A few tips on planning for the portage to Murtle Lake.

An Overview

• The portage is 2.5 km.
• There are small several hills along the gravel path.
• At the launch area is the registration kiosk, a rack for carts, and rental equipment, but there are no staff there.
• The launch beach has a dock and a rocky beach (Parks should clear out the rocks and add some gravel).

Canoe or Kayak

• We can load more gear into a canoe, but too much weight can make for a difficult portage for either a canoe or kayak.
• Two people can move the canoe better.    Some people pull with a harness.
• Plastic kayaks have a lot of flex and can be damaged on a cart with a heavy load in the hatches.
• Some kayaks do not have reinforced handles.    Bring a strap, just in case.

Cart

• Larger wheels make a difference.   The Blue River Campground (at the bottom of the Murtle Lake Forest Service Road) rents good carts.
• Smaller kayak carts can be disassembled, but have smaller tires.
• Tubeless tires mean no flat tires (which has happened to me).
• We bring a cable lock and leave our carts at the launch area.

Tying the Boat onto the Cart

• Carefully centering and balancing the boat makes a big difference.
• I prefer to have the front of the boat a little on the high side.   On hills the nose will sit lower and it is easier to push (lightly)down than it is to pull up.
• When you use tie downs, it is easy to pull the boat out of alignment with the cart.   Place your feet around the wheels when you make your final pulls on the ties.

Distributing the Weight on the Portage

• A portage pack on your back takes a lot of weight out of the boat.   I have a 70 litre pack and I put all the heavy items in the pack.
• Put anything in the boat in the middle of the boat.    For a kayak, put the remaining items in the cockpit, not the hatches

Pulling the Load

• A long kayak or canoe may be harder to go around a curve so take a wide arc and look backward.
• A well-balanced, properly tied, moderate weight load can be an easier 2.5 km pull to the launch.

Arriving at the Lagoon

• I have always been surprised that BC Parks or the Operator has made little effort to improve the launch/landing beach.    Rocks can easily cleared and a load of gravel would make a big difference.
• Some of the shore is muddy and some of the launch shoreline has bigger rocks which can damage the boats.   Be careful.
• We load the larger items into the back of the kayak and then move the boat halfway into the water, then we load all the rest of the gear.   Lifting a loaded boat down into the water is not easy.
• It is a 1.5 km paddle through the lagoon and channel out to the lake.
• A late arrival at the lake may mean windy conditions.   Fortunately there is a campsite right at the entrance to the lake.

You may have other ideas about portaging a boat.   Feel free to comment to the post.