Access to Frisken Lake is limited to 4WD vehicles. I had hiked in previously so I knew what the roads were like. To get to the lakeshore, we need to drive the Smith Lake FSR on the west side of Roche Lake. When the gravel road goes under the power lines, a rough road follows the power line, bearing north. It climbs over a rough hill and then another rough road turns right and goes to Frisken Lake. I could have driven the roads in, but I am wary of the amount of wear and tear on the older truck. I chose to park by the power line, then backpack my folding kayak and gear in to the lake (1.5 km each way).
Frisken Lake is a nice spot to paddle or fish. It has marshy sides and is surrounded by forest.
I assembled my folding kayak, the paddled around the shoreline (2.5 km).
There was no one in the area, the lake was calm and peaceful, and I enjoyed watching the ducks, loons, and lakeside birds.
Frisken Lake is the eighth lake I have paddled in Roche Lakes Provincial Park. There are still more, but they will require a longer backpack to get a boat in. I have hiked them, so I know what will be required, but Bulman Lake and Ernest Lake will remain on the list for a future backpack.
Every year I try to paddle some new lakes, even if they are difficult to access. Two of the lakes paddled this last year included Pemberton Lake and John Frank Lake.
There are a few small lakes high on the shoulders of the ridges between Mt. Lolo and Shaw Hill. We paddle Hyas Lake every year and it is one of our favorites. Off side roads are other smaller lakes like Andy Lake, Pemberton Lake, and Warren Lake. After paddling Hyas Lake, I packed my folding kayak on a backpack and hiked for 0.7 km into marshy Pemberton Lake. I paddled around the lake twice (2.4 km), then hiked back out. There is a small Rec Site at the lake, but the road is rough and there were fallen trees. It is a pleasant spot, with marshy shoreline, but it is very quiet and seldom visited.
John Frank Lake is in Roche Lake Provincial Park. It is accessed by a rough 2.5 km road. There is a hand launch spot on the lake. The lake has lots of marshy areas and some of the bays become grown-in with aquatic vegetation in summer. A paddle around the shoreline is 2.8 km so two loops may be a good option. It is a scenic spot and it would be a regular spot to paddle except for the rough road. Nearby is Frisken Lake which I have hiked into, but haven’t yet paddled. The rough road to the lake is about 1.3 km so it may be pack-and-paddle route in 2024.
More lesser-known lakes will be featured over the winter…
Each year I try to paddle on some new lakes. In this last year I paddled a few of them, including Black Lake and Fred Lake.
Black Lake is located in Roche Lake Provincial Park. It is a destination lake for fishing, but the road in is very rough. I have driven it, but regretted it and vowed never to do it again. I have hiked the road a few times, usually on a loop route hike past a series of lakes. I hiked in with a folding kayak in a backpack and paddled around the lake twice (4 km). There were fishermen who had driven in. I talked to one of them who was camped there. He said he just drives very slowly in and out. It is a very nice lake and one I will return to paddle.
Fred Lake lies in a forested area east of Lac le Jeune. We can drive backroads (Ross Moore FSR), but the last access track is too narrow, overgrown, and rough for most vehicles. I packed in my folding kayak and paddled twice around the lake (3.5 km). It is surrounded by forest, but it may be a burned area now with lots of fallen trees. It lies only 0.7 km from Ross Moore Lake. Because of this, it may be a once-only lake.
Bleeker Lake is long narrow lake just 1 km from Roche Lake, accessed by the Bleeker Lake Forest Service Road. The backroad has potholes, but can be driven by most vehicles. Most people who fish or paddle the lake launch from the Rec Site on the north side of the lake, but I used my truck to launch from the end of the lake in an informal campsite area in a shallow lagoon.
I paddled around the lake, a 5 km loop.
There had been winter kill so there were no fishermen on the lake, but there were lots of ducks
Bleeker Lake 009
Bleeker Lake 010
Bleeker Lake 011
Bleeker Lake 012
I like to explore the shallow, marshy areas around the lake. All of the lakes in the area (Roche, Horseshoe, Scuitto, Black, Hosli, etc.) have lots of birds, insects, and wildlife.
I will be returning to paddle more lakes in that area in the weeks to come.
Bleeker Lake is 2 km north of Roche Lake. Take the Bleeker Lake FSR and follow the bumpy backroad to the Rec Site on the north shore of the lake. there is a small campsite there and a rough boat launch. It is a popular fishing lake, but the lake is large enough for paddlers too. A circuit of the whole lake is about 5 km.
I launched from a spot next to a campsite while campground was closed for overnight use.
A few ducks were on the lake, including some barrow’s golden eyes.
There was still a bit of snow on the south shore, which is at the foot of a hill. Some pussywillows were caught in sunny spot along the shore of the lake.
Mating pairs of ducks were in the shallow parts of the lake on the 1.25 hour loop.
A ripple of wind arose near the end of the paddle as silver light appeared on the lake’s surface.
This is also a lake I enjoy in mid-summer, especially since flowering aquatic plants grow in the shallow, marshy areas (full of insects and other critters too) on the east and southeast end of the lake. I hope to return and perhaps combine it will another paddle of nearby Hosli Lake (on a very rough road).
Bleeker Lake is a long narrow lake located just north of Roche Lake. To get to the lakeshore, drive up the Roche Lake Road and then turn left onto the Bleeker Lake FSR (3 km before Roche). Follow the bumpy 2WD road to the west end of the lake. There is access to the lake off a side road, close to the dam, but there are better facilities at the BC Rec Site on the north shore of the lake, 1.2 km farther on the gravel road. There are campsites there with outhouses, parking, and a gravel boat launch. I launched and then paddled east along the north shore for a clockwise 5 km loop around the lake.
The shoreline is a bit rocky in some areas and marshy at either end. As an amateur naturalist/photographer, I enjoy watching for aquatic plants, dragonflies, insect hatches, shoreline wildflowers, ducks, birds, and natural formations. A kayak moves quietly along the shoreline and with curiosity always engaged, I watch for what is around each corner.
Damselflies and dragonflies were patrolling the lake and the shallow marshes. These damselflies were starting the process of fertilization for a new batch of eggs for the next year. This position is sometimes referred to as the heart or wheel position.
When we paddle close to reeds, rushes, and submerged fallen trees, we can spot exuvia/exoskeletons when the nymphs of dragonflies and damselflies climb up into the air to shed their skins.
Exuvia are the remains of the exoskeleton and other parts after the insect moults.
Along the lakeshore were old stumps that became flooded in when the lake was dammed. Moss was growing in the wet wood fibers and marsh skullcap was growing in the moss. Scutellaria galericulata is an upright perennial in the mint family. Hooded tubular flowers emerge from the same side of the stem. It only grows in wet areas.
At the east end of the lake in shallow water, lily pads, smartweed, aquatic buttercup and other aquatic weeds grew in the water, rooted in the muddy bed of the lake. We were also pleased to spot some patches of bur-reed. Sparganium is an aquatic perennial that grows in marshy areas. Strap-like leaves grow from rhizomes under the lake and in summer spherical flowers emerge. Seeds are spread after flowering to sink into the muddy bottom of the marsh.
There was no one else on the lake at that time so other than the usual ducks and shoreline birds, it was a quiet paddle, moving along with the water striders and damselflies. We return to the Roche Lakes area frequently to paddle some of the lakes and hike between them. A new phase is upcoming where I will be hiking into some of the more-difficult-to-get-to lakes with an inflatable board. Watch for updates this fall.
Although we have about 100 lakes to paddle in the Kamloops area , there are many small lakes too, most of which are too small to warrant the drive and the effort and time to load and unload a kayak or canoe. Some are suitable for SUPs, but paddlers would most often prefer a lake that is at least 2 km round to go through the effort and time required. A number of smaller lakes have good access and we can paddle around the lake 2 or 3 times. Tulip Lake is only 1.25 km around the shoreline and adjacent Rose Lake is barely a kilometer around. There is good access through and with some effort we can paddle Tulip Lake, Rose Lake, and Horseshoe Lake in the same day or over a couple of days from the 3 Roche Lake Provincial Park campsites nearby. Tulip Lake is accessed of a short rough road from the Roche Lake Road. It has been designated as a fishing lake for youth and disabled persons.
A fishing dock has been constructed to support access. In September, one of the support beams was underwater. There is an aeration system in place for this lake to reduce winter kill.
To launch a kayak or canoe we have to wade through some mud and muck and then paddle/pole through the rushes.
Most of the shoreline for both lakes is marshy, but there is some open water too. It would be unlikely to see another boat.
Access to Rose Lake is also muddy. Since the lakes are aerated, the ice can be unstable in winter for ice fishing, hence the warning signs.
These lakes will be too small for most paddlers, but we enjoy paddling as many lakes as we can. There are a number in the Roche Lake area we have paddled (Roche, Horseshoe, Bleeker, Hosli, Tulip, and Rose) and a number we hope to paddle (Frisken, Bulman, John Frank, Black, Bog, and Ernst), depending on how brave we are to face the Roche backroads.
We have walked the Black – Bog – Ernst – John Frank route and we know it is 4WD access, but we may choose to at least drive in to Black Lake through the giant puddles. We have recently investigated Frisken and Bulman and outings are planned for John Frank Lake. Driving into Bulman requires a medal for bravery.
There are a number of lakes in the Roche Lake Provincial Park area. Some are easily accessible like Bleeker Lake, Roche Lake, and Horseshoe Lake and some are harder to get to, requiring high clearance or 4WD. Horseshoe Lake Campsite/boat launch is off the West Roche Lake Road and the branch road is clearly signed. The road is a bit bumpy with some potholes, but is suitable for most vehicles. At the end of the road are 4 primitive campsites, a gravel boat launch, and lots of room for parking.
The boat launch starts in shallow waters On this summer day there was no one at the lake.
Much of the lake has a marshy shoreline. Behind the wetlands is montane forest.
Paddlers can go down a number of marsh channels to explore. this one was covered in lily pads and smartweed.
Dragonflies were abundant in the marshes and along the shoreline. This one landed and stayed long enough for me to get a photo from the kayak.
Some of the shallow areas were full of aquatic plants, a great place for fish to hide from predators.
Smartweed was in bloom in some of the shoreline alcoves.
A few lilies were in bloom too, with others emerging.
A small creek on the northeast end filled the lake from Roche-Tulip-Rose Lakes and a dammed channel was draining north to meet Bleeker Creek on its way down to Campbell Creek.
There were many interesting spots to explore around side channels, around reed-rush islands, and in shallow bays. The shallows are full of life and a quiet paddle on a quiet lake is a great way to experience the wetlands.
A paddle around the lake is only about 2.7 km so it is best suited to an exploratory paddle of the wetlands, but it could also be combined with another lake in the area.
Bleeker Lake is a short drive north of Roche Lake. Turn left at the signed Bleeker Lake Forest Service Road before coming to the main right turn to Roche Lake. The end of the lake is only 1 km, but the best place to launch is another kilometer along the north side of the lake at the Bleeker Lake Recreation Site.
It is a long narrow lake offering 5.2 km of paddling.
The two ends of the lake are shallow with lots of milfoil, smartweed, duckweed, and some summer algae growth. Leeches and small fish were visible in the shallows. Ducks, kingfishers, and least sandpipers were also spotted darting in and out of the shallows areas. A number of bleached deadfall snags have fallen into the lake, especially on the south shoreline.
The morning paddle was on a calm, sunny day. A few fishermen were out on the lake too. This is an accessible, quiet lake for paddlers and worth a drive up to the high country. Paddling these upland lakes can be a session of environmental meditation (but watch our for deadheads and cluttered shallows).
Frisken Lake is a nice spot to paddle or fish. It has marshy sides and is surrounded by forest.
I assembled my folding kayak, the paddled around the shoreline (2.5 km).
There was no one in the area, the lake was calm and peaceful, and I enjoyed watching the ducks, loons, and lakeside birds.
Frisken Lake is the eighth lake I have paddled in Roche Lakes Provincial Park. There are still more, but they will require a longer backpack to get a boat in. I have hiked them, so I know what will be required, but Bulman Lake and Ernest Lake will remain on the list for a future backpack.
