Badger Lake Paddle
One of our favorite lakes to kayak is found far up in the hills north of Kamloops. Badger Lake has an upgraded BC Rec Site for camping and a new boat launch area. To get to Badger Lake, most vehicles turn north off the Sun Peaks Road, heading toward Knouff Lake, then they just keep going all the way to Badger Lake. There are just about always lots of potholes and puddles after Sullivan Lake so it is a slow 7km drive. There are signs along the way to get us to the lake, ignoring turns along the way. Just before the campground is a signed gravel road that points the way down to the boat launch.
There is lots of parking and easy access to the water in the middle of the lake.
The lake is in a forested setting but clear water and a variety of trees makes a picturesque paddle
One of the best things about Badger Lake is a back channel of shallow lagoons sometimes called Spooney Lake.
Paddling through the back channels adds an extra 3km of quiet paddling, usually with good opportunities to see ducks, geese, loons, and eagles. The marshlands have wide channels to paddle among the rushes and reeds.
Paddling the whole lakeshore is 8.3 km. It is a popular spot for fishing too, but on a late summer mid-week paddle, the lake had only one other boat on it.
We chose to drive back on the Orchard Lake Road, a good resource road that goes down to McLure, but the junctions are unsigned so it may not be for all drivers.
We recommend both Sullivan (Knouff) Lake and Badger Lake as great paddling destinations. We have also paddled nearby Little Knouff Lake (difficult access) and Community Lake.
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