Tag Archives: Tranquille River

Saul Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Saul Lake is on the Sawmill Lake Forest Service Road about 30 km northwest from Kamloops.   A short drive leads to a boat launch and an open spot for camping.

The whole area is very open with cutblocks and replanted areas all around.   There are also extensive marshes to the east.

The bays on the east side are full of water lilies.

Moose sometimes eat all the lily buds, but there were a few starting to bloom on the east end of the lake.

A channel leads to the eastern marshes.

There were loons and ospreys on the lake, always a sign that there are fish in the lake.

The paddle around the shoreline of the lake is about 3.3 km.   Given the traveling distance to this lake, paddlers may want to combine Saul Lake with another lake like Truda (7 km away) or Tranquille Lake (13 km farther).   Saul Lake is a very pleasant paddle so 2 loops might be just as good a choice.

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Tranquille Lake

Kamloops Kayak Posted on by

Tranquille Lake lies at the foot of the southern end of Bonaparte Plateau.   Porcupine Ridge is due north and backcountry surrounds the lake.   The road ends at Wendego Lodge, the destination for most people who go to this area.   We drove through Lac du Bois, then took the Pass Lake Road and continued on the Sawmill Creek Road.until the 40 KM marker then turned right onto a high clearance (private) road which follows the Tranquille River past Truda Lake and up to Tranquille Lake.

Most people going to Tranquille Lake will go to the lodge to launch a boat (there will likely be a parking/launch fee as there are at all fishing lodges) but there is also a small hand launch site at the western end of the lake.

On the western end of the lake is a log boom above the outlet to the lake.

From the lake we can see the Lodge and 12 cabins on the northern shores of the lake.   We have found the management of Wendego Lodge to be very friendly to visitors.

The paddling loop around the shoreline of the lake is about 4 km so paddlers can go around twice or alternately do two lakes in the area to make the long drive worth the effort.   We chose to do Saul Lake on the way back, but Truda Lake is another good choice.  The whole area provides “tranquil” paddling.

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