There are 3 or 4 launch spots in the Savona area to paddle the west end of Kamloops Lake. During freshet some are not practical since the shoreline gets flooded and debris, including logs, fills the launch areas. The public boat launch in Savona Park was closed and logs enclosed the area so the best launch was off the beach at Steelhead Provincial Park.
On this rainy morning the route was north past where the lake drains into the Thompson River, then north up the shoreline. On a windy day an out-and-back route might be best, but with little wind it was an easy 1.4 km crossing of the lake.
The loop was completed by paddling down the lake to Steelhead Park, a 7 km paddle around the west end of Kamloops lake:
Painted Bluffs Provincial Park lies on the north side of Kamloops Lake east of Copper Creek. Access by land is difficult, but it can be done from the Copper Creek Road just below the Sabiston Creek Road junction (link). We have been in to Painted Bluffs five times in the last 2 years, with the last time by kayak from Savona. We paddle on Kamloops Lake a few times each year, but we always check for weather conditions before heading out. Typically the lake is calm in the morning and winds arise after 11:00. Strong winds may be difficult for paddlers and they are often at their worst at about noon. A crossing of the lake is about 2 km.
There is an official boat launch on the west end of Savona, but we hand launched from the former Savona Provincial Park area not far from the mill instead. Access to the parking area and the beach below is blocked by large boulders so we parked on the side of Savona Access Road, then hauled our kayaks down to the beach (using rear wheels). The beach is rocky but this is no problem in calm conditions. We launched and then angled northeast to the far shore. The paddle to Painted Bluffs is 6.5 km.
It takes about 1.25 hours in calm conditions to paddle across the lake and up the shoreline past Copper Creek. The whole route over and back is very scenic.
There is a good beach/shore for a kayak landing. We pulled our boats onto the beach and hiked up across the train tracks and into the bluffs. As we approached the ragged ridges and gullies, there was very little vegetation below the cinnabar, iron, and copper infused slopes.
There are no trails, but with some light scrambling we can go over ridges to gullies that can be hiked or we can hike up the narrow eroded ridges.
All exploration is limited by eroded green (copper) red and orange (cinnabar and iron) ridges Over the years we have clambered over all parts of the park.
The outing was on 9/11 and only by serendipityI spotted and took a photo with N11 in it.
Every trip into Painted Bluffs is a bit different because of changing light conditions. Ragged shapes and patterns can be seen, depending on the angle of the view and the light. No matter how many times I hike in Painted Bluffs, my sense of wonder is never diminished.
We paddled back just as the winds came up and we had about 1 km of concentrated paddling with waves coming out of the southeast. We came under the shelter of Six Mile Hill and then paddled west along the south shore of the lake back to Savona.
This is an outing that we try to do every year. The combination of paddling on Kamloops Lake surrounded by its scenic, rugged hills and hiking in Painted Bluffs is a prime Double Feature for our summer.
The Deadman Valley runs north for over 50km from the Trans-Canada Highway, a scenic drive, but also a good route to explore lakes, falls, hoodoos, and backcountry routes. Each time we make the whole-day trip, we pick new points of interest for more exploration. Last year, it was Deadman Falls, Sherwood hoodoos, and Snohoosh Lake (Deadmans Tour). This year it was Deadman Falls, Deadman Gorge, and Deadman Lake. On our next trip, we will paddle Hihium Lake and hike up to Split Rock.
We drove up the length of the valley right to the trailhead to Deadman Falls and walked to the brink of the canyon. The river was rushing down to the edge of the basalt lava cliffs where it plunged 200 feet to the bottom of the gorge. The sources of the Deadman River are the lakes and uplands meadows of the 4000 foot Kukwaus Plateau to the northeast. The viewpoint on the north side of the gorge is at the top of sheer cliffs, making it difficult to get the full falls into a photo. It is a spot to show lots of caution.
We followed the rim downstream to a side valley, then scrambled down a very steep slope to the bottom of the gorge at edge of the river. There was clearly no way to work our way up the gorge to the base of the falls. It was just a series of cascades surrounded by cliffs on both sides. We scrambled back up the way we came.
On our way back down the Deadman Valley we stopped at the Deadman Lake Recreation Site for lunch before launching our kayaks for a paddle around the lake.
This lake is surrounded by forest and a complete circuit is only 3.2 km. A mother loon had a hatchling on her back on the north end of the lake. There are a couple of summer homes on the lake, but there was no one around on a weekday in May.
Lava flow cliffs and sculpted erosion slopes can be viewed along the 50km length of the valley, all requiring further exploration, another reason to return to the Deadman River Valley.
We try to visit Painted Bluffs every year. It can be done by driving the Sabiston Creek Road and then down to Copper Creek, but this can be a long drive and off-trail awkward route. Our preference is to paddle over from Savona, a 6.5 km route (each way) with a 1.5 km lake crossing.
There is a beach below the park suitable for landing a boat. Be careful of poison ivy in the area behind the logs. Follow the dry creek drainage into the foot of the hills, then pick your own route to explore the multi-hued cliffs, stained with copper, cinnabar, and iron. Each time we explore the area, we pick a different route. The combination of perspectives and light conditions makes each visit a new experience.
From the east side, we found new views down to the lake.
Each perspective brings new detail.
One of the few places the blazing-star can be seen is at Painted Bluffs in June and July. It was in bloom on barren sandy hillsides.
After lunch on the beach, the winds had picked up. This is always a risk in paddling Kamloops Lake. Crossing Kamloops Lake is best done in ocean-kayaks (16’+). We angled off into the wind, a 2.5 km challenging crossing, but once across, we followed the shoreline west with the wind at our backs.
Images of Painted Bluffs stay with us for the months to follow.
After a number of years visiting Painted Bluffs Provincial Park, we now only visit by boat. The land route is not easy, nor pleasing. After a long drive to Copper Creek, there is no suitable access because of private property, fencelines, and the railway. On the other hand, a boat can launch from Savona (or Tobiano) and go across the lake, following the shoreline up to the beach at the foot of the bluffs.
The landing is an easy one on a gravel beach.
A short hike up the slopes and across the railroad tracks is required. There is no discernible trail, but a route follows the dry stream bed up to the bluffs. Sinuous ridges extend from the hill above. The dominant colors are green (copper), red (cinnabar), orange (iron and algae on rocks). Nothing grows on the narrow ridges, nor in the rills between them. The foot of the bluffs is an eerie spot. A visitor can explore the foot of the bluffs easily or climb side hills for a better view.
On our last visits, we have chosen to climb the ridges for different perspectives, following the colored ridges to new viewpoints.
The narrow ridgetops are a scramble suited to good boots and steady balance and the gullies are difficult to traverse, but the diversity of colors, shapes, and materials brings new rewards to explorers willing to climb to the heights of the bluffs.
There are a few rocky ridges intermixed with the eroded bluffs too. A few scrubby plants can be found among the rocks. In the gullies are pieces of calcite, sheets of mica, and variety of interesting rock samples. First Nations people gathered copper nuggets at the bluffs and nearby at Copper Creek. When we travel to the site, we practice no impact exploration, leaving samples where they were found. On a previous trip, we watched bighorn sheep traversing the upper bluffs, but we try to stay on the tops of ridges or in the bottom of stream gullies, not wanting to erode the sides of the ridges. With almost no vegetation on the bluffs, we were surprised to see blazing stars in bloom on a rocky-sandy ridge.
Painted Bluffs retains its other-worldly beauty because it is in a remote spot. Visitors need to respect the heritage values of the site, taking only photos away with them and leaving no trace of their passing.
On this rainy morning the route was north past where the lake drains into the Thompson River, then north up the shoreline. On a windy day an out-and-back route might be best, but with little wind it was an easy 1.4 km crossing of the lake.
The loop was completed by paddling down the lake to Steelhead Park, a 7 km paddle around the west end of Kamloops lake:
