Pat Lake is a small lake in the Six Mile Hills. It is reached from a bumpy road going off the uphill side of the TranCanada Highway just west of Tobiano. It is a popular fishing lake and it is a busy spot in spring, but by mid-summer it is quiet at the lake.
The road to and under the lake was once the Kamloops to Savona Road. We launch right into the submerged roadbed.
I paddled around the lake twice, once in each direction.
There were loons and ducks on the lake and raptors searching for a meal. This is a scenic and peaceful spot, one we return to paddle every year.
On a mild spring day I drove up to Pat Lake in the Six Mile Hills. It is a popular spot for fishing in the early season so I arrived early then paddled along the shoreline.
Two loops of the lake (one in each direction) is only 4 km so I hiked around the lake too.
The sounds of blackbirds, ducks, geese, loons, frogs, songbirds, and wind is best captured with video:
This is a favorite lake to paddle and a favorite area to hike, always worth the drive up into the hills.
On a smoky day I drove up into the hills to look for a smaller lake to paddle, then go for a short hike. I chose Pat (Six Mile) Lake. Access is on a rough road that turns off the Trans Canada Highway just west of Tobiano. the old double track was once the highway and a bit of the asphalt is still on the road, but the road is mostly potholes now. Both Pat Lake and Morgan Lake were dammed and the expanded lakes cover the old paved track. I parked at the east end of Pat Lake and paddled around the lake.
The shallow boat launch is actually the old road bed.
The west end of Pat Lake is marshy. Most of the ducks were in the shoreline reeds and rushes.
Although the sky was smoky, the hills reflected in the lake on a calm day.
I paddled the lakeshore and then turned the kayak and paddled back the other way for a 4 km workout.
Fishermen were on the lake. It is one of the first lakes to open in spring and it is stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C.
After paddling and reloading the boat I went for a short hike on backroads. The end of summer dry grasses and ponderosa pines dominated the landscape.
Pat Lake was one more lake in a season of paddling. This was day 55 of 66 days of paddling in 2020. Some lakes are paddled every year, some are every 2nd or 3rd year and a few are first time or last time paddles.
Pat Lake and Jacko Lake are usually the first two lakes to be ice-free in spring so they get a lot of fishermen early in the season, but once all lakes are open, Pat Lake can be a quiet spot in summer. We can access the lake from the Tunkwa Lake Road or from the Six Mile road above Tobiano. Six Mile Road was once the Trans Canada Highway so there are still some asphalt sections on the way through. When Pat Lake and Morgan Lake were dammed, dirt road bypasses were cut. They were once rough, but they are now reasonable roads for most cars. i parked and launched at the east end of the lake on this late summer day.
The launch is the old road bed which used to go along the north side of Pat Lake.
While I was paddling around the west end of the lake, an osprey dove and caught a fish. As it winged across the lake, a bald eagle attacked and the fish was dropped. The osprey turned to safety and the eagle continued to hunt and after a few circuits above, swooped to catch a fish.
The bald eagles showed little care of me in my kayak, but it kept its eyes on me as it soared above the lake.
On the northern side of the lake in the reeds were a number of logs, many of which had western painted turtles sunning on them. Turtles will plunge into the lake if we make noise so a quiet approach is needed to spot of photograph them. All three lakes in the Six Mile area have turtles.
The route around the shoreline is only 2 km so I paddled once counter-clockwise, then turned the kayak and paddled around the lake clockwise for a second loop. Both Jacko and Pat Lake have grassland hills rising above the lake, a more scenic setting than forested hills for most lakes.
We enjoy hiking this area too, but we also return to paddle it once a year to enjoy a quiet sojourn on the lake. Ospreys, eagles, loons, dragonflies, and turtles are a bonus
The road to and under the lake was once the Kamloops to Savona Road. We launch right into the submerged roadbed.
I paddled around the lake twice, once in each direction.
There were loons and ducks on the lake and raptors searching for a meal. This is a scenic and peaceful spot, one we return to paddle every year.
Pat Lake was one more lake in a season of paddling. This was day 55 of 66 days of paddling in 2020. Some lakes are paddled every year, some are every 2nd or 3rd year and a few are first time or last time paddles.
