While the Ross Moore Fire was active, we avoided go to Lac le Jeune, partly because of smoky conditions, but we just wanted to stay out of the way too. By fall the smoke had dissipated so we went to Lac le Jeune Provincial Park and launched from the beach.
On a mild day, the winds were light and we paddled around the shoreline.
A few moments from the morning of paddling are captured in this YouTube video:
When we paddle on Paul Lake, we can pass close to the sheer slopes of Gibraltar Rock. On a June day, I paddled a loop route on the middle part of the lake.
Some video moments of the paddle are captured here:
This day in June was the third day of paddling on Paul Lake for 2023 and the 26th day of kayaking in the year. On to other lakes for the rest of the year…
Near the Fall Equinox on a cool morning, I arrived at Jacko Lake to find it very busy. The World Fly Fishing Championships was scheduled for September 24 to 30, but teams from around the world were arriving and practice rounds were on local lakes, including Jacko Lake. When I arrived the French team and the Italian team were ready to launch. I quickly unloaded and launched onto the lake, sticking to the shoreline, avoiding fishermen.
Winds were light at the start, but gusts started, blowing down the lake from the northwest. Remnants of the rainy/stormy weather of the night before hung on over the hills.
The lake’s body of water was low and the bays had lots of aquatic growth, making the loop around the lake a bit shorter. Jacko is ascenic lake so any loop is a rewarding one.
I left the fly fishermen to some hours on the lake and got out of the cold wind. Jacko is a favorite lake, always worth my time, but I will avoid the crowds and the wind on upcoming outings.
More information on Jacko Lake at this link.
Although the Stake Lake Rec Site is officially “closed” because of the Ross Moore Lake wildfire, the gate to the parking area is open and lots of people are fishing or paddling the lake, and hiking, walking and biking the inner trails. On a cloudy but mild September day I launched my kayak into the lake and paddled around the shoreline.
There was a breeze on the lake, but not enough to deter me from a great day of paddling on the lake. I paddled around twice, once in each direction. That takes about an hour.
After paddling, I secured the boat on the roof rack, then hiked around the lake, mostly using single tracks where available.
After a period of extended drought the forest is still very dry. A few shrubs and perennials were still green if they were near water.
This is a favorite, three times around Stake Lake. We will do this again in the fall.
Some moments of the three loops are shared here in a short YouTube video:
Sometimes there are pelicans on Campbell Lake in late summer or the start of fall. We can never tell until we get there. The lake was hit with winterkill, so the campground was empty and with so few fish in the lake, the pelicans may have gone elsewhere. I did spot two of them on Scuitto Lake on the way in. I launched my kayak on a grey, windy, slightly smoky day and paddled the lake.
Much of the lake has shallow bays full of aquatic growth so we usually paddle around the lake in an oval shape.
There were lots of ducks on the lake, but no larger birds and no fishermen. It was a quiet paddle, mostly exercise and outdoor recreation; Day 57 of paddling this year.
I did a short video on last year’s paddle on the lake, provided here:
Buse Lake Protected Area extends from Barnhartvale Road, across the lake, then up into the hills to the Buse Hill hiking area. Buse Lake has no established access route, but it is only a short hike down to the shoreline from a pull-off area on the road. To paddle the lake, we have be haul the boat down the slope to the shoreline.
Buse Lake is a highly alkaline lake and by mid-summer the lake has brine shrimp and brine flies. A number of birds are attracted to lakes with high alkaline salt content. I spotted ducks, swallows and killdeer on this day.
It was a calm day for a paddle around the lake exploring the bays and the shoreline. Alkali salts fringe the shoreline in some areas and pickleweed was turning red right above the white band. The bays were choked with aquatic growth and there was some algae in the shallows.
Buse Lake is a spot for naturalists, or for a paddler interested in the ecology of an alkali lake in the summer. A few moments of the experience are captured in this video:
Pat Lake is a small lake in the Six Mile Hills. It is reached from a bumpy road going off the uphill side of the TranCanada Highway just west of Tobiano. It is a popular fishing lake and it is a busy spot in spring, but by mid-summer it is quiet at the lake.
The road to and under the lake was once the Kamloops to Savona Road. We launch right into the submerged roadbed.
I paddled around the lake twice, once in each direction.
There were loons and ducks on the lake and raptors searching for a meal. This is a scenic and peaceful spot, one we return to paddle every year.
Chuwhels Lake is in a remote spot between Greenstone Mountain and Chuwhels Mountain. It is accessed by driving up the Greenstone Mountain Road for 15.5 km then turning onto the Chuwhels Road. A 1 km track (unsigned) bears east to Chuwhels Lake.
I put my folding kayak into a pack and hiked in to the lake. The track is driveable, but a bit rough. It is a dammed lake and the lake was down, mostly from evaporation. I assembled the kayak then paddled around the lake, then hiked back out.
Some images from the pack and paddle are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
Some of the moments of hiking and kayaking are found in this YouTube video:
Hyas Lake is located in the remote hills north of Pinantan Lake. The Hyas Lake Forest Service Road climbs to the bumpy track in to the Hyas Lake Recreation Site. When I arrived, there was one other boat on the lake.
A paddle around the lake takes about 75 minutes. Hyas is one of my favorites, but I also choose a weekday in summer to avoid other boats and campers.
A few moments of paddling the lake are found in this YouTube video:
More information – Hyas Lake
On a June day I drove up to Heffley Lake for a paddle even though the forecast was not promising. There was no one on the lake. It was only a light sprinkle at the start.
After a few minutes the weather moved in and I was paddling in the rain.
I hung in for an hour of paddling. A few moments of the kayaking on Heffley are captured in this short video:
When the weather is marginal – wind, rain, or cold conditions – it is always hard to know what to do. This one turned out okay.
One of our favorite lakes that we paddle every year is Badger Lake.
Badger Lake is at the end of the maintained roads in the hills north of Knouff Lake. Two roads can be taken, and we usually go up one and return by the other one for a loop route. More information can be found on the Badger Lake page on this website – Badger Lake.
Badger Lake is almost always a quiet spot and it is even quieter in the back channel. On this day, the noise of the blackbirds were the only sounds to be heard. A few moments of the paddle are found in this YouTube video:
Paska Lake is a fine destination for kayaking. It can be a bit busier on weekends, but it is usually fairly quiet at other times. There is a gravel boat ramp at the Rec Site.
A paddle around the lake is about 4 km. If the back channel/lagoon is full of water, we can paddle an extra kilometer. The lagoon is usually navigable in spring. The first water lilies were blooming in the shallow channel. By the end of June it will be shallow and full of aquatic vegetation.
There was a light breeze on the lake. There was a great blue heron, loons, and some ducks on the lake. There was one other boat on the lake and the campsite was mostly empty at the start of June.
More information can be found on the Paska Lake page (On the Lakes > Paska Lake).
The high country lakes became ice-free and opened up near the start of May so we can now paddle a number of our favorite lakes like Lac le Jeune, Walloper, Paska, Leighton, McConnell, Stake, and others. On a mid-May day the sun was shining and there was no wind for a morning paddle on McConnell Lake.
McConnell Lake can be a busy spot so its best to launch early in the morning. I paddled twice around the lake for a total of 5.2 km in about an hour.
More boats were coming in as I finished and there were lots of hikers and dog walkers on the around-the-lake trail.
This is a good spot for a morning paddle and hike. More information on McConnell Lake can be found on the On the Lakes page on this website.
We can usually expect to paddle in the floodlands area near Tranquille by the end of May. High water lasts for 2 – 6 weeks, but usually it has receded by the end of June. On May 12, I was able to launch my kayak into the floodlands using a hand launch in the Tranquille Wildlife Management parking area. There was enough water to paddle over the tops of barbed wire fences. Many of the channels were full of debris, but there were also open water channels out to the river.
Later in the season we can paddle across the river and go up more floodlands channels on the south side of the river. A 10 km loop through the floodlands is possible during freshet.
A few moments of the morning of paddling are found in this YouTube video:
With rain forecast, paddling was sure to be a wet venture. Temperatures were mild so it was fine to kayak a local lake, but it was better to wear a spray skirt, a paddling jacket, gloves, and a hat. This was the first day of paddling on Edith Lake.
There was a light rain for the whole paddle and the winds got worse by the end, but it was good to get out anyway, the second day of 5 paddling in the drizzle. A few moments of kayaking are found on this TikTok video. Click the full screen icon to get a better view.
@dsmith941 In the drizzle on Edith Lake
♬ original sound – dsmith941
The forecast was for morning rain so I arrived at Jacko Lake at 7 am and launched my kayak. There were grey skies, but almost no wind.
On a paddle around the lake I enjoyed seeing ducks – coots, mallards, and barrows golden-eyes, but there was also geese, loons, yellow-headed blackbirds, woodpeckers, and loons. Birds were exhibiting nesting behaviors, there was a hatch on the lake, fish were jumping, and spring was evident along the shoreline of this lake in the grasslands. Jacko Lake is one of our best paddling spots.
