We paddled Leighton Lake on a warm summer weekday. This popular fishing lake has a good boat launch for easy access.
In spring, summer and early fall, there are usually lots of ducks and geese on the lake, especially in shallow bays
Grasslands and high country forests surround Leighton and Tunkwa Lakes.
A rock bluff covered in orange crustose lichen can be found at the southwest corner of the lake
The loop around the shoreline of Leighton Lake is about 3.3 km, winding through each little bay.
Since Tunkwa and Leighton Lakes are popular fishing destinations, paddlers should pick non-prime times to avoid running into boats, lines, and concerned fishermen. Tunkwa was one of the lakes used for the World Fly Fishing Championship in 1993 and remains a productive and popular fishing lake.
“Tunkwa and Leighton Lakes lay approximately twenty minutes drive from either Savona or Logan Lake along a good gravel and dirt road. Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park s comprised of 5,100 hectares of grassland, forests, creeks, wetlands and lakes on the Thompson Plateau.
The area was used for hunting and fishing by First Nations peoples, but its elevation and long winters
discouraged permanent residence. A transportation corridor was likely used from Kamloops Lake up Durand Creek and down Guichon Creek towards the Nicola River for trade. The first mining claims were established in nearby Logan Lake as early as 1871, but little development occurred for the next ninety years. Full scale development of the mines nearby started up in the 1960s. There were some claims in the Tunkwa Lake area also, and there is a story that a trapper was paid to over-winter in a cabin near the lakes just to protect the claim. Winters are long in this high country!
The area was used by ranchers and homesteaders early in the twentieth century in the Meadow Creek area, the Guichon Creek Valley and in some of the grassland areas toward Tunkwa and Leighton Lakes. Ranching continues to be active in these highland plateaus.
Tunkwa and Leighton Lakes were made larger by damming the outlets. Downstream grazing lands benefit from a summer supply of water from these reservoirs. This occurred as early as 1909 when James Leighton funded a project to use the headwaters of Guichon Creek. By putting a ditch into Tunkwa Lake and anotherat Leighton Lake, with dams on both to feed Durand Creek as needed, he was able to provide irrigation and domestic water for the ranches on the southern hills
above Savona. James Leighton came from Scotland to California in the 1850s and then moved to Vancouver Island. He went on to Barkerville, then Lytton with his uncle while still a teenager. He became an agent for Barnard’s Express, and then moved to Cache Creek where he and his new
wife took care of the telegraph. In 1881 he received the contract to carry the weekly mail from Cache Creek to Kamloops and on to Spallumcheen. They movedo Savona and over time Leighton took up ranching,acquiring 1,800 acres, with another 2,400 acres leased. He took on the task of running the ferry at Savona, was District cattle overseer, Fisheries Officer and superintendent of the B.C. Express. In James’ retirement he published some of his reminiscences in The Sentinelnewspaper in Kamloops. He passed away in 1945 at the age of 94.
Tunkwa Lake was named after the Indian word “Toonkwa” which means Goose Lake. It was established as a Provincial Park in 1996 out of recommendations from a Provincial Management Plan process for the area. The lake features one of the top ten fisheries in the province, specializing in the famous Kamloops fighting trout. The two lakes also provide stock for other lakes in British Columbia. There are extensive grasslands surrounding the lake, with bluegrass, rough fescue, needle-and-thread and blue bunch wheatgrass. Grassland birds like meadowlarks, curlews, killdeer and vesper sparrows nest in the spring. Riparian zones, swamps and ponds are home to waterfowl such as ducks, geese, loons,grebes and sandpipers. The surrounding forests are habitat for moose, deer, bears, coyotes, lynx, bobcat, cougars, rabbits, marmots, eagles, kestrels and grouse. Campers can stay at either Tunkwa or Leighton Lake and a total of 275 sites are available for fishermen, hunters, ATVers, hikers and geocachers, and anyone who loves the outdoors. Recreationalists can visit nearby Logan Lake for supplies and services.
Tunkwa Lake is reached on the the Tunkwa Lake Forest Service Road from Logan Lake (15km) or from Savona (km). The lake lies entirely within Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. Follow the paved road to the campground and look for the gravel launch on your left.
The lake is a busy fishing lake so paddlers can choose a quieter time to stay out of the away of fishing lines. The shoreline is often shallow or choked with underwater weeds. Early in the season, paddlers can do the entire 8.5km shoreline, but later in the year may choose to skip or skirt the long inlets and shallow areas. The lake is surrounded by grasslands. The east shore has a few cabins. Fish swam in the shallows in this stocked lake. “Toonqua” Lake in local Indian dialect means “Goose” Lake. On this September day, there were many ducks and geese on and around the lake. A good place for a quiet paddle.
Tunkwa is a mecca for fishermen, quads, motorcycles, and for camping, but is not known for hiking, biking, or paddling. The hike around either (or both lakes) is very pleasant. Starting at the trailhead between the lakes (at the end of the campground) trails can be followed, although the meadows can be buggy in the early summer. In the summer, the trails can be grown over, but the route is always obvious. Similarly, paddling around either lake is a nice afternoon with several easy points to launch from. We have hiked the uplands above the lake and the backroads to the east, but they are best explored by m0untain bike (and will be featured in another story).
In spring, summer and early fall, there are usually lots of ducks and geese on the lake, especially in shallow bays
Grasslands and high country forests surround Leighton and Tunkwa Lakes.
A rock bluff covered in orange crustose lichen can be found at the southwest corner of the lake
The loop around the shoreline of Leighton Lake is about 3.3 km, winding through each little bay.
Since Tunkwa and Leighton Lakes are popular fishing destinations, paddlers should pick non-prime times to avoid running into boats, lines, and concerned fishermen. Tunkwa was one of the lakes used for the World Fly Fishing Championship in 1993 and remains a productive and popular fishing lake.
This is an article I wrote for Gold Country Geotourism on Tunkwa and Leighton Lakes:
