Tag Archives: paddling

On Lac le Jeune West (Lake)

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a hot summer morning, I drove to Lac le Jeune and launched from the beach area.   I paddled west to the end of the lake.

A bridge separates the smaller lake, Lac le Jeune West from the main lake.  Lac le Jeune drains into the smaller lake, then into Meadow Creek.

In some years it we can barely get under the bridge, but the water was low in the channel and it was an easy passage.

I paddled around the marshy smaller lake.

There were loons, ducks, and blackbirds active, even on a hot day.

There are some marsh channels surrounded by cattails or bullrushes to explore then a loop route around the lake.

I continued up the shoreline, back under the bridge, then around the south shoreline of the lake for a 5.6 km morning paddle.

 

Access:

Drive south on the Lac le Jeune Road to Lac le Jeune Provincial Park.    Park at the beach and launch/land there.

 

On Glimpse Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a sunny June morning I drove south on Highway 5A, then turned onto the Douglas Lake Road, then up the Lauder Road to Glimpse Lake.   I launched my kayak from a good hand launch at the west end of the lake.

Glimpse Lake allows only electric motors so even though there were a few fishing boats, it was quiet on the lake.   There are a number of shallow marshy areas to explore on the way around the lake.

There were a few ducks and geese on the lake, including some families.

I kayaked all the way around the lake, a 6 km paddle.

Glimpse Lake is one of the best lakes in our area to paddle, one I try to return to each year.

On Scuitto Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a cool morning I launched my kayak from the boat launch at the Scuitto Lake Recreation Site.    There was a light breeze from the northwest.

In protected bays, the water was calm with clouds reflected in the lakewater.

There are always lots of birds on both Scuitto Lake and on nearby Campbell Lake.    On this day I spotted ducks and ducklings, geese and goslings, a great blue heron, an osprey, spotted sandpipers, blackbirds, loons, swallows, wrens, and more.

On the west end of the lake, Mt. Vicars stood above the lake, a hike I have done a few times.

Scuitto Lake is one of my favorite paddling spots, one I do every year.    I will be back to paddle Campbell Lake in late summer.

More Information:

On Walloper Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a cool May morning I drove to Walloper Lake and launched at the Rec Site.

There was a steady breeze on the lake, but there were bays and coves to tuck in to to avoid the winds.

A paddle around the lake takes about an hour, but wetlands called for some exploration while following the shoreline.

 

At the west corner of the lake is a marsh where I have previous spotted nesting loons.

Walloper Lake is a favorite paddling spot, but it is even better when it is not a busy afternoon or weekend.   For most of the outing there was only the kayak and the birds on the lake.

More information – Walloper Lake

 

The Four Winds

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Windy days can be a problem for paddlers.    Some insights are offered.

Wind Forecasts

  • Environment Canada issues wind forecasts the day before.   The app allows hourly forecasts.
  • Forecasts are for the City so if you are heading into the hills, it may be different.    For example if you are paddling at Badger Lake, check the Barriere forecast too.   If you are paddling Lac le Jeune, you can get a forecast for that specific spot too.
  • There are also wind-specific forecasts available like Windfinder
  • Winds of 20 km or greater mean that paddling will be difficult.

 

Wind Speed

  • Calm – 5 km/h – good paddling
  • 10 km/h – some chop – better on smaller lakes
  • 20km/h+ – difficult conditions and large lakes are a poor choice

 

The Day’s Cycle

  • Kamloops sits at the bottom of a valley, much lower than the Interior Plateau so there will be difference between the valley bottom and the hills
  • Generally speaking winds are light in the morning then it becomes windier after 11:00 am.
  • This is mostly because the valley will heat up and updrafts start, then colder air descends to replace it, starting a valley wind.
  • Winds may abate in the late afternoon.
  • Higher elevation lakes may not see the same cycle if it is a cloudy day.

 

Places to Avoid on a Windy Day

  • Any large lake, but especially Kamloops Lake, Shuswap Lake, Little Shuswap Lake, Adams Lake, Nicola Lake, and Okanagan Lake.
  • Any open lake, that is, without any hills or trees around the lake.    Open lakes tend to have no leeward zones.
  • Smaller lakes surrounded with trees will have pockets of protection, but at 20 km/h, not enough.

 

Paddling in the Wind

  • If the lake has whitecaps, don’t paddle.
  • If the lake has a series of waves, then try to paddle the nose into the waves, where possible.
  • Paddling downwind can be unsafe if the waves are moving faster than the boat.   There is a tendency to slide off the wave and then get turned and face oncoming waves.   This is when a rudder makes a big difference.
  • If you have to paddle across a lake with the waves coming at a 90 degree angle, adjust your direction direction to paddle at 45 degrees, which may mean a longer route, but it will be a safer one.
  • When crossing a large wave loop upwind and watch the waves.   they will come in 3’s or 4’s and two of them will be steeper and larger.    Anticipate their arrival and paddle into the wave, timing your stroke to coincide with the wave.    You may have to paddle on the same side for a few strokes in a row.
  • When you are paddling in the wind, use good technique.    Sit up straight, reach forward, and paddle efficiently.

 

Safety

  • If you have no rudder on your boat, avoid windy conditions.
  • If you choose to paddle in the wind, you need to know self-rescue and have all the right equipment – a paddle float, a whistle, and a bailer or pump.   If the water is cold, hypothermia could be life threatening.
  • On a windy day, paddle near the shoreline, but not too close since rebound waves may make paddling difficult.
  • Don’t paddle alone on a windy day.   If conditions are unsafe, land your boat and either wait it out or line your boat from the shoreline.
  • The best possible choice is to know the wind forecast in advance and plan accordingly.

 

On Edith Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

On a grey, cool, windy morning I chose to find a smaller nearby lake to paddle. I drove up to Edith Lake and launched onto the lake by 8:30 am.

The main part of the lake was windy and cool, but there are two back arms that are more sheltered.   Fishermen do not go back there so it was just the kayak, the ducks, and the geese.

Surrounding the lake are grazing lands

It is preferable just to keep paddling, treating the outing as good exercise.   On many of these days, I would go twice around the lake, but I had a tennis game set for the afternoon, so it was just once around, 4 km in 55 minutes.

A Google Earth tour of the paddle from Relive:

On Pat Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

I went up the Six Mile Road to paddle and hike.     There are two good launch spots on Pat Lake and I chose the one on the eastern shore.

I paddled around the lake twice (4 km).   I got there early in the morning before all the fishermen who were arriving just when I was finishing paddling.   There were lots of birds on the lake or on the shoreline, like this loon:

A few ducks stuck to the reeds on the shoreline like this coot:

Red-winged blackbirds were doing their territorial dance and yellow0headed blackbirds were paired off for nesting.

A goose was perched on top of a trimmed snag high above the lake.

I paddled the shoreline enjoying the light winds, wildlife, and the scenic hills around the lake.

For more information on paddling Pat Lake, click this link.

 

On Little Shuswap Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Little Shuswap Lake clears of ice early and has good launches and parking spots so it makes a nice spring paddle.   I launched from the boat launch ramp by the Chase Bridge where the lake empties into the South Thompson River.   I was surprised to find a number of kayakers there, but I spoke to one of the instructors and found out that it was part of TRU’s Adventure Tourism program.    I launched and paddled northeast to the north side of the lake.

The north side of the lake has steep rocky bluffs for much of the length of the route, though a dead-end road comes from either end to support vacation homes.  I paddled up the lake for an hour and then turned back.

There were a few ducks and geese on the lake, like this common merganser.

There is quite a lot of shallow water on the west side of the lake so I steered down the navigation tunnel to the Chase Bridge to finish an 8 km paddle on a sunny morning.

On Paul Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Although the ice on Paul Lake started to disappear on April 6th, colder weather delayed the first paddle on the lake to April 19th.   The main park gate stays closed until mid-May so I drove to the west end of the lake and used the hand launch there.   I paddled up the lake to the campground, crossed to the south shoreline, and then paddled back, a total of 7.6 km.

There was no wind at the start and the sun was still in the east as I paddled up the lake.

Ducks were nesting in small bays near logs as I continued up the lake.

There were barrows golden-eyes, mallards, ducks, geese, and  on the lake.

I crossed the lake near the campground and found that there was now a 10 km wind out of the west for the paddle back.

Gibraltar Rock is the main feature of the lake.

At the trailhead/launch area an osprey was staking out a nest for the spring.

I plan to return to Paul Lake to do a loop on the east side, launching from the beach area.      Although I have paddled the whole lake in one outing, it is over 12 km so most years I complete the lake in two separate days.

 

On Inks Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Inks Lake is a small, muddy lake close to town.   I enjoy paddling on the lake in spring, usually doing 2 loops, a total of 4.9 km.   There are two back channels, one of which is hidden behind a hill.  It is rare to see another boat on the lake, but there are many ducks, geese, and shoreline birds to enjoy.

There were some blackbirds on the back channels

A narrow channel connects the main lake to the two back channels.

There were lots of ducks on the lake, including this male mallard.

The back channel is a good spot to paddle on a windy day.

There were lots of Barrow’s golden eye ducks on the lake.

The Inks Lakes are just one more paddling destination among about 100 in the area.   A list of the upcoming spots to be paddled are noted in a widget on the sidebar.