Johnson Lake
Johnson Lake sits high in the hills above Adams Lake. The best road up to the 3800 foot lake is from the Agate Bay Road. The road is wide and well-graded. The other route is from Adams Lake, either from Brennan Creek or from the 28.5km mark. I followed the latter route which climbed through a series of switchbacks with some nice views down Adams Lake. Although the area has been logged, there were no recent cuts and cedar forests covered the upper valleys.
At Johnson Lake, the road on the south side is a good one, I pulled into the BC Forest Service Campsite at the east end. I launched my kayak and paddled the shoreline loop of the whole lake, an 11km route. The water is crystalline blue and clear to depths. Every inch of the lake bottom can be seen from the shoreline due to the limestone of the area. Shoals provide interesting viewing and some small schools of fish could be seen in blue water over a white shoal. Cedar forests lined the shoreline all the way. There are a few cabins on the north shore, but three-quarters of the lakeshore is forested. The resort sits at the far south west and narrowest end of the lake. The actual resort is out of site between two lakes and only docks can be seen from the water. At the east end of the lake, the camping area sits on a sandy white shoal with the clearest water I have seen in this area. The Johnson Lake Trails were built for horseback riders, but are used by hikers and snowmobilers too. The trails start at the northeast side of the lake. There are 22km of trails to explore. For a map of the trails, go to this link.
On a hot summer day, this highland gem is a recommended destination.
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