Morrisey Lake is a small, shallow lake near McGillivray Lake, east of Sun Peaks. Access is by the Morrisey Lake Forest Service Road, a bumpy gravel road that only goes to the lake. There are two small BC Rec Sites, one at either end. On this summer morning I drove to the far end and did a hand launch onto the lake.
The Morrisey Lake East Rec Site has 3 campsites, but the areas at either site is small and has limited access for parking and launching. It would be more awkward when the sites are full on summer weekends. On this morning, the site was not occupied.
A paddle around the lake is about 2 km so kayakers may choose to go around twice. I paddled McGillivray Lake first (5.2 km) and then Morrisey Lake, another choice for a good day of activity in the area.
McGillivray Lake is located east of Sun Peaks Road by driving on the McGillivray Lake Forest Service Road. This is a good 5.7 km gravel road.
The best launch spot is at the signed McGillivray Lake Outpost on the northwest corner of the lake.
A paddle around the lakeshore is about 5.2 km. The shoreline is forested and there are some marshy bays to explore.
On this hot summer morning there was no one else on the lake, but it can be busier at peak times.
From the lake we could see the south-facing runs on the ski hill, just 2.5 km away. This is a scenic, quiet spot most of the time, worth the drive out to the lake.
McGillivray Lake can be accessed through Sun Peaks. Take Sun Peaks Road to the McGillivray Lake Forest Service Road. It is a 5.6 km drive on a gravel road to the McGillivray Outpost/Boat Launch. A paddle around the lake (inc. all the shallow bays) is 5.8 km. On a sunny weekend with an early start there were only a small number of boats on the lake.
Tod Mountain stands to the northwest, here seen between two islands in the lake.
In summer the marshy shoreline featured yellow lilies, an osprey, lots of sweet-scented marsh orchids, and a number of sedges, reeds, and rushes.
water lily
osprey
marsh orchid
little green sedge
McGillivray Lake is one of the lakes we paddle every year. Nearby Morrisey Lake is smaller and we sometimes paddle it too as a second stop in the area.
We try to add new lakes and rivers to our paddling experiences every year, but those make for long days of travel, so we often return to some of the same lakes each year. McGillivray Lake is a spot that we paddle every year. It takes about an hour to get there with 6 km on a gravel road from Sun Peaks, but the road is usually fine and there is a good boat launch next to the McGillivray Lake Outpost at 1400 m (4593 feet).
On a day in early September, there was only one other boat on the lake so it was a quiet paddle around the lakeshore, a 5.5 km loop.
The shoreline is forested and there are some shallow marshy bays. McGillivray Lake is fed by streams of the hills above and the outlet stream flows into Little McGillivray Lake, then continues west down McGillivray Creek past Sun Peaks, joining Louis Creek near Whitecroft.
A bald eagle kept watch over the south end of the lake, unperturbed by the quiet kayak below.
While paddling north back to the launch, the slopes of Sun Peaks Resort/Tod Mountain rose over the trees, 7 km northwest.
Each lake that we paddle has its own unique environment. For McGillivray Lake, we avoid going there in spring because of the early access road conditions and cooler temperatures. We avoid June and July to miss the mosquitoes and the crowds. By the latter part of August the crowds are gone and there are no mosquitoes so we will continue to paddle there from mid August through the end of September.
McGillivray Lake is a high country lake on the Cahilty Plateau 6 km from Sun Peaks Village. The McGilllivray Lake Forest Service Road connects Sun Peaks Road to McGillivray Lake and the gravel road continues on down to Neskonlith Lake and Shuswap Road. To paddle the lake, follow the gravel road and turn in to the McGillivray Lake Outpost where there is a boat launch. The lake is surrounded by montane forest at 1385m (4544 feet) elevation.
On a smoky summer day, the webcams at Sun Peak showed reasonably clear skies so we launched our boats for a paddle under blue skies. Much of the lake has a shallow shoreline with lilies and smartweed.
The outlet for MGillivray Lake is McGillivray Creek which flows into Little McGillivray Lake, then down to Sun Peaks Village. The channel is shallow and marshy and the McGillivray Lake Recreation Site is right on the shore of the lake by the channel.
There are 3 wooded islands in the lake, making for more interesting paddling.
If we paddle all the small bays of the lake around the shoreline, the distance is 6 km. At the final approach back to the boat launch, Tod Mountain forms the backdrop, somewhat blurry in a summer of smoky conditions.
We loaded our boats then drove into nearby Morrisey Lake for another 2.5 km paddle. McGillivray Lake can be a busy spot on a weekend in summer, but it is a fine destination for weekday or shoulder season paddling.
More Information:
McGillivray Lake Road Points of Interest (link removed for security reasons)
Morrisey Lake is a shallow high country lake on the Cahilty Plateau, not far from McGillivray Lake. It is accessed from the McGillivray Lake Forest Service Road, 6 km past Sun Peaks. Aat an unsigned side road just north of McGillivray Lake, turn east and follow the dirt road for 1 km. Watch for the BC Recreation Site sign. There are 3 camping spots and a dirt ramp for launching boats.
A paddle around the shoreline is 2.5 km. Much of the lake is shallow and there is a small island in the middle. A bald eagle was perched on top of a snag on the island. Loons were fishing
Both McGillivray Lake and Morrisey Lake have shallows where smartweed, burr reed, and water lilies are in bloom in late summer. .
This is a lake that has few visitors, but it makes a nice paddling retreat in the summer heat. In a summer of smoke, the lake at 1392m (4567 ft.) was relatively clear. On this day, we paddled 6 km on McGillivray then 2.5 km on Morrisey, a good day in a kayak.
From Sun Peaks Village to McGillivray Lake is a 6 km route on a gravel road. Along the way and nearby are snowmobile access points, backroads for mountain biking, lakes for paddling, and trails for hiking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The Google Map below has information, photos, and links on these recreational opportunities. The map has zoom controls, pan capacity, sharing functions, full screen view, and embedded photos.
The route is a good gravel road. It is possible to continue south to the Amphitheatre Lake turn and complete a loop route back to Whitecroft on the Eileen Lake Road. The road also descends from the Cahilty Plateau down to Neskonlith Lake (closed in winter).
a bald eagle at Morrisey Lake
We will return to paddle, snowshoe, cross country ski, and hike the McGillivray Lake area.
When the summer heats up the valley, some of the highland lakes make a nice retreat for exploration, a workout, and some paddling. Two lakes worth visiting are McGillivray Lake and Morrisey Lake. The simplest route is to drive to Sun Peaks and follow the main road, turning up onto Sun Peaks Drive, then onto the McGillivray Lake Forest Service Road. This road is snowed-in the winter, but it is quite a good access road for late-spring, summer, and fall. Follow the road as it climbs around the resort, then around the cross-country ski system. This same road connects all the way towards Chase.
Along the way, a side road goes east to Morrisey Lake. There are two small campsites to launch a boat, camp, fish, or just picnic. It is a medium-sized lake, but in scenic forested bowl.
Not far to the south is the larger McGillivray Lake. Drive down to the McGillivray Lake Outpost where there is parking, a dock, a boat launch, and outhouses.
It is an easy launch from this spot. The lake is about 2km long. There are two large islands to explore, with a landing spot on the south tip of the northern island. Two bays are full of water lilies, loons dive for fish, fish jump with a new hatch, and many birds circled overhead.
On the way back to town, take the road south down, winding through the hills down to Neskonlith Lake. On our last trip we saw deer, a black bear, two badgers, and hillsides of wildflowers.
The road winds down the hill, passes the west end of Neskonlith Lake, and comes down to the Shuswap Road. Follow the road back to Pritchard, and cross the bridge to the Trans Canada Highway.
A paddle around the lake is about 2 km so kayakers may choose to go around twice. I paddled McGillivray Lake first (5.2 km) and then Morrisey Lake, another choice for a good day of activity in the area.
