There are hundreds of lakes to explore in our area and anything with a shoreline perimeter of 3km or more is on our list to paddle.   We have hiked the trails around Hyas Lake before, but we had not paddled the lake.   We were delighted with this quiet lake high in the hills.

It is about 45km from Kamloops.   Take the road to Pinantan and turn left onto the Hyas Lake Road.   Continue up the road for 8 km, watching for the signs (placed by the Hyas Lake Resort).   A short, rough road leads to the Hyas Lake Rec site.   Park at the Site and use the hand launch to get onto the water.   The perimeter loop is about 4.1 km.

Loons were on the lake and we must have paddled too close to their babies.   The male loon used the broken wing dance and cried, trying to lure us away from the shoreline.   At the north end of the lake was a great blue heron fishing in the shallows.   The slopes of Mount Shaw and Lolo Ridge stand above the wooded shores of the lake.   The water was clear and no one was active from the few cabins at the south end, so it was also quiet and peaceful.

We also went into Pemberton Lake nearby.   We found the road to be muddy and the site to be buggy and boggy.   It was too small for us to paddle, but fishermen were on the lake.   We were happy to hike in to the see the lake and then scoot back out to avoid the biting insects.

Hyas Lake, though, is recommended for a quiet paddle on a nice day (and bring your fishing line too).