Tag Archives: paddling

Paddling Sussex Lake

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Sussex Lake is a bit remote and because of it, it is quiet, except for the drone of the highway.    I have paddled here twice and snowshoed in from Surrey Lake in winter.   A paddle around the lakeshore is 3.3 km.   Paddlers can go around the lake twice or paddle two lakes in the area.   I also paddled Desmond Lake, but other choices include Surrey Lake and Frogmoore Lake.

Sussex Lake lies at 1365m (4553 ft), just below the Surrey Summit on the Coquihalla.    To get to the lake, we have to go up the Surrey Lake Forest Service Road to Surrey Lake, then take a secondary Road to the Sussex Lake Rec Site.    It is a high-clearance road, but fine to drive in summer.   There is no boat launch, but we can hand launch from a gravel beach at the small Rec Site.

While paddling loons were on patrol, but an osprey dove into the water twice not far from the kayak and came up with a fish.    I could only get shots of it in the air as it flew past.   The fish is clear to see though, glistening in the sun before being consumed.

A short video of the day’s outing is included here:

I will be back into the area to paddle Surrey Lake, Bob Lake, and Frogmoore Lake.

 

 

Paddling Ross Moore Lake

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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.

A Youtube video shares some of the moments at the lake:

More Information – Ross Moore Lake Page

 

 

 

An Early Paddle on Edith Lake

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On the second day of summer the winds were forecast to be strong by 10:00 am so I was on a nearby lake by 8:30.    Edith Lake is a good choice in the wind because half of the lake is sheltered by hills.


By the end of the paddle, winds were stronger, but the effort to get in an early workout was successful.

Some short video clips captured the lake before the winds picked up.

Over time there will be a page for each lake we frequent.   Edith Lake is done and a link is provided:

Pass Lake

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On the last day of spring Pass Lake made a good destination paddle.   The distance around the lake is about 2.5 km so two loops is a good choice when conditions are right.

The road into the Rec Site was a bit rough, but both boat launches were in good shape.

On this weekday morning there were no other boats on the lake.    Blackbirds, a loon, ducks with ducklings, and some shoreline birds were active on the lake.

Pass Lake is one more good choice to paddle, one of about 100 area lakes to explore.

More Information – Pass Lake

 

‘Round Rabbit

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On a mid-May morning I launched from McArthur Island and paddled up the Thompson River.    The current was stronger during freshet.   At the east end of the Island, I rounded Rabbit Island.


Paddling down the south side of the island is easy and much faster.

Paddling back upstream is harder and a faster paddling rhythm is required to complete the 4 km loop route:

 

 

On McQueen Lake

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McQueen Lake is not paddled very often, mostly because of poor access.    To get to a reasonable launch spot requires hauling the boat to the shoreline where there is a break in the bullrushes.   Once on the lake, though, it is a very nice 2.7 km paddle around the marshy shoreline.


I paddled around the lake twice, once in each direction:

All of the lakes of the area would be busy on a Sunday morning, but on McQueen Lake, there was one person only, along with the loons, ducks, geese, blackbirds, marsh wrens, painted turtles, and a muskrat.

Paddling Barnes Lake (Ashcroft)

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On a calm spring morning I traveled west to paddle Barnes Lake near Ashcroft.

From Ashcroft, the road to Logan Lake climbs the hill.   At about 8 km, the Barnes Lake Road goes past Willard Lake and along the shoreline of Barnes Lake.   There are 3 camping areas each with a boat launch spot.

The paddle around the lakeshore is about 4 km.    After a quiet paddle around the lake, I hiked into the hills and along the ridge that stands above Ashcroft.

Barnes Lake is a peaceful and scenic spot to visit, one I will be sure to return to.

Back on Edith Lake

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At higher elevations it had snowed overnight (in May) and rain and wind were forecast, so a lake close to town made the most sense for a morning of paddling.   The road to Edith Lake was muddy.   A few campers were at the lakeside campsite and 4 boats were on the lake as I launched among active blackbirds at the marshy shoreline.

There was a large chironomid hatch so there were hundreds of birds feeding on all parts of the lake.   The flies were so numerous that I was pelted when I paddled into the wind.   Many birds swooped acrobatically over the lake and the shore area.

Two loops around the lake is about 7 km, a good workout in the kayak.    The winds picked up on the way back and it rained later in the day, but I was grateful for an opportunity to paddle with the birds on a spring day.

 

 

Kamloops Lake Loop

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On a calm spring day it was time to haul the 18 foot kayak down to the rivershore at Cooney Bay and launch out onto the lake.  

The plan was to paddle around the point and into Cooney Bay, then along the shoreline past Battle Bluff, then cross the lake and return by the other shore, stopping to enjoy various highlights along the way. 

This was an 11 km paddle taking about 2 hours.  A video was complied of the journey.  

More paddling is planned for Kamloops Lake in the upcoming months.  

Phillips Lake

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Phillips Lake lies on the Skimikin Lake Road between Turtle Valley and Skimikin.   The fastest approach from Kamloops is to drive on Highway 1 East to Squilax and turn onto the Squilax – Turtle Valley Road.   Follow the valley toward Skimikin then turn onto Ptarmigan Road.   A good parking area and boat launch is located on the northwest side of the lake.

The whole lake is surrounded by reeds and rushes.   In fall, the lake was fairly quiet, but the lakeside would be full of blackbirds, marsh wrens, and ducks in the spring.

A paddle around the lakeshore is 2.5 km, but there is also marshland which can be paddled on the far end.   This would be better in the spring when there is more water and before the water lilies fill the channels.  In summer and early fall, an algae bloom also fills the lake.   Spring is the recommended time to paddle this lake.The lake sits between the Fly Hills on the south (see below) and Black Mountain on the north.   To the northwest are the rocky slopes of Squilax Mountain (seen above).

In fall, the Turtle Valley and the Squilax Valley were filled with color.   We continued east to paddle Skimikin Lake on the same day, another fine small lake for paddling.

 

 

 

 

 

Lac le Jeune West Loop

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When we launch our kayaks from Lac le Jeune Provincial Park we can choose to do a loop east or west and if we choose to head to the West Lake we then have to paddle to the bridge underpass.   My loop route followed the north shore of the lake, then a circuit on the smaller lake, followed by a circuit of the south side of the main lake and back, a 5.5 km morning paddle.

In a year of high rainfall, the lake was full and that left minimal space to get under the bridge.   By removing my PFD and laying flat on the deck of the kayak, I pulled myself through (barely).

Winds made even the small lake choppy, but I headed around the lakeshore, watching for birds and wildlife.

There are some interesting channels in the marshes at the far end of the lake.   The waterway is the start of Meadow Creek which flows down to Logan Lake, then into Guichon Creek which flows south to the Nicola River.

Water lilies were in bloom on both lakes.

Goslings were steered by the mother goose in sheltered bays on the lake.

Silver light was cast on Lac le Jeune for the return paddle

Each summer I do a circuit of the area’s lakes, some of which are done every year (like Lac le Jeune), and some are in alternate years or every few years.   I try to do a few new lakes each year too, but this now means more traveling time, smaller lakes, or a challenging portage.   The overall goal is to get out paddling more than 50 times each year, and in 2021 it was 80 times.

 

 

 

 

Tranquille Lake

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Tranquille Lake lies at the foot of the southern end of Bonaparte Plateau.   Porcupine Ridge is due north and backcountry surrounds the lake.   The road ends at Wendego Lodge, the destination for most people who go to this area.   We drove through Lac du Bois, then took the Pass Lake Road and continued on the Sawmill Creek Road.until the 40 … Continue reading →

On Plateau Lake

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Plateau Lake lies in the hills of the Douglas Plateau, accessed on backroads from Highway 5A.     From the highway, it is a quick drive to Peter Hope Lake, but a slow and difficult drive over the hills to Plateau Lake.

It is not easy to get there.   There are several possible routes in, but Rec Sites and Trails BC recommends taking the Peter Hope Lake Road (from the south end of Stump Lake), then turning onto the signed Plateau Lake Road for 4.4 km then taking a right turn onto an unsigned secondary road.

This road was very narrow and very rough and it is definitely high-clearance, and but possibly 4WD.    If you go in that way, carry a chainsaw too.  Cross the power line and follow another rough road down the hill to the lake.   This is a total of 8.5 km of slow, careful driving.   On the way back out, I followed a different route, following the power line northeast to a junction and then following a much better (but longer) road back. to the Dardanelles Road.  From that road, it is possible to go back to Peter Hope Lake Road along the Plateau Lake Road, or down the hill to the north end of Stump Lake.   A GPS is helpful but if you use a map, the BC Backroads Mapbook is very unreliable for this area.

There is a good boat launch at the lake.   When I was there, there was no one else at the site, nor on any of the backroads of the area.

One of the features of this lake is extensive marl shoals.   The silt-mud bottom has lots of lime and calcium which clarifies the water.   The shoals had a clear yellowish colour.

The lake was very quiet with no noise from any direction.A paddle around the lakeshore is about 4 km, but there are lots of marshes to explore and it is such a pleasant spot that two loops of the lake makes sense.

With the clear mineral-rich water comes little lake weed growth, except for one bay where the sun shone on the emerging weeds.

There are 6 campsites at the site, all on flat ground.   This would be a fine place to camp, but I can’t recommend pulling a trailer down that road.   It is a good spot for a paddle if you have the right vehicle to get in to the lake.

More Information: