With milder winters, I have been able to get the kayak onto the river in February for the last two years. In 2015 the last paddle outing was in the middle of November (although I paddled in New Zealand after that). There is no one around this early in the season and if there is no wind, paddling is good. … Continue reading…
Queen Charlotte Sound in B.C. is the body of water between the end of Vancouver Island and Haida Gwai (Queen Charlotte Islands). In New Zealand, there is another Queen Charlotte Sound that is part of a series of sounds (sort of drowned river valleys) that extend inland at the north end of the South Island, protected from the prevailing winds … Continue reading…
The North Thompson River’s source is Thompson Glacier on the southern slopes of Trigon Mountain on the edge of the Premier’s Range and for 355 km it runs downstream to Kamloops where it merges with the South Thompson River to become the Thompson River. Along the way are a number of landmarks, the subject of this article. The Source Peaks … Continue reading…
Trapp Lake is a long narrow lake right on Highway 5A. It is surrounded by hills and rangelands, though there is some Crown land too. It is not known as a fishing lake, nor does it see much recreational use. There is a good hand launch spot for paddlers a short distance off the highway (at N50 27.931 W120 16.246). … Continue reading…
My first day of paddling in 2016 was February 24th. The last day will be in December 9th, albeit the last 3 weeks will be in the Southern Hemisphere. November is still a fine month for paddling on the rivers in Kamloops.
Continue reading...We launched our kayaks at North Thompson Provincial Park and paddled downriver to Kamloops over 3 days. We spent our first night on an island in the middle of the river. Clearwater to Kamloops Downriver Chu Chua Cottowoods Provincial Park We launched in the morning on the second day and stopped for a break on one of the many … Continue reading…
Glimpse Lake is in the forest at the upper edge of the Douglas Lake grasslands. To get to the lake, turn onto the Douglas Lake Road at Nicola Lake and climb through the ranchlands for 7 km, then turn left onto the Lauder Road. Follow the Lauder Road for 16 km as it passes the Lauder Ranch and a section … Continue reading…
Surrey and Sussex Lake lie near to the Surrey Summit (1444 m /4738 feet) on the Coquihalla Highway, but the access route is off the Logan Lake Road. Going west towards Logan Lake for 7 km, we turn left onto the Surrey Lake Forest Service Road and follow the road up the hill for 6.9 km until it passes under … Continue reading…
Isobel Lake is a fine destination for a short hike or to camp at the redeveloped Rec Site. Fishing is now restricted to youth, in this small, shallow lake stocked with rainbow trout. All around the shoreline is quite shallow, but the middle of the lake is up to 25 feet deep. For paddlers, the lake is only 2.5km around … Continue reading…
At the end of September and into the first days of October, we went into Murtle Lake for 4 days, paddling into the west arm. [map style=”width: auto; height:400px; margin:20px 0px 20px 0px; border: 1px solid black;” maptype=”TERRAIN” gpx=”https://kamloopstrails.net/wp-content/uploads/Murtle Day 1.gpx” elevation=”no” download=”no”] From Blue River we drove up the narrow Murtle FSR for 27 km to the parking … Continue reading…
Pass Lake is located on the Lac du Bois Road about 2.5km past the McQueen Lake-Isobel Lake turn-off. Access is through the Pass Lake Rec Site. There are 13 camping spots at this fishing lake and a good boat launch This is a small lake and I used the SUP to do a 2.5km loop around the lake. Lakes with … Continue reading…
We have hiked and biked around Stump Lake, but paddling the lake eluded us because of frequent strong winds. I resolved to get onto the lake early in the morning before the winds came up, so I set out to paddle as much of the lake as I could. To paddle the whole lake perimeter is about 19 km, a … Continue reading…
The Interlakes Area of Highway 24 has many lakes to paddle and explore. Birch Lake is found west of McDonald Summit (4300 feet) on the Nehaliston Plateau just east of Lac des Roches. The turn off the highway is signed as Phinetta Lake. It goes south to the Opax Mountain Resort which owns the campsite/launch area at Birch Lake. … Continue reading…
Up to now, I have not attempted to bring the long kayak to paddle the smaller lakes, but with the addition of a stand-up paddleboard, smaller lakes like Lac du Bois, Pass Lake, and Isobel Lake are now on “the list” of lakes to be paddled. The best launch spot is at the southeast corner of the lake. Following … Continue reading…
On a morning day with winds predicted to pick up in the afternoon, I headed south to Stump Lake to paddle for a couple of hours, but the winds were already strong by 9:00 in the morning so I had a backup plan ready – to paddle Peterhope Lake instead. Just past the end of Stump Lake is the Peterhope … Continue reading…
After years of kayaking, I decided to give Stand Up Paddleboarding a shot. The previous attempt had been on Kauai, where I was thrown around by the surf. Without instruction or practice, I was launched a few times and ended the whole experience discouraged and unsure about SUP. One of the attractions for me is the simplicity of set-up. Hauling … Continue reading…
