The chain of lakes from Davis Lake to Flat Lake would best be done in the spring while there is still lots of water in the channels between the lakes and before the mosquitoes hatch.   The start is on Davis Lake, 20 km southwest of 100 Mile House.   The chain is usually done in one to three day trips.   All of the portages are short, but are not well-marked.

It would be best to scout the route out and that will be my intention.   A one-day trip with a small kayak, a round-trip of about 10 km with 3 portages each way is planned.

With this sort of adventure it is the portages that are the issue.   Two people with a good packing system can carry a canoe much more easily than kayakers can manage.   A small 10 foot kayak will slip over the shoulder with a padded shoulder insert to allow carrying for short distances.   I also have a SUP sling-carry system I will be trying out.   Two people can also carry one kayak and then come back for the other, but kayaks are more awkward than canoes for portaging.   .

The route to the end and back is 12 portages, but split into two days this can be done.

Flat Lake Provincial Park is mostly undeveloped but has rocky islets, bogs, marshes, riparian and aquatic vegetation, ducks, and a variety of birds including loons, herons, as well as beavers and muskrats.

Because it is fairly inaccessible except by canoe and portaging, it offers paddlers a chance to experience wild wetlands firsthand.

Watch for an article in the spring…