Ross Moore Lake can be hard to get to. We have skied and snowshoed into the lake in winter. We have biked into the lake from Lac le Jeune and run to the lake from a parking area area Fred Lake, but driving in with a kayak requires a circuitous route via the Long Lake Road. Most of the 15 … Continue reading…
Community Lake is acessed by driving up to Knouff Lake, then turning onto the Community Lake FSR. The backroad to the site is a good one, but there were lots of potholes over the last kilometer. The best launch spot is at the Community Lake Recreation Site. The lake sits at 1370 meters (4500 feet) in high country forest, but … Continue reading…
We paddled Leighton Lake on a warm summer weekday. This popular fishing lake has a good boat launch for easy access. In spring, summer and early fall, there are usually lots of ducks and geese on the lake, especially in shallow bays Grasslands and high country forests surround Leighton and Tunkwa Lakes. A rock bluff covered in orange crustose lichen … Continue reading…
There are 3 access points to launch a boat on Kamloops Lake – Savona, Tobiano, and Cooney Bay. To paddle into Cooney Bay, drive to Tranquille, but stay left and drive to the end of the bumpy road. From the parking lot, boats have to be hauled down to the edge of the river through the cottonwoods. From the beach … Continue reading…
While paddling and hiking on Salt Spring Island, we launched out of Fulford Harbour. We were able to hand launch in low and hide tide from a point along the Isabella Point Road. Drummond Park is also fine for launching, but only at high tide. At the other spot 1.8 km along the road, we were able to drive right … Continue reading…
Between Sullivan Lake (Knouff) and Badger Lake is another shallow lake. Official topographic maps label it as Knouff Lake but the locals call it Little Knouff Lake. Sullivan (Knouff) Lake got its name from James Knouff who built a log cabin on the shore near the Knouff Lake Resort. Later, Sullivan Mill was established on the shore and the owner … Continue reading…
Stump Lake is a great lake to paddle when it is not too windy. If paddlers just opt to drive there without checking the forecasts, they may be facing difficult conditions since it is a windy area, a favorite for windsurfers. Generally speaking it is calmer in the morning and winds pick up by 11:30 in the morning. It … Continue reading…
Bleeker Lake is a short drive north of Roche Lake. Turn left at the signed Bleeker Lake Forest Service Road before coming to the main right turn to Roche Lake. The end of the lake is only 1 km, but the best place to launch is another kilometer along the north side of the lake at the Bleeker Lake Recreation … Continue reading…
Dunn Lake is a picturesque long lake set among steep-sided mountains. To get to Dunn Lake, we went to Little Fort and used the Little Fort Reaction Ferry service, then followed the 7 km gravel road to the Joseph Creek Valley on the north end of the lake. Right at the junction of roads at the north end of the … Continue reading…
After paddling Pillar Lake in the morning, we drove up into the Fly Hills to paddle Bolean Lake. From Falkland, drive south and turn left onto Silvernail Road. Not far up the sidehill, turn left onto (signed) Bolean Forest Service Road and climb the narrow, steep road for 9.5 km. Once onto the Fly Hills Plateau the road levels … Continue reading…
Pillar Lake is located 11 km north of Falkland. A BC Recreation site right next to the road provides a good launch spot for canoes and kayaks. Pillar Lake is a narrow lake, but paddlers can cover 5 km by going up one shore and back on the other shore. Pillar Lake Resort has the only set of buildings on … Continue reading…
Ruckle Provincial Park is a popular camping location on Salt Spring, but the rocky shores make launching and landing difficult, especially for the longer ocean kayaks. Paddling books and websites suggest launching in Fulford or Ganges Harbor, but we found a spot in the park that works fine, with a bit of extra work. We parked at the day-use area … Continue reading…
Nicola Lake is windy enough for the Interior sailing community to have based their activities on the lakeside for 20+ years. The lake is often too windy for paddling, but we can watch the wind forecast and we can pick days to paddle earlier in the morning before afternoon winds arise. The north end of the lake makes a nice, … Continue reading…
Salt Spring Island can be used as a basecamp for kayaking in the Gulf Islands. Some of the areas to paddle include Fulford Harbour, Long Harbour, Ganges Harbour, Prevost Island, Wallace Island, and coastline sections wherever a good launch can be found. Paddling out of Ganges Harbour is a good choice early in the morning before the crowds come to … Continue reading…
The campground at Kentucky and Alleyne Lakes is a good spot for a quiet retreat near smaller lakes, with some pleasant trails and paddling opportunities. We paddled both Kentucky and Alleyne Lakes in the same day. There are launch spots on both lakes from the campground. the paddle around Kentucky Lake is 4km and the paddle around Alleyne Lake is … Continue reading…
Although we have kayaked most of the lake in the Kamloops area, we have not paddled the smaller lakes with our longer boats. These were saved for outings on a stand-up paddle board. The shoreline of McQueen Lake is about 3km around if we include all the shallow bays. There are a couple of launch spots just below the Isobel … Continue reading…
