On a hot summer morning I drove up the Paul Lake Road to Pinantan Lake, then along the Pritchard Road to the Hyas Lake FSR turn. There were no other vehicles all the way to the lake and no boats on the lake.
A paddle around the lake is about 4.4 km. The lake is deep and the water is clear.
This is another favorite paddling destination, one I prefer to do in summer.
More information on this lake can be found on the Hyas Lake page.
Near the first day of fall, Hyas Lake was the planned paddle. It is 13 km up into the hills from Pinantan at 1237 m (4060 ft). The boat launch is at the Hyas Lake Recreation Site, at the end of the Hyas Lake Forest Service Road. There are 5 small campsites there, adjacent to the Hyas Lake Fishing Camp.
On a calm morning, I paddled around the shoreline of the lake, a 4.3 km paddle.
To the north Shaw Hill at 5200 feet rises above lake. We have hiked to the top, coming up backroads from the Heffley Lake area. There were many potholes in the roads, but it is accessible to most vehicles, but in shoulder season, it may be best to have a 4x 4.
Hyas Lake is a beautiful clear lake with marl shoals and a forested shoreline, a fine spot to paddle in the off-season.
We have also walked/hiked the backroads in the area and hope to connect a loop route after some more exploration.
There are hundreds of lakes to explore in our area and anything with a shoreline perimeter of 4 km was on our list to paddle. We have hiked the trails around Hyas Lake before, but we had not paddled the lake. We were delighted with this quiet lake, high in the hills.
It is about 45 km from Kamloops. Take the road to Pinantan and turn left onto the Hyas Lake Road. Continue up the road for 8 km, watching for the signs (placed by the Hyas Lake Resort). There are several side roads so having a mapping app may be a good idea. A short, bumpy road leads to the Hyas Lake Rec site. Park at the Site and use the hand launch to get onto the water. The perimeter loop is about 4.1 km.
Loons were on the lake and we must have paddled too close to their babies. The male loon used the broken wing dance and cried, trying to lure us away from the shoreline. At the north end of the lake was a great blue heron fishing in the shallows. The slopes of Mount Shaw and Lolo Ridge stand above the wooded shores of the lake. The water was clear and no one was active from the few cabins at the south end, so it was also quiet and peaceful.
We also went into Pemberton Lake nearby. We found the road to be muddy and the site to be buggy and boggy. It was too small for us to paddle, but fishermen were on the lake. We were happy to hike in to the see the lake and then scoot back out to avoid the biting insects.
Hyas Lake, though, is recommended for a quiet paddle on a nice day (and bring your fishing line too).
