltered from the winds coming down the lake.

We returned down the lake back along the western shoreline.   Thunder heads started to form over Chain Meadows and the Easter Bluffs in the boat launch area.

Paddling Clearwater Lake is best done in a seaworthy kayak or canoe.   Winds often come up in the afternoon and it can be more challenging.    We stay close to the shoreline when the winds come down the lake.

On this day we had tailwinds helping us back to the launch, but a thundershower burst over the last leg, bringing hail and rain.

The route up the shoreline to Divers Bluff and back is about 13km, taking about 3 hours.   There are two beaches at campsites along the route and we spotted two other small beaches for potential landing spots too.   Small waterfalls and streams enter the lake from both sides.   We paddled this loop in May when there were no power boats on the lake.   The only sounds were the calls of birds and a few rumblings of thunder.   We will be back for an extended paddle on Clearwater Lake.

 

Paul Lake Circuit

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One of the best lakes to paddle in our area is Paul Lake.   We launch from the Provincial Park beach and follow the shoreline all the way around.

paullakeWe can head east or west and our choice is often governed by the wind.

On this occasion I paddled west to Gibraltar Rock, then down to the west end of the lake.

Coming back on the south side, I passed a number of homes, then come back into the park across from Gibraltar Rock.   The south side shoreline is a steep slope covered in trees.

The east end of the lake ends in a shallow, marshy area.   The inlet stream from Pinantan Lake comes in there.   We paddled down the north shoreline past homes back to the park.

The entire loop is about 12.5 km if we follow the whole shoreline, including the bays.   We paddle this a couple of times each year.   It is a quiet spot in spring and the fall, but can be busy in the summer.   We avoid weekends and any time after 11:00 in the morning in the summer.      Winds pick up after about 11:30 so mornings are usually the best time year round.

BC Parks has removed the boat launch ramp from the Park so that only cartop boats can launch there now, but there are still homeowners who have big docks and big powerboats on either end of the lake.   The lake is too narrow for these powerboats which invade the peaceful valley with echoing noise pollution and big waves sent out from the motors, which  continue all the way to the shoreline both ways.   The lake really needs a horsepower limit, but since it likely won’t happen, we just paddle there in the off-season.

Pick a quiet time to paddle this lovely lake.

Paddling North of Two Rivers Junction

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A good early-season paddle is to launch at Pioneer Park and paddle down to the Confluence of the two rivers, then take a sharp right turn right to go up the North Thompson River.   It is never an easy paddle upstream, but we look for the slowest water on the river, crossing back and forth, sometimes progressing quite slowly.   This is a good early-season workout.

Mt. Paul stands above the Kamloops Indian Reserve on the eastern shore.

Cottonwood-lined Schubert Drive and the Rivers Trail in North Kamloops follows the western shore to Halston.

It takes about an hour to paddle up to the Halston Bridge and beyond to the CN Bridge.   A train was crossing the bridge as I paddled underneath and around the pylons.

 

 

There are extensive sandbars and shallows along the North Thompson River.   Along the eastern banks are signs of beaver activity, including a lodge, several belly slides, and chewed off willows and red osier dogwood.  Great blue herons stood on the shoreline and bald eagles watched from the cottonwoods.

This is a hard workout paddling upstream on the North Thompson, but it is an easy paddle back down to the confluence.   The hard work starts again, paddling back upriver to the Black Bridge, then the Red Bridge on the way to Pioneer Park.

 

Early in the season there is no one else on the river.   It is a good workout to paddle the 10.6 km route, half of it upstream into the current, but it is part of developing a base of paddling endurance for the year, running this year from February to November.

 

 

Paddling the South Thompson River in Fall

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The South Thompson River is a well-used and busy river from June through mid-September, but there is very little activity on the river after October 1st.   The river is lower and has a number of shallow areas, troublesome for power boats, but these pose no problem for canoes and kayaks.  We launched our kayaks at the Lafarge Bridge (NE side of the river) and paddled down to the Valleyview Boat Launch.

Sthompson lafarge

This section of the river is 14km long which takes about 2.5 hours of paddling.   There are a number of homes on both sides of the river along the way, but it is a quiet area on a weekday morning, late in October.  Fall colors lined the banks and there were lots of geese, ducks, eagles, and a variety of smaller birds in the riparian zone.

Even though the air and the water are cooler in the spring and the fall, those months invite us for a day of quiet paddling downstream.

 

Shuswap River Run

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Paddling down the Shuswap River is a delight at any time, but it is a special experience during the peak of the salmon run.   The sockeye spawn in the gravel shallows in the upper river.   The river is full of red-colored sockeye and black-headed spring salmon, most moving upstream, but some in redds near the shore, some leaping out of the water, and some dead ones along the shore.   Eagles, seagulls, and crows line the shores scavenging.   The Department of Fisheries and Oceans was there in river boats and on the shoreline counting fish and monitoring.   As we paddled over the fish, we had to be careful not to collide with the salmon in numerous shallows.

It would be nice to launch at Mabel Lake, but the rapids in Skookumchuk Rapids Provincial Park have Class 111 – Class 1V whitewater for 3 km.    The Shuswap River has 10 hand launch sites from Mabel Lake to Mara Lake.   Most have a sign at the turn-off, parking areas, and a good spot to launch and many also have outhouses and picnic tables.   We launched at a designated hand launch site at Hupel, 29.5km by road from Enderby.

Shuswap River Route 1The route from Hupel to halfway between Cooke Creek and Dale’s Hand Launch is mostly Class 11 water, but has some short sections of Class 111 too, all very doable, although there are some narrow spots and some obstacles too, so this section is for experienced paddlers.   The river becomes slower as it continues to Enderby.   For this last venture, we chose to exit at Riverside Hall, just past the Trinity Valley Bridge, a total of 26 km.

Shuswap River Route 2The river below Ashton Creek is slower and runs through farmlands.   On a previous day of paddling, we went all the way to Enderby, taking out at the bridge (link to story).

Paddling with salmon at the height of the migration on their four year cycle is a unique experience.   We watched the fish and their predators with fascination as we quietly paddled downriver.   This is a good time to carry an underwater camera, but it is not easy to get a good photo of the fish while moving downstream in a kayak or canoe.   It is probably easier to do this from the shoreline with a bit of wading (Cooke Creek is a good place to do this).   Along the way, we stopped for lunch in Shuswap River Islands Provincial Park,  a section of oxbows, channels, islands, and sandbars.   Cottonwoods line the riparian zone in this protected area.    The upper river has an unspoiled feel to it and the huge sockeye run is indicative of a healthy river, even in rising temperatures.

We have penciled in a return paddle in October of 2018 to meet the next generation of salmon as they return to the Shuswap River.