Although Ross Moore Lake is a long drive on bumpy roads, it is still one of our favorite lakes to paddle. It has a bit of a remote feel to it and the lakeshore is both interesting and relatively open.
Just getting to the lake requires some navigation (see the link below). The road was in pretty good shape until the last part where it is rougher, requiring high clearance. There is a small launch at the south end of the lake which is an easier spot to launch from than from the Rec site. A paddle around the lake is about 3.2 km. We try to explore all the marshy bays too, but there are many sunken stumps and fallen lodgepole pines, a result of damming the lake.
Eagles flew and perched overhead, ducks with ducklings scuttled to safety, yellow water lilies were in bloom in the bays, and marsh skullcap was in bloom on the shoreline. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
bald eagle
Rocky Mountain Rangers cabins
yellow water lily
ducklings
marsh skullcap
A Youtube video shares some of the moments at the lake:
As the summer winds down, some of the lakes start to shrink from both evaporation and from draw down for irrigation. Bleeker Lake is quite low right now and Walloper Lake too has receding shorelines and shallow bays. The shallowest bays are now full of aquatic vegetation, making paddling difficult. Nevertheless, on a fairly clear day, I launched and paddled for 4.4 km around the lake.
There were loons, ducks, great blue herons, and an osprey on the lake. Some aquatic plants were blooming in the bays.
There were smoky areas around, but the skies over the Lac le Jeune area were clear for another day of paddling in the high country.
On a hot day with no smoke, I drove the Long Lake backroads (30+ km) all the way to Ross Moore Lake. There was one section of upgraded road near the pipeline.
The road is in good shape to the lake, but then it gets rough to the Rec site and beyond. There was no one else at or on the lake.
The Rocky Mountain Rangers cabins were closed and quiet.
Ross Moore Lake has been dammed (Ross Moore Lake drains south into Nicola Lake) so there are flooded tree rootstalks, stumps, and logs in two of the shallow bays.
A few snags are still standing in the lake after many years. Most of these are lodgepole pines.
On the lake were some flowering plants – yellow water lily, water smartweed, and crowfoot. On the shoreline was marsh skullcap and field mint in flower.
A paddle around the shoreline is about 3.2 km, but I investigated all of the shallow bays and some of the shoreline too, enjoying a quiet, sunny day in the backcountry.
I drove backroads all the way to Ross Moore Lake, something I do every year. The date has to be after the roads dry out so we make the trip sometime between June and September. It takes about an hour to get to the lakeshore, making all the right turns on the many forested backroads in a remote area. The first part of the drive is through the scenic Long Lake Hills.
There is a small recreation site on the southeast corner of the lake with a good boat launch area. I launched the kayak and then paddled 3.2 km around the lakeshore. In some years, I go around the lake twice.
A late morning breeze brought a chop to the lake, but the winds also cleared out the low-hanging clouds.
The Rocky Mountain Rangers cabins on the north shoreline were closed up for a Covid year.
When the lake was dammed it flooded some swampy areas in bays and the snags are still standing
There were some sandhill cranes on the shoreline. I drifted in as close as they would allow to get some photos.
On the way back I turned onto the McConnell Forest Service Road to make a loop route, stopping at the Bute Lakes to take a short hike in and back out. The small lakes are at their best in late spring. I plan to return in early June next year.
More Information (inc. maps and driving directions):
Walloper Lake is located near the junction of the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy. 5S) and the Meadow Creek Road, 4 km west of Lac le Jeune. The easiest access is in Walloper Lake Provincial Park (created in 1987) where there is dirt road and a boat launch area. The lake is 43 hectares in size and has a maximum depth of 8m. At 1311m elevation (4300 feet), the lakeshore is surrounded by wet, montane spruce forest and marshlands. The source of the lake waters comes is Walloper Creek (from Lodgepole Lake) and Melba Creek (from the upper slopes of Chuwhels Mountain). There is a dam at the south end of the lake that controls the reservoir, emptying into Meadow Creek (on its way to Logan Lake). BC environment has installed and maintains an aerator in the lake. The lake has a managed fishery with rainbow trout and is a popular destination for family fishing.
We launched and paddled close to the shoreline, going in and out of the bays and wetlands, a total of 5 km
We spotted an eagle, an osprey, a great blue heron, American dippers, marsh wrens, a huge number of tadpoles, small jumping fish, redwing blackbirds, many dragonflies and damselflies, mayflies, and a loon with two chicks. Even though its was a long weekend in summer, Walloper Lake was quiet for a morning paddle. We will return to paddle this high country lake each summer.
There are a few posts on paddling Walloper Lake and a page of information on the lake. Use the Search Bar for more information.
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 (1275 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.
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.
We try to paddle every lake in our area, following the shoreline, exploring bays, watching for wildlife, waterfowl, and aquatic plants. We have to paddle around fishermen and snags. Sometimes we go around the lake twice, once in each direction.
On a quiet afternoon, I launched from the provincial recreation site on the north shore, not far from the fishing dock. The paddle was a leisurely one, inspecting the dark, weedy waters of the lake. The loop along the shoreline is 4.7km.
I was surprised by how much noise there was from the highway above. The water was murky, though a few small fish jumped in the bays at the edge of the drop offs.
A few cabins and home hug the north side. Swampy zones were more interesting at the east and west ends of the lake. Great blue herons stood on the shoreline. This is a fishing lake, not a destination for paddling, although it makes a good alternate spot for a short paddle.
Just getting to the lake requires some navigation (see the link below). The road was in pretty good shape until the last part where it is rougher, requiring high clearance. There is a small launch at the south end of the lake which is an easier spot to launch from than from the Rec site. A paddle around the lake is about 3.2 km. We try to explore all the marshy bays too, but there are many sunken stumps and fallen lodgepole pines, a result of damming the lake.
Eagles flew and perched overhead, ducks with ducklings scuttled to safety, yellow water lilies were in bloom in the bays, and marsh skullcap was in bloom on the shoreline. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
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