We try to visit Painted Bluffs every year. It can be done by driving the Sabiston Creek Road and then down to Copper Creek. but this is a long and awkward route. Our preference is to paddle over from Savona, a 6.5 km route (each way) with a 1.5 km lake crossing. There is a beach below the park suitable … Continue reading…
The floodlands out from Tranquille invite paddlers an opportunity to paddle for about 10km through channels, bays, and lagoon-like mazes of wetland vegetation. Launching out of Tranquille, both sides of the river await exploration. As the freshet approaches in June, the wildlife also moves in. The earliest residents are ducks, geese, blackbirds, and other nesting waterfowl and wetland birds. Under … Continue reading…
We spent 5 days in the Broken Islands Group in June. Lauching out of Toquaht Bay, we overnighted on the Stopper Islands, then proceeded to tuck in behind Lyall Point, Hand Island, and Dodd Island before arriving at Willis Island, our base camp for the next 3 nights. There were some winds in Sechart Channel, but staying close to … Continue reading…
Our goal was to be camping in the Broken Islands in the same day we left Kamloops. We evaluated the various options and decided to try a less-known route. We left in the early morning and caught the 10:40 ferry to Nanaimo (with an overheight reservation). Our goal was to get across Vancouver Island and take a turn-off at Kennedy … Continue reading…
The launch for Clearwater Lake is 3 km up the road past the campground. Part of the reason for this is Osprey Falls. The Dragon Tongue lava flow blocked the Clearwater River (7600 years ago) and increased the size of Clearwater Lake, but the lava wall also created a waterfall 540m wide. For much of the year, it is … Continue reading…
We launched our kayaks at the McLure Ferry and paddled to Kamloops. We had dropped off a a vehicle at the end of Harrington Drive in Westsyde and we were paddling 36 km downriver when the river is high. The paddle is not very technical except when you have to be careful at side channels and in the Heffley Rapids, … Continue reading…
From Tranquille Bay or Cooney Bay, paddlers can follow the shoreline to Battle Bluff, which is a sheer face rising 1150 feet from the lake. The shoreline to the east is often protected from the wind, but there is usually some wind around the point. When there is no wind, the walls of the bluffs are reflected in the lake. … Continue reading…
As the rivers reach freshet, the floodland near the mouth of the Thompson River can be paddled. A small launch spot next to the Y in the road provides parking and a hand launch spot for one boat at a time, suitable for kayaks and canoes only. From this spot, paddlers can paddle through the Tranquille Wildlife Management Area (Tranquille … Continue reading…
Badger Lake is a fine paddling destination, one of the forty lakes of our area within an hour's drive. To get to Badger Lake, turn off the Sun Peaks Road onto the Knouff Lake Road and continue past Knouff Lake without turning off, until you reach the BC Forest Service Site on the northerat side. Some fishermen also take the … Continue reading…
Paddlers in the Kamloops area are blessed to have many paddling destinations within an hour's drive. There are more than 40 lakes within that radius, but the lakes must be big enough to get a good workout by going around the perimeter once or twice. Some of the lakes are large enough that it will take several trips to do … Continue reading…
Clearwater Marine Campsites Part Two is the second in a series on paddle camping on Clearwater Lake. From the boat launch to most of the marine campsites we will paddle north, but Caribou Beach Campsite is southwest, only 750 metres away. If it is a blustery day, this is a good backcountry destination. We found 4-5 sites with beach front … Continue reading…
At the end of the Wells Gray corridor, the road ends at Clearwater Lake. Further progress is marine access only. The lake runs for 24km north and has 7 campsites along its shores. Beyond is an upriver paddle to Azure Lake or a rough portage. Some people take the water taxi to the end of Azure and then paddle back. … Continue reading…
Even in November, we can paddle on Kamloops Lake. It remains a wild spot, with rocky shorelines and steep slopes, hard to access. A lone paddler will see no one. Trains and airplanes infrequently pass by, but the lake is the domain of the gulls, loons, and eagles. Fall colors ornament the hills. As the river drops, sand bars rise … Continue reading…
A popular fishing lake, Campbell Lake is also a nice paddle. Grasslands surround two sides of the lake and forest on the other sides. The approach to the lake is to drive up the Campbell Range Road, then turn onto the Scuitto Lake Road. Follow this good gravel road to Scuitto Lake. Follow the road along the lake going … Continue reading…
Holdings Road runs the length of Adams Lake along the west shore. It is an active logging road, but much improved. I would be happy to pull my trailer on this road all the way to the north end. There are some beautiful campgrounds on the shores of the lake. An earlier post described the marine campgrounds in the middle … Continue reading…
Edith Lake is small enough that it will take two loops around the lake to get a good paddle, but it has an interesting shoreline, with grasslands, a north-aspect bluff, a swampy area, and probably a few fishermen to dodge. The shoreline is 3.5 km rorund. There are 3 places to launch from off the Edith Lake Road. A long … Continue reading…
