Tag Archives: paddling

On Campbell Lake

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We returned to paddle Campbell Lake in late summer, choosing a sunny weekday to launch a kayak and explore the shoreline.   The launch spot is at the Campbell Lake Recreation Site on the south side of the lake.    To drive there go  through Barnhartvale, then turn onto the Robbins Range Road, and then the Scuitto Lake Forest Service Road.   From the end of Scuitto Lake (11 km) to the Rec site is another 5 km.

There is a good boat launch next to the campground,

We try to go to do Campbell Lake in late summer since there are often migrating birds on the shallow lake.   On this visit, there was a dozen pelicans on the lake.   They tend to breed, hunt, and care for young as a colony.   The wingspan of the American white pelican ranges from 1.4 to 1.75m.

Across the lake was a mating pair of sandhill cranes standing on the shoreline.   On an earlier visit a dozen were on the same shoreline spot.   They have a wingspan of about 1.3 m and stand about 120 cm tall,   Every spring we watch the loose v-shaped flocks heading north to breeding grounds.   We hear them before we can spot them.

Great blue herons were spotted on the shoreline too.   They are always quick to take to the air if we get too close.   They can be seen on many lakes in the Kamloops area.

Ducks and osprey were also patrolling the lake for food.   The osprey did several dives for fish while I paddled the shoreline.

 

The loop around the lakeshore is 8 km, two hours of paddling.   Campbell Lake is a gem in the hills, worth the 16 km of backroads to get there.

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Hosli Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

The goal is to paddle all the lakes in our area (except the smallest ones) and eventually we will have done the shoreline of over 100 lakes.   Hosli Lake has been on the list for a while, but it is a little harder to get to.    The route is to drive to Roche Lake, but turn onto the Bleeker Lake Forest Service Road.   Continue past the Rec Site and follow the road mileage markers, ignoring side roads.   After Bleeker Lake, the road winds up into the hills and at about 4.5 km, watch for a (flagged) rough side road, bearing west.   This final section (0.7 km) is a high clearance road and would be 4WD in spring.

 

 

There are user-maintained campsites along the north shore of the lake, also offering good access to launch a boat.

 

 

A loop around the lake is about 2.5 km.   There is lots of interesting shoreline areas to explore….

 

 

The best part of paddling Hosli Lake is that it is remote, so it will be unlikely that we would run into anyone else.   The lake was quiet except for the ospreys, ducks, and loons.

 

 

The road carries on toward Campbell and Scuitto Lakes.   We haven’t driven that 4 km section, but if it is reasonable, paddlers or explorers could do a loop route.   Either way, Hosli Lake is a fine destination for a short paddle.

 

 

More information:

  • turn to Hosli Lake – N50 31.780 W120 07.987
  • there is another side road that runs to the south end of Hosli Lake but we don’t know how rough it is
  • Bleeker Lake article

 

 

McGillivray Lake Paddle

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McGillivray Lake is a high country lake on the Cahilty Plateau 6 km from Sun Peaks Village. The McGilllivray Lake Forest Service Road connects Sun Peaks Road to McGillivray Lake and the gravel road continues on down to Neskonlith Lake and Shuswap Road.     To paddle the lake, follow the gravel road and turn in to the McGillivray Lake Outpost where there is a boat launch.    The lake is surrounded by montane forest at 1385m (4544 feet) elevation.

 

 

On a smoky summer day, the webcams at Sun Peak showed reasonably clear skies so we launched our boats for a paddle under blue skies.   Much of the lake has a shallow shoreline with lilies and smartweed.

 

 

The outlet for MGillivray Lake is McGillivray Creek which flows into Little McGillivray Lake, then down to Sun Peaks Village.   The channel is shallow and marshy and the McGillivray Lake Recreation Site is right on the shore of the lake by the channel.

 

 

There are 3 wooded islands in the lake, making for more interesting paddling.

 

 

If we paddle all the small bays of the lake around the shoreline, the distance is 6 km.   At the final approach back to the boat launch, Tod Mountain forms the backdrop, somewhat blurry in a summer of smoky conditions.

We loaded our boats then drove into nearby Morrisey Lake for another 2.5 km paddle.   McGillivray Lake can be a busy spot on a weekend in summer, but it is a fine destination for weekday or shoulder season paddling.

More Information:

  • McGillivray Lake Road Points of Interest (link removed for security reasons)
  • Morrisey Lake

Dardanelles Lake

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Dardanelles Lake lies in a basin in the plateau country south of Roche Lake and east of Stump Lake.   The main route is on the Dardanelles Forest Service Road which starts at the north end of Stump Lake.   It is a 21 km backroad, gradually climbing to 1260m.   The last short section is a rough road (high clearance) to the Dardanelles Lake Recreation Site.

There is a good hand launch at the edge of the lake.

The lake was quiet except for a trio of looms, busy fishing for lunch.   There is a small forested island in the lake.

There has been a fair amount of logging in the area, but the shoreline of the lake is mostly forested.

A young loon kept a low profile in the water as the parents fished nearby.

 

The long road in goes through several ecozones, starting in the grasslands and working up through the upper grasslands- aspen groves to the montane forest.

This is a long route in but if you choose to paddle Dardanelles Lake you may be the only one in the area.   The day we drove in there was one dedicated fisherman there on a weekday.   He had a camper at the lake’s edge and said he just drove slowly over the rough sections.   It would certainly be a quiet spot overnight.

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Morrisey Lake

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Morrisey Lake is a shallow high country lake on the Cahilty Plateau, not far from McGillivray Lake.   It is accessed from the McGillivray Lake Forest Service Road, 6 km past Sun Peaks.  Aat an unsigned side road just north of McGillivray Lake, turn east and follow the dirt road for 1 km.   Watch for the BC Recreation Site sign.   There are 3 camping spots and a dirt ramp for launching boats.

A paddle around the shoreline is 2.5 km.   Much of the lake is shallow and there is a small island in the middle.  A bald eagle was perched on top of a snag on the island.   Loons were fishing

Both McGillivray Lake and Morrisey Lake have shallows where smartweed, burr reed, and water lilies are in bloom in late summer.   .

This is a lake that has few visitors, but it makes a nice paddling retreat in the summer heat.   In a summer of smoke, the lake at 1392m (4567 ft.) was relatively clear.   On this day, we paddled 6 km on McGillivray then 2.5 km on Morrisey, a good day in a kayak.

 

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Our Paddling Corridor

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

From Kamloops we have many lakes and rivers that we can pick for a day of paddling. Since wind is always an issue for paddlers, we are best to check the weather forecast before selecting a destination.   With the summer of 2017, we also had smoky days to think about and higher lakes tended to have less smoke than lakes and rivers closer to the valleys.   When weather, air quality, or wind may be an issue, we can just head up the Paddling Corridor and stop any one of the 16 lakes in less than an hour’s drive.   Some of the choices are not as easy to get to or may be more difficult in shoulder season, but the main lakes are reliable for most of the paddling season.   In the Google map below, click on the icons to see the location, an article, and a photo.   The map can be enlarged, panned, and shared.

 

Notes:

  • There are some access issues for Face Lake, Dominic Lake, Frogmoore Lake, and Sussex Lake.   A good high-clearance vehicle is helpful.   Paddlers can also choose to pay a launch fee at the lodges on Face Lake and Dominic Lake to avoid a rougher road.   Check the articles for more information.
  • In summer, Mamit Lake and Inks Lake become algae-filled, making them less pleasant to paddle.
  • All of the remaining lakes are fine choices for a day of paddling.

 

 

Lodgepole Lake

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Lodgepole Lake lies in a basin on the eastern slopes of Chuwhels Mountain.   We can access it by turning off the Lac le Jeune Road at Stake Lake and proceeding up the Chuwhels Mountain Road for 2.7 km.   The small  Rec Site at the east end of the lake is for day use only, perfect for launching a canoe or kayak.   At the west end of the lake is the Lodgepole Lac Recreation Site.with 9 camping spots, also suitable for launching a canoe or kayak.  Lodgepole Lake is a smaller lake (38 ha) at 1424m elevation (4672 ft) and a paddle around the shoreline is only 1.2 km.

 

 

The east end of the lake is shallow, but fine for launching a kayak

 

 

In a summer of smoky conditions, we drove to Chuwhels Mountain to get above some of the smoke.

 

 

At this altitude, lodgepole pines stand tall and straight on the shores of the lake.   It is an area where we go to snowshoe in winter since the road is plowed to the Rec Site and the altitude provides enough snow for snowshoeing.   A volunteer has been setting and marking trails for years.   In summer it is a spot for fishermen, and for campers to explore the tracks on Chuwhels Mountain.

 

 

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Sullivan Lake

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Many people refer to this lake as Knouff Lake, but the maps name it Sullivan Lake.   Locals in the community at the south end,  the Resort at the north end, and fishermen mostly call this Knouff Lake.   Nevertheless, I launched from the Sullivan Lake West (Knouff) Recreation Site and paddled around the shoreline of the lake, a total of 5 km.

The lake sits in a natural basin between Mount Knouff to the west and Community Mountain to the east.   To the north is a smaller, shallow lake called Knouff Lake on the map, but locals sometimes call it Little Knouff.   I paddled on the smaller lake on a SUP in 2016, a 2.4 km loop.   Farther to the north (6.7 km) is Badger Lake, another fine destitation for paddling.

There were ducks and loons on the lake, but also a number of fishermen, most coming from the busy resort.

There are a number of shallow bays to explore in the northeast corner of the lake as well as 4 islands to paddle around and between.

We try to paddle this lake every year since it is one of the best in our area.

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Inks Lake

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Inks Lake lies in a basin just off the Lac le Jeune Road in the grasslands southeast of Sugarloaf Hill and west of Jacko Lake.   Because it is shallow, there is no fishing in the lake and in mid-summer algae expands throughout the lake.   It sees little recreational use, except for winter pond hockey and an occasional lakeside camper.   There is easy access for a hand-launched kayak, canoe, or paddleboard from the shoreline on the south side of the lake.

There are two back channels that can be paddled in spring and early summer.   These dry up in late summer in some years, leaving 3 separate smaller lakes.   If we follow the shoreline all the way around the lake, it is 2.6 km.   On this paddling day, I went around twice, reversing the direction after the first circuit for a 5.2 km route.

The Inks Lake basin collects the meltwaters from the southern slopes of Sugarloaf Hill and the western side of the Ironmask Hills.   There is no visible inlet or outlet stream, so the water becomes stagnant in the summer heat.

Even though the water was green with algae growth, there were lots of duck families, snipes, killdeer, herons, blackbirds, western painted turtles, damselflies, dragonflies, especially in the narrower back bays, out of sight from the roads.

 

 

Inks Lake is not really a destination lake; it would probably be a nicer paddle in spring since it would be one of the first lakes to be ice-free.   Because of all the wildlife activity though, it was an interesting and rewarding exploration,  even in summer.

To get to Inks Lake, take the Lac le Jeune Road.   Just after going through the underpass for the Ajax Mine Road, turn right and follow the dirt road to park at the lake’s edge.

 

 

Edith Lake on a SuP

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Edith Lake is a popular fishing lake so it is better for paddlers to launch at non-prime fishing times to stay out of the way.   We went out with our stand-up paddleboard and paddled away from fishing boats, sticking close to the shoreline.

Grassland hills rise above the lake on each side.

The back arms of the lake are sheltered and shallow, fine for a paddle, but not good for fishing.

Edith Lake sits in a natural basin between Edith Hill and the Grandview Hill and is filled with meltwaters from the surrounding hills.  There is a small outlet stream (Humphrey Creek) that flows south into Peterson Creek at high water.   A small BC Rec site is now established on the western shores, adjacent to the Edith Lake Road.

From the hills above the lake, the view over the lake  stretches over the grasslands to Edith Hill just one kilometer to the west.

The paddle around the shoreline of Edith Lake is only 3.6 km, just right for a leisurely SuP outing on a spring day.

Horsefly Lake

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From 150 Mile House in the Cariboo, the town of Horsefly is a 45 minute drive east and access to Horsefly Lake is another 14 km farther east.   Horsefly Lake Provincial Park is on the north side of the lake and it is a great spot to camp and paddle.   We launched our kayaks and paddled all the shoreline at the west end of the lake for 3 days.   Since the entire lakeshore is 100km around, we have only begun our exploration of the lake.

From the Park we paddled down to Birch Bay and the Horsefly River and back and along both sides of the lake east all the way through the narrows to Hansen Island.   The paddling was so good on the lake that we repeated some routes twice.

From across the lake we could see the snow-capped ridges of the Cariboo Mountains above Quesnel Lake.

Through the narrows, the lake bends easr to the Quesnel Highlands.

From a viewpoint in the Park we could see down to Birch Bay and Horsefly Landing at the west end of the lake.

On one of the days, the wind came up and we got to work a lot harder in whitecap conditions, but for the most part, the water was calm and the water was not cold.  The quiet whispers of last-light alpenglow on the hills before dark reminded us that another great day of paddling awaited.

It would be possible to kayak-camp this lake once the lake levels dropped enough to expose some beaches.   This would best be done from mid-August to the end of September.   Otherwise we will be driving backroads to launch spots down the lake.  Both Prairie Creek Rec Site and Suey View Rec Site look promising for a return trip to Horsefly Lake.

 

Walloper Lake Paddle

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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 5km

 

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.

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White Lake (Cariboo)

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White Lake is a medium-sized alkali lake in the southwest end of the Cariboo.  It is accessed by driving west on the Meadow Lake Road past Meadow Lake.  The hand lunch area is at the west end of the lake.  We drove in from Big Bar Lake on backroads.

There were no homes or grazing fences, nor any evidence of camping or fishing.  The lake was shallow and devoid of any visible riparian zone vegetation.

We dipped our paddles into the water and started a perimeter paddle.  At a shallow spot, I swirled mu paddle blade through a soupy alginous mass on the lake bottom.

A few bleached logs lined the lakeshore.

On close examination Owe saw that the lake was full of millions if brine shrimp.  As we watched below our long kayaks we saw a myriad of invertebrates in the shallows, but also in the muck below.  What looked like a barren lake was really a shallow alkali salt ecosystem  A few ducks were feasting on the underwater life but watched us warily from the shoreline.

The paddle around White Lake was 7.5 km. Our plan was also to paddle Meadow Lake but the wind dictated a second paddle back at Big Bar Lake instead.

It is unlikely that White Lake is paddled by anyone in any given year.  The larger deeper lakes of the region attract campers, fishermen and a few paddlers.   Since Big Bar Lake is outstanding, go there first.

Lac la Hache North

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Lac la Hache (Axe Lake) is a 2300 ha. lake on Highway 97N in the Cariboo region.   There are several access points along the east side of the lake to launch a canoe or kayak, but since the lake is 16 km long, it is impractical to try to paddle the whole lake in a 34 km loop.   It is easier to divide the lake into 3 separate paddle outings instead.   We stayed overnight in Lac la Hache Provincial Park near the north end so we used the Park boat launch and did an 8 km loop on that end of the lake.

Paddling north from the launch we followed the shoreline past lakeshore homes and some pasture lands.  The shoreline has  grassland and forest with small shrubs, willow, rushes, alders, and poplars.

As the lake narrowed, both sides of the channel became wetlands.

From the kayak, I spotted eagles, ospreys, loons, and a variety of wetland birds.

 

Paddlers can work their way up the channel into Cariboo Nature Provincial Park, a marshlands to the north,  then back to the lake, following the west shore, looping back around a small island.

We will return to paddle the south end of the lake next time.

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Big Bar Lake

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Big Bar Lake is located at the north end of the Marble Range on the southwest corner of the Cariboo.   the easiest access is to follow the Big Bar Road which leaves Highway 97 eight km north of Clinton.   The 34 km road road is a good gravel road passing through rolling forested hills.   The best access is from Big Bar Lake Provincial Park (where we camped), using the boat launch at the west end of the lake.

We paddled Big Bar Lake twice.   The first time was a paddle around the whole lake, a 10 km loop taking about 2.3 hours.

There are a few older, abandoned farm buildings on the northeast end of the lake.   Above us, on the south side the peaks of the Marble Range had a fresh mantle of snow.

old homesteads

the Marble Range to the south

loons on the lake

a stormy night on the lake

 

A second day of paddling was cut short as stormy weather moved in.   We paddled half of the lake, but the last part was slow progress into winds from the west.

Big Bar Lake is one of our favorite spots and so we will return to hike nearby and to paddle more of the lakes of the region.

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