Tag Archives: South Thompson River

March 14 – Cold Water Kayaking on the River

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The first day of kayaking for 2022 was March 2.    In 2023, colder weather kept ice on the river and when it started to break up cold winds prohibited comfortable paddling.    By March 12, we had signs of spring coming and on March 14 the winds were about 10 km out of the east.   Boat launch gates were still locked so getting to the water was more challenging, but can be done at a couple of spots.    In this case, there is a new concrete boat launch ramp at Pioneer Park so that was the location for the first paddle of the year.

The launch was easy, wearing a dry suit and neoprene boots for cold-water protection.    The paddle upstream was slower with a headwind and a current.

The first few paddles will all be on the river – upstream, downstream, and at other launch spots.    All efforts will de dependent on the winds each day.

A short video features some of the moments on the river:

 

 

Exploring Pritchard Provincial Park

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On a fall day, I launched from the beach at the Pritchard Bridge and paddled out into the river.

I paddled upstream and the downstream flow was quite manageable for steady progress.    I paddled up to Pritchard Provincial Park, a marine strip park along the South Thompson River.

I paddled past the park, around a rocky bluff and some farmland shoreline.    On the way back, landed on the shoreline in the park and walked the beach.


With the salmon run starting, there were many birds on the river – crows, eagles, geese, and gulls were active on the rivershore.   There is foot access to the two sections of parklands along the river (north and south of the bridge) and we are planning to walk these sections in late winter when the beaches clear of snow.

This will be a paddle I will return to do each year, in the spring or fall, when the flow of the river allows reasonable paddling.

Freshet River Rain

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On a rainy grey morning I launched my kayak from the grass in Pioneer Park and paddled downstream on the surging current of the river during freshet.

It rained for about half of the outing.    High volumes of water makes the paddle back upstream harder, especially around the bridge supports.

When it rains we can wear a good paddling jacket and hat and use a spray skirt.   We can stay relatively dry, especially on days that are not windy.

On rainy days we actually stay drier when kayaking than we would while hiking.    If it is windy and rainy, we take a miss, but this is infrequent in Kamloops.

 

 

On the River in March

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We try to get our kayaks in the water in the river as soon as enough ice and snow melts to allow us easy access to launch and land.   Our first choice is Pioneer Park.   In early March when the gate to the boat launch is still locked, we have to transport our kayaks on wheels down to the river shore, and on our first launch, we had to pull the boat over layers of ice to get to the open water.   In later paddling sessions, we were able to use the boat launch to unload and launch.   When we ready the kayak for a paddle, there are no other boats in sight, but dog walkers are common.    We launch and paddle upstream or downstream, alternating, but adjusting to wind conditions too.

 

The  most common route is to paddle upstream first.   It is 1.6 km to the Yellowhead Bridge.   There is some faster water in the big S-turn east of the bridge.   Turn-around spots vary according to the length of the paddle session planned and on wind conditions.   We paddle up for somewhere from 40 – 80 minutes then turn back downstream.

 

On a sunny day, the sun glares down as I paddle upstream, reflecting in the river.

 

On a day with no wind, the going is slower upstream, about 3.5 km per hour, but much faster downstream.

 

When the wind blows from the west, the paddle downstream can be slow too.

 

We also paddle down to the Confluence then west on the Thompson River and back upstream.   If we want a harder workout, we paddle up the North Thompson river and back.

Some Early season Paddling Tips:

  • The water is cold so either a dry entry or good boots helps to keep the feet warm.
  • to stay warm , we use a spray skirt, a paddling jacket, and paddling gloves.
  • If there is a cold wind, we usually wait for a better day.
  • Paddle close to the shoreline.   If you capsize, it will be better to go to the shoreline than to try a wet, cold self-rescue.

 

 

 

Floodlands Squall

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On a mid-July day, I launched my kayak at the Tranquille Wildlife Management Area and paddled out into Tranquille Bay. The plan was to paddle a large loop, crossing the river to the floodlands on the south side. After many days of paddling in the floodlands, I have developed routes through river channels and with the water starting to fall, I wanted to do a longer (10 km) loop. Under sunny-cloudy skies and light winds I did the 2 km crossing to the far-side channel, then turned east, upriver, winding through a maze of channels. The route goes all the way to the edge of the wastewater ponds. From there I follow a route out to the river and work my way back.

Some grey clouds were moving across Kamloops Lake as I crossed Tranquille Bay.

Cloud-filtered sunshine to the east created silver light on the river.

But blue skies over Mt. Mara looked like good weather would last for the paddle.

At the east end of the river channels some rain clouds moved in, bringing large raindrops

Geese and ducks headed for cover as I turned onto the stormy river.

Stronger winds and drifts of rain washed over the kayak as I paddled back across the river in choppy conditions.

Much of the squall hit the south side of the river and by the time I reached the north side of the floodlands some clearer skies broke through dark clouds.

The final part of the paddle emerged out of the rain showers into calmer conditions, some bluer skies, and easier paddling.

The 18 foot ocean kayak weathers wind, showers, and waves well. I have lots of experience in paddling in adverse conditions, I know and have practiced self-rescue techniquesl, I had all my safety equipment and I would have gone to ground on the shoreline if conditions were dangerous. I had my spray skirt on which kept my legs dry, but I got pretty wet on my torso and arms. Another adventure on the water.

 

 

 

Fall Color on the River

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On Hallowe’en Day the weather was colder, but the sun was shining.    With no wind, there were colorful reflections in the river.

Cloudy mists hung over Mt. Peter.

Blue skies and colorful leaves reflected in the river.

Many tones of greens and yellows are brought out in the sunlight.

And, some spots show reds, yellows, and greens, surrounded by blues in reflection symmetry.

A great blue heron stood by the rivershore as I drifted by.

The temperature was -1C, but with no wind.   Paddling will continue into November.

 

 

 

South Thompson River from Valleyview

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On a grey, cool May day with rainshowers in the hills, I decided to paddle from the Valleyview Boat Launch.    There was no wind at the start, but it was only 4 degrees.

The sun started to shine through filtered clouds over the calm river.   I paddled upstream for 3.6 km.

A wind out of the southwest rippled the water and helped in my upstream paddle.  There were no other boats on the river.

I turned around at about the Pineridge Golf Course and came back on the other shore, now into a 10 km headwind.


This was a 1.5 hour paddle, a good workout wedged in between weather systems.   I turned on the GPS watch at about the 1.4 km mark and then created this video from the track.

Relive ‘Valleyview River’

 

Three and a Half Bridges

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In the right conditions paddling on the Thompson Rivers is great in March.   On this mid-March day, there was no wind and blue skies.   I paddled west from Pioneer Park, going under the Red Bridge, then the Black (CN) Bridge before passing through the Confluence.   The river is quite low at this time of year and there are gravel bars in the confluence area.   Much of the area is shallow because of silts deposited by the two rivers as they collide and merge.

Overlander Bridge is the third bridge on the downriver route.   The half bridge is seen to the west, with 3 pillars still standing in the river.

The section down to Rabbit Island is relatively calm.   Mara Mountain above cottonwoods reflected in the river as I approached McArthur Island.

I paddled down the north side of Rabbit Island to inspect the narrow channel.  At its narrowest spot it is only about 8m across and only mid-calf deep.   I was planning on wading over to hike around the island in the next week.

The return route is more difficult, paddling upstream for about 4 km.   A rhythmic paddle stroke yields slow progress toward the confluence.

Old pilings in the river are easy to spot in low water.   These ones were west of Overlander Bridge.

 

With no wind, it is easy to see how shallow the Confluence is.   Mt. Peter and Mt. Pail stand above the meeting of the waters.

The sandy beach next to the boat launch in Pioneer Park makes a fine place to launch and land.

When there is more water in the rivers we can paddle around Rabbit Island, already planned for another day on the river later in spring.

On the River in March

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Even though snows still linger, we can start paddling on the river.   Although the Pioneer Park boat launch is still closed, we can get our boat down to the river with a little extra work.   Since the water is cold, we used a wetsuit and stayed close to the shoreline.

The south-facing shoreline was clear of snow but the north-facing shoreline still has some snow and ice.

There were lots of ducks (mallards and buffleheads), geese, some swans, crows, and an eagle on the river.   Lots of spring-shed feathers were floating on the water.

This first upriver paddle and back downstream to the launch was 7 km.   As the season progresses we lengthen the paddling distance.    We can also head upstream on the North Thompson which has a stronger current.

After a long winter, a return to paddling is welcome and we look forward to 8 more months of paddling on the rivers and lakes.

On the River in October

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By October it is rare to see another boat on either the South or North Thompson Rivers.   The boat launches remain open but we are more likely to see dog walkers than power boats.  We continue to launch our kayak onto the river to paddle various routes on the river.   Downstream is always easier but requires vehicle support so most outings are to paddle upstream then back or vice versa.   One of the best routes is to launch at Pioneer Park and paddle upstream to Valleyview and back.
The river is low in fall but that leaves gravel bars to launch from and many places to land.   Although the water is cooler, it is not yet cold.   Neoprene boots are a good choice for wet launches and landings.   We also wear a spray skirt in the fall and early spring.

The shoreline has few visitors, but there are many ducks, geese, seagulls.   On this day we also spotted a young great blue heron and some migrating spring salmon.

On a windless day, the sky is reflected into the peaceful river.

Geese take up residence along the banks of the river for most of the winter.   They were spotted in groups of 25 – 30 in several places on the South Thompson River.

We paddle upstream for about 45 minutes before turning around, taking our time to paddle and drift downstream in the last days of paddling for the year.

In most years we can paddle into November, but we are cautious about temperature and wind so we choose the right times, days, and routes.   We have been able to get the boat into the water at the end of February some years so the kayaking season is sometimes 9 months.

Lafarge to Pioneer Park Downriver

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Every spring we paddle down the South Thompson River in 21 km outings.    From the Lafarge Bridge (NE side) we launched our kayaks and enjoyed a 3 hour flatwater paddle from Lafarge to Pioneer Park.   Using a two vehicle system, we started paddling about 9:30 am and landed at the boat launch at Pioneer by 12:30.   One of the keys to an outing like this is to paddle downstream before the power boats get onto the river, if possible.

There are homes, businesses, the railway, and the highway along the south shore, but the north shore is much quieter and more scenic.

Eagles and ospreys watched over the river along the route.   This eagle perched in front of its nest in a snag.  Photos taken from a kayak are never easy.   It would be easy to drop the camera in the swirling, swiftly-moving water of the river.  The camera survived this last outing.

Five kayaks are seen here below the silt cliffs on the north side of the river near Harper Ranch.

tThere were geese, goslings, ducks, blackbirds, and bank swallows all along the route.

On several sections of the river there is only the riparian zone with Shuswap Road and the silt cliffs above, remnants of a glacial lake.

On the other side are waterfront homes near Campbell Creek, in Dallas, and Valleyview.   The final section of the journey goes through a narrow section by the TIB Office, then a short section into Downtown Kamloops.

 

By noon there was a fair amount of boat traffic on the river, a good time to land and get the 18+ foot kayaks away from the noise and turbulent waves of the powerboat crowd.   The best part of this route is the first half with quiet kayaks gliding among the birds on the river.

More Information:

Paddling Upstream from Lafarge

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tIn spring we start our paddling season on the South Thompson and North Thompson Rivers.   The best launch is from Pioneer Park, but we also go to other launch sites to paddle different parts of the rivers.   With Valleyview Boat Launch closed for bank repairs, we went out to the Lafarge Bridge beach and paddled upstream in early April.

There is a good access road to a small beach where we can launch the boat to paddle upstream.

The river runs fast here and the north shore has extensive gravel bars so we launch and swing out into the main river channel.

The river looks calm to the east, but all parts of the river run quickly so it is hard paddling and slow progress upstream.   At times it is like “paddling on a treadmill.”

After an hour of paddling upstream, I turned the kayak for a gentle downstream return paddle.

Because of the current (and some wind), the downstream paddle was 3x faster than upstream, but distance is not the issue in the early season.   We just need to build up the core muscles and establish some endurance in preparation for 9 months of paddling.

At the end of the paddle,  as we approach the Lafarge Bridge, we swing over to the beach for an easy landing.

We often land at the Lafarge Bridge when we paddle downstream from Pritchard.   It is is much more enjoyable outing than battling the river upstream.    After all, the “treadmill” becomes tiresome after a while.

South and North Thompson Rivers Paddle

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Paddling upstream is always a good workout and part of a spring fitness program, getting ready for longer paddling adventures on the bigger lakes, the rivers, and the ocean in the summer.   One route we do every spring is to go up the North Thompson River, which is a bit harder than the South Thompson River.   I launched at Pioneer Park and paddled downstream to start the day.

 

The route goes under the Red Bridge, then the Black Bridge to the confluence, an easy 1.3 km start to the paddling day.

 

 

There was a “flotilla” of swans near the confluence which were annoyed at this long (18′) green boat coming toward them, but I turned the corner and started upstream towards the Halston Bridge.

 

There are a number of gravel or sand banks on both sides of the river so the best course is to paddle straight up the middle.   There are sections of faster water so progress is slow at times.   Ducks and geese stayed close to the shoreline and a bald eagle watched from a still-leafless cottonwood tree.

 

The beaches along Schubert Drive were starting to shrink as the flow of the river increased.    This is a quiet route with no road noise until we got close to the bridge.  Progress upstream is at about 3.5 km an hour.   We can probably do 4 km/hour, but steady, rhythmic paddling is the key to endurance work.

 

 

The Halston Bridge was busy but there was also a train crossing the CN Bridge.   Some faster water swirls under both bridges.

 

 

I paddled past the CN Bridge and looked upstream at the river.   That section of river up to Rayleigh will be another day of paddling, launching out of Westsyde.

 

 

I turned the boat and paddled gently downstream, averaging more like 7.5 to 8 km/h.    Mt. Paul stands over the rivers on the way back to the confluence.

 

 

Looking south into the sun is the confluence of the South and North Thompson Rivers overshadowed by the City, but reflected clouds in the river were the memory I took away from the return paddle.   Turning the corner, the final 1.3 km is another slow one, upstream to Pioneer Park.