This website has pages dedicated to individual lakes – directions, launch area, paddling the lakeshore, pros and cons, maps, and images. Two more pages have been added recently for Cooney Bay access to Kamloops Lake and for paddling White Lake. Links are provided below (click to see the pages):
And, a video is shared here:
This website has a number of pages dedicated to specific paddling lakes in the area. Many pages are available and more are added each month. Each page has information on the lake, directions to get there, boat launch info, maps, images, pros and cons, and videos. Over the winter months additional pages are added each year.
Two more pages have been added:
Click the links to see these new pages. These are must-do paddling locations each year.
Next lakes to be added will be Johnson Lake and Pillar Lake. A paddling video from Neskonlith Lake is shared here:
Over the winter season when paddling awaits ice-off in the spring, some pages of information on some of our area paddling lakes is added, from time to time. Two new pages were recently added and links are provided here:
A list of lakes with dedicated pages can be found on the menu or at this link – On the Lakes
More pages will be added. On the list, to be added, are Dunn Lake, Inks Lake, Johnson Lake, Cooney Bay, Kentucky Lake, Neskonlith Lake, Murtle Lake, and more.
Windy days have discouraged paddling recently. I still hope to get out before the cold sets in….
I kayaked white Lake in the Shuswap Area in October on a greyish morning. A Youtube video is now published on this outing:
Still kayaking, but the end of the season is near.
Shumway Lake was established as a venue for watersport competition for the 1993 Canada Games. Starting in 1990 ,we went through a process of looking at the lake as a site for rowing, canoeing, and water skiing. There were some challenges – permission to use Crown land on the shoreline, highway egress, algae bloom in summer, the costs if installing courses and facilities, and a busy highway so close to the venue. As Vice President of Sport, then Manager of Sports, Facilities, and Services for the Canada Games Society, I was involved in all aspects of the development of the site, then the staging of the Games. Volunteers ran the Games competition, then after the Games there was a concerted effort to further establish club programs, and over time to replace temporary facilities with permanent ones. We gave most of the competition boats to the Clubs and provided a boat house, and over the following years, the Clubs built additional facilities, replacing the underwater course, and establishing regional training centers, especially for canoeing and kayaking. The only reasonable access point into the lake is through the Shumway Lake Watersports Facility now and it is only open to members, but there are competitions and programs for visitors and competitors through the spring to fall seasons. Now, once a year I paddle the lake, using a rough launch outside of the facility.
This kind of launch will not be for most people so the lake gets very few paddlers, except for those using the lake through the Clubs.
I paddled north to the end of the lake and back, a total of 6 km. Next year I will paddle the south end.
On this October morning there was no wind and I enjoyed reflections on the calm water.
There was a couple of rowers on the south end of the lake when I started, but no one else for most of the time paddling the lake. This is a once-a-year outing for me, but paddlers may wish to check out the Kamloops Canoe and Kayak Club website for more information on paddling from the facility.
When stormy weather is forecast I look for opportunities to fit in a hike or paddle. This often means an early morning start. I use Environment Canada’s Hourly Weather Forecasts to look for opportunities. If kayaking is possible, I try to match the wind forecast (strength and direction) with a suitable location. Any lake that has a bowl shape and has treed shorelines (like McConnell Lake) is a better choice than a large lake with open water to the prevailing winds of the day. Edith Lake is a bit open, but it has parts that are sheltered from the wind. A paddle around the whole shoreline takes about an hour.
The winds were from the southeast so I aimed into the wind. Keeping the bow into the wind is more stable than paddling 90 degrees to the wind direction.
There are sheltered areas in the back bays too where the winds are not as strong.
Needless to say, there was no one else on the lake and this would probably true for most lakes in the area….
With the change in seasons, the weather cools and we see more windy days. We can paddle in the wind, but it is harder on larger lakes so we often choose to do loops on smaller lakes. Any lake that sits in a forested bowl below a ring of hills has more protection from the wind. This may mean doing two loops and if so, we paddle once in each direction. Two loops of these lakes takes about an hour so we can add a hike too, doubling the workout. Three favorite spots to paddle and hike were visited recently and are featured here.
On a mid-September day I was first on McConnell Lake and finished paddling before any other paddlers or fishermen arrived, then went for a hike. Click an image for a lightbox view.
Jacko Lake has less forest so can be a slight bit windier, but it is a scenic spot. Between summer drought and draw-down, the lake was significantly down and the shallow bays couldn’t be paddled.
One of the best spots to paddle and hike is Stake Lake. At the equinox, I paddled around twice, then hiked for an hour on the trails.
We still hope to get out to any lakes we haven’t yet paddled before the end of the season, but we are waiting for the right weather for these outings.
Buse Lake is not really a paddling lake. It is smaller, there are no good launch spots, and it is an alkali lake with lots of aquatic growth. But, it is scenic, it has a different ecosystem, and would be very unlikely to meet another boat on the lake. On the last day of August, I drove to the lake and found my usual spot not available, since someone was camped at the access point. Instead I parked farther back. I had to haul the kayak down the slope, over a barbed wire fence and along to a shallow, muddy area. Most of the lake is within Buse Lake Protected Area, but the lower end of the park (around the lake) is protected because of the alkali environment and the wildlife that occupies inhabits the area.
The protected area continues all the way up to the Buse Hill. The bluff on the left is the viewpoint for that hike.
There were brine flies in the shallows. They feed on cyanobacteria, algae, and diatoms. Pondweed filled the shallow bays. Ducks fed on the flies and other insects. Killdeer hunted on the shoreline.
I paddle the lake to enjoy observing the life that thrives in the highly alkaline environment. This is a slow paddle, with no thoughts of time or distance.
In some summers, the lake becomes eutrophic, that is, it becomes nutrient rich, but oxygen poor. As the supply of fresh water dwindles, cyanobacteria and algae may multiply and the lake may begin to change color. On this day, the water was clearly alkaline, but not yet-oxygen depleted.
Access to Frisken Lake is limited to 4WD vehicles. I had hiked in previously so I knew what the roads were like. To get to the lakeshore, we need to drive the Smith Lake FSR on the west side of Roche Lake. When the gravel road goes under the power lines, a rough road follows the power line, bearing north. It climbs over a rough hill and then another rough road turns right and goes to Frisken Lake. I could have driven the roads in, but I am wary of the amount of wear and tear on the older truck. I chose to park by the power line, then backpack my folding kayak and gear in to the lake (1.5 km each way).
Frisken Lake is a nice spot to paddle or fish. It has marshy sides and is surrounded by forest.
I assembled my folding kayak, the paddled around the shoreline (2.5 km).
There was no one in the area, the lake was calm and peaceful, and I enjoyed watching the ducks, loons, and lakeside birds.
Frisken Lake is the eighth lake I have paddled in Roche Lakes Provincial Park. There are still more, but they will require a longer backpack to get a boat in. I have hiked them, so I know what will be required, but Bulman Lake and Ernest Lake will remain on the list for a future backpack.
On a warm summer morning I drove through Logan Lake, then down to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. Most boats launch from the campground boat launch, but I prefer to park and launch from the day use area. It is less used and on this day, there was no one else there. The launch is on the southeast corner of the lake. By mid-August the lake was down from both evaporation and draw down. Many of the shallow bays were full of aquatic vegetation and the lake had some algae, but the main part of the lake was open water and I launched into calm waters.
In some of the bays on the west side, smartweed was in bloom, filling the waters with pink knotweed flowers.
I paddled around the lakeshore in about 90 minutes. Cumulus clouds were turning to cumulonimbus clouds to the south and by the end there were some rumbles of thunder.
Tunkwa and Leighton Lake are favorite spots to paddle and hike. Last year I paddled Leighton Lake, then hiked the Leighton Lake Trail. This is planned again for late summoer or early fall.
We have also snowshoed around the edge of the lake in winter when the roads can be driven. If conditions are right, we hope to return in late winter.
One of the best lakes to kayak in our area is Badger Lake. It is at the end of a longer bumpy gravel road. We drive up the Knouff Lake Road and continue north. There are lots of potholes, but we eventually reach the Badger Lake Road. There is a BC Recreation Site on the northeast side of the lake, but there is a short road to a dedicated boat launch area before the site. There is lots of parking and a good launch spot. For this day, I launched and paddled north, past the campground and up to the north end of the lake. From there I looped back on the other side, going into the back channel. Some maps call this area the Spooney Lakes. It is a long shallow and marshy area, perfect for kayaks, but not for motorized boats.
There was no wind and no mosquitoes at the launch.
The lake was like glass as I headed to the north end. There is a dam at that end and I have never seen anyone at the dam access track.
There are some narrower spots lined by cattails in the back channels.
contAfter paddling around a bay in the back channel, I paddled north, then watched for the narrow channel (short cut) out to the main lake.
I finished the loop on the lake, paddling for about 90 minutes. The lake was quiet and conditions were ideal. Badger Lake will remain on my favourites list for a long time.
When the heat and the smoke settled over the Interior, I used firesmoke.ca and Environment Canada forecasts to determine which direction to drive to find a paddling lake. On one of those days, the northeast looked better so I headed up from Pinantan Lake to Hyas Lake (at 1237 m or 4058 feet). Hyas Lake Forest Service Road was in good shape, though there were bumpy spots near the end. There is a small BC Recreation Site on the south end of the lake with a hand launch area. The site was empty so I launched into the lake.
There was some smoke in the area, but there was also some stormier weather coming in. I paddled around the lake (4.3 km).
There was some rumbling to the south, but it was hard to spot because of the smoke.
On the next day the best direction to travel was southwest, so I drove up toward Logan Lake, then onto and up the Surrey Lake Forest Service Road. Just before the resort, a rougher road goes west around the shore of the lake on its way to Sussex Lake. There is a hand launch spot just off the road there.
The air was cleaner and the lake was quiet for a paddle around the shoreline (5 km).
For the rest of the summer, I will plan a day of paddling wherever the smoke is less, getting an early start, and avoiding peak use. There are still some more lakes on the paddling list for this year as I approach 50 days of kayaking.
When the summer weather turns hot, I try to kayak 2-3 times each week, rotating to a different lake each time. If conditions are marginal I may return to do a lake more than once. I also opt for paddle-hike days and some lakes are better for the combination, although I am trying new routes at more lakes. Recently I hiked near Community Lake, Face Lake, Hyas Lake, Surrey Lake, and Paska Lake. Some of the established paddle-hike locations are McConnell Lake, Stake Lake, and Lac le Jeune.
I arrived at McConnell Lake early since it can be a busy spot. I was first on the lake, paddling twice around the shoreline, once in each direction.
A light wind was welcome on a warm day. There were loons and ducks on the lake, and an eagle watching from a treetop.
On a hot day I paddled twice around Stake Lake, once in each direction, then secured the boat and hiked trails before the temperature got too hot.
There was no wind and this was a quick paddle around the lake. Loons had a chick and raised a ruckus as I paddled the shoreline.
On a very hot day, I arrived early at the Lac le June Provincial Park Campground beach area and launched into the lake. A paddle of the east end of the lake took about an hour. I hiked the shoreline trail afterwards, keeping the distance relatively short as the weather became hot enough
I have more paddle – hike days planned – Logan Lake, Leighton Lake, Surrey Lake, and others. Longer days of paddling will happen once the weather cools a bit. Watch for me on the lakes….
When the weather turned hot, all kayaking was planned for early mornings. In addition, higher lakes were a little cooler. Lastly, the goal was to paddle for 60 – 75 minutes, With this in mind, I drove east toward Chase, then turned off the Trans Canada Highway just past the Niskonlith Reserve onto the Harper Lake Forest Service Road. This is a narrow road that climbs through the hills. It is gravelled and graded for the first part, but it is bumpy and a bit rough(high clearance) for most of the way to the lake. The Harper Lake Rec Site is 5.5 km from the Highway. There is a small dock there and a launch spot.
This is a quiet spot in the hills. It takes about an hour to paddle the shoreline. There were loons, blackbirds, killdeer, a muskrat, and a beaver lodge on the lake. Yellow water lilies, marsh cinquefoil, and smartweed were in flower along the shallows
A few moments from a previous paddle on the lake are shared here. We will be back to paddle the lake again next summer.
To paddle the south end of the lake, we can launch from the main campground launch and paddle the whole lake (9 km) or we can paddle the north end from the northeast launch and, on another day, paddle the south end from the Roche Lake West Campsite. To get to the west launch, drive toward Roche Lake, then watch for the right turn (signed) which leads to Horseshoe Lake or the West Roche Campground. The road has recently been improved and winds for 2.4 km to the lakeshore. this is a smaller site so its not as good a choice on a weekend. On a weekday morning, there were some campers and a small number of fishing boats, but the lake is a good size with lots of room for paddlers.
I paddled south to the end of the lake, then followed the east shore of the lake before crossing the lake back to the start, a 5.2 km kayaking workout.
Conditions were good on this early July morning. The mix of sun and clouds gave the lake a silver sheen.
There were eagles overlooking the lake. There were also ducklings (mergansers), loons, rising and jumping fish, a chironomid hatch, crows, and lots of shoreline birds. It was relatively quiet on the lake, perfect for a summer paddle. I will be back to paddle the north end in the fall.
On a grey morning with rain and stormy weather forecast for the afternoon, I chose to paddle Horseshoe Lake. To get to the Rec Site on the lake drive toward Roche Lake, but turn onto a gravel road that goes to the West Roche Lake Campground. Turn right (watch for the signs) and follow a good gravel road to the small Rec Site. There is a boat launch there and adequate parking for day users of the lake. The lake has two longer arms that are marshy. The lake was fairly low so the marshy channels were quite shallow, just barely enough for a kayak. We can usually paddle farther earlier in spring.
On this day there was one small fishing boat and only one trailer in the Rec Site. I launched and had a quiet paddle on the lake, going around the shoreline twice (a total of 4 km).
There was a great blue heron in the west arm. Two loons with two chicks sounded the alarm in the south end of the lake. There were ducks with ducklings, geese with goslings, killdeer, red-winged blackbirds, marsh wrens, swallows, and American dippers on the lake’s edge.
By summer this lake shrinks and the shallow bays become filled with aquatic growth. It is a nice spot for a spring paddle each year.
