We try to paddle every lake in our area, following the shoreline, exploring bays, watching for wildlife, waterfowl, and aquatic plants. We have to paddle around fishermen and snags. Sometimes we go around the lake twice, once in each direction. On a quiet afternoon, I launched from the provincial recreation site on the north shore, not far from the fishing … Continue reading…
Paddling on any large lake is a transit from one marine campsite to the next. There are 4 backcountry campgrounds on Azure Lake. Each has its own special quality. They all have tent sites, a beach, a metal food cache, firepits, outhouses, firewood, and picnic tables. The best of all the campsites is at Rainbow Falls, as noted in the … Continue reading…
At the end of Azure Lake is a magical spot. Rainbow Falls Campground sits about 5km from the east end of the lake. Angus Horne River flows into the lake here, tumbling over Rainbow Falls. Millennia of silt deposits have created a sandy crescent of a beach from the river mouth west around the bay. Campsites in the woods fronting … Continue reading…
Azure Lake lies deep within Wells Gray Park. At the end of the Wells Gray Corridor Road, Clearwater Lake starts, extending 24 km north. At the farend, the Clearwater River empties into the lake. To get to Azure Lake, boats have to paddle up the river for 3 km. There is a portage at the halfway point, but when I … Continue reading…
When the weather bakes up, we try to get on the water (or hike to altitude). Our rivers and lakes become destinations and we are situated right in the middle of dozens of paddling routes. Kayaking in a longer boat (faster/steadier) means finding larger lakes. Our goal is to have enough lakes and rivers in the area to not have … Continue reading…
Johnson Lake sits high in the hills above Adams Lake. The best road up to the 3800 foot lake is from the Agate Bay Road. The road is wide and well-graded. The other route is from Adams Lake, either from Brennan Creek or from the 28.5km mark. I followed the latter route which climbed through a series of switchbacks with … Continue reading…
After a number of years visiting Painted Bluffs Provincial Park, we now only visit by boat. The land route is not easy, nor pleasing. After a long drive to Copper Creek, there is no suitable access because of private property, fencelines, and the railway. On the other hand, a boat can launch from Savona (or Tobiano) and go … Continue reading…
Painted Bluffs Provincial Park is a very special place, one that we try to visit every year. Our favorite route is to kayak across the lake from Savona. Other routes can be taken too (see this post link). Every time we visit, the light is different and we hike to different perspectives (post link). A follow-up article will detail the … Continue reading…
While basecamping out of Jedediah Island, we paddled out into the Sabine Channel and explored around most of 30 islands in the area. All of the islands are rocky with very few landing spots, but we found a couple that would be good for camping as long as we brought our own water. Tidal currents are minimal in this area. … Continue reading…
For those who love to kayak, Jedediah Island is a destination for exploration. Most kayakers launch from the Sunshine Coast. Go north of Sechelt to Half Moon Bay for a good access to a short crossing to the Thormandby Islands. The crossing of Malaspina Strait from North Thormandby is 8km of open water and should only be attempted in calm … Continue reading…
The Copper Island route has been featured in a past post (link). This time, we left Shuswap Lake Park in flood. All of the beaches were under water. Debris flanked the possible entry points. Mosquitoes were breeding in the standing water in low points. We launched nonetheless and to our delight, the ban on speed boats made the 2km crossing … Continue reading…
The area immediately east of Tranquille floods each year and becomes the home to wildlife in channels and riparian zone on both sides of the river. The designated area is on the north side, but across the river 2km away is another larger area. The flood zone also extends up the shores of the river trail and west along to … Continue reading…
When the Thompson River is in flood, the flat lands near Kamloops Lake become part of the river. The Wildlife Management area on the north side is part of Lac du Bois Provincial Park. A parking area there can be used to do a hand launch at the end of the fence, just short of Tranquille on the Lake. The … Continue reading…
On a kayaking trip on Adams Lake, we camped at Spillman Beaches, but the next day we took a long paddle up the lake to a green spot on the map, listed as Poplar Point Provincial Park. The route was 10km one way so we followed the treed east side shoreline. All along the way, we saw sandy/pebbly places to … Continue reading…
Kamloops Trails usually provides fairly specific directions to each trail, route, or site, but there have been a few exceptions. When an article on the Petrified Forest was published, no specific coordinates or directions were given. Fossil beds and game trails have not been included to preserve the sites and avoid motorized users from spoiling the spot or route. Spillman … Continue reading…
In a single week, the rivers have risen a great deal, but the North Thompson is ahead of the South Thompson, so much so that it has backed up the South Thompson's progress. One week ago, I paddled the South Thompson and the river had its usual slow flow, but this week the river was sluggish. I paddled downstream from … Continue reading…