One of our favorite lakes to kayak is found far up in the hills north of Kamloops. Badger Lake has an upgraded BC Rec Site for camping and a new boat launch area. To get to Badger Lake, most vehicles turn north off the Sun Peaks Road, heading toward Knouff Lake, then they just keep going all the way to … Continue reading…
Pat Lake and Jacko Lake are usually the first two lakes to be ice-free in spring so they get a lot of fishermen early in the season, but once all lakes are open, Pat Lake can be a quiet spot in summer. We can access the lake from the Tunkwa Lake Road or from the Six Mile road above … Continue reading…
At the very end of the Wells Gray road is the boat launch. Everywhere beyond is best explored in a boat. We can paddle 21 km north on one shoreline and 21 km back on the other shoreline. When the river volume drops in August, we can even paddle the additional 2.5 km up to Azure Lake by using back … Continue reading…
There are a number of lakes in the Roche Lake Provincial Park area. Some are easily accessible like Bleeker Lake, Roche Lake, and Horseshoe Lake and some are harder to get to, requiring high clearance or 4WD. Horseshoe Lake Campsite/boat launch is off the West Roche Lake Road and the branch road is clearly signed. The road is a … Continue reading…
Jacko Lake is one of the closest lakes to Kamloops and at a low altitude, it is also one of the first ice-free lakes for fishing. It is a busy place in spring so we paddle on the larger lakes early and come back to Jacko in summer when the lake heats up and fishing is not so good. When … Continue reading…
Saul Lake is on the Sawmill Lake Forest Service Road about 30 km northwest from Kamloops. A short drive leads to a boat launch and an open spot for camping. The whole area is very open with cutblocks and replanted areas all around. There are also extensive marshes to the east. The bays on the east side are full of … Continue reading…
Tranquille Lake lies at the foot of the southern end of Bonaparte Plateau. Porcupine Ridge is due north and backcountry surrounds the lake. The road ends at Wendego Lodge, the destination for most people who go to this area. We drove through Lac du Bois, then took the Pass Lake Road and continued on the Sawmill Creek Road.until the 40 … Continue reading…
Plateau Lake lies in the hills of the Douglas Plateau, accessed on backroads from Highway 5A. From the highway, it is a quick drive to Peter Hope Lake, but a slow and difficult drive over the hills to Plateau Lake. It is not easy to get there. There are several possible routes in, but Rec Sites and Trails BC … Continue reading…
Shumway Lake lies in the lake chain gully south of Kamloops on Highway 5 A. The west shoreline is right next to the highway and the east side is at the foot of a mostly treed hillside. It is not a fishing lake. It is one of the “reservoirs” along 0hte Campbell Creek drainage, used for irrigation by ranches in … Continue reading…
Trapp Lake is in the lake chain gull on /highway 5A. When we drive south across the grasslands hills we drop down Cardew Hill to Shumway Lake then 3 km farther along is Trapp Lake. All of these lakes are murky, alkaline lakes, prone to algae build-up in summer. Half-way down the lake is a short track to water’s edge … Continue reading…
We paddled out to Wallace Island on a calm day, so we went right through the middle of Trincomali channel, but on the way back 2 days later, the winds were stronger from the southeast so we did a crossing of the channel right to the bluffs of Galiano island, then followed the line of cliffs for 15 km all … Continue reading…
We paddled much of the south end of Mabel Lake, launching out of Mable Lake Provincial Park. The shoreline down to where the Shuswap River drains into the lake is 3.5 km away. A circuit of the south end is about 10 km. There is a concrete boat launch at the park, but we hand-launched off the beach. The lake … Continue reading…
When the weather gets hot, we often go to the high country to find shade, to be next to a lake, and to enjoy moderate in the hills trails. In this last outing, we brought our kayaks and paddled 2 loops around the lake then hiked one loop around the lake. We find the water in Stake Lake to be … Continue reading…
Bonaparte Plateau is a high forested area north of Kamloops. Access is by backroads. Jamieson creek Forest Service Road is the best road to use from Kamloops. All hiking and paddling in this remote area requires a good sense of navigation and preparedness for the backcountry. The best hike is to Skoatl Point. The other hiking trails follow deactivated … Continue reading…
When freshet brings the North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers to a high water point , the area at the head of Kamloops Lake floods. The flat floodplains near Tranquille get covered in several feet of floodwaters. In addition, Cooney Bay floods, the beach disappears, and the shoreline recedes. We paddled out of Tranquille Bay then followed the river downstream … Continue reading…
Freshet brings meltwaters from the north and the east to Kamloops and the South Thompson River and the North Thompson Rivers join to bring floodwaters to the area near the head of Kamloops Lake. On the north side the 2km x 1km flatlands become covered in 2-3.5 meters of water to become Tranquille Bay. On the south side of the … Continue reading…
