Emar Lakes Park was created in 1996 as a wilderness area of small lakes, potholes, and wet areas in a forested area off Highway 24. The lakes are used by fishermen, but there is also a lake chain loop with portages for canoeists and kayakers. Access is from Janice Lake Recreation Site or from Willowgrouse Recreation Site. The trails/portages are … Continue reading…
Moose Valley is located 22 km west of 100 Mile House, accessed by the Gustafson Lake Road. The Moose Valley Access Road turns off and follows the chain of lakes to a campsite on Marks Lake. The road does continue onto the end of Maitland Lake, but it is a rougher section. Paddlers can start at either lake and work … Continue reading…
The only Hawaiian island that has navigable rivers is Kauai. The Hanalei River is the second largest (in flow) on the island, descending from the upper slopes of Mt. Wai’ale’ale to the ocean in 15.7 miles. The lower part of the river flows slowly through dense forests, past taro fields, and then it winds through a flat coastal estuary. … Continue reading…
The first half of the Bowron Lakes Circuit is a challenge with difficult portages, some rough campsites, and long paddles. The return to Bowron Lake, the second half of the Circuit, is a much more enjoyable wilderness experience. The Bowron River empties into Lanezi Lake then there is another shorter downriver paddle to Sandy Lake, an easy paddle with the … Continue reading…
The Bowron Lakes Circuit is one of the top paddling destinations in the world, a week-long paddling, portaging, and camping wilderness challenge. Reservations are needed to venture onto the circuit and an orientation is required before starting on the 2.4 km portage to Kibee Lake. We had our long kayaks loaded onto kayak carts to pull up the hill early … Continue reading…
In late October in Kamloops fall colours adorn the riverbanks, especially on the North Thompson River. I launched at Pioneer Park and paddled downstream to the confluence, then turned upstream paddling steadily against current to the Halston Bridge and back. This same route was paddled in March (Up the North Thompson) and will be hope to return in early spring … Continue reading…
While on Kauai, we stayed on the North Shore and chose to paddle the Hanalei River on a cloudy, warm day. We rented boats from Kayak Hanalei and launched into the river. These were 11 foot sit-on-top kayaks. Rudderless, tubby, buoyant, and slow. We turned upstream and paddled for about 2.2 miles into the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge. With a … Continue reading…
Stand up paddle boarding on flat water is a lot easier than SUP on the sea. Off the south shore of Kauai we can launch the board through the surf and head out through the waves past all the breakers to the rolling ocean, but its not easy to stay on top. From the shore, we can watch the skillful … Continue reading…
The Cariboo River starts under the western side of the crest of the 8000 foot glaciated Cariboo Mountains. On the other side of the Cariboo Range, McBride and the Fraser River lie 27 km to the east. The northern end of Wells Gray Park is 27 km to the southeast. There are many large icefields that drain down into the … Continue reading…
The paddle up the Valleyview River Corridor is a quiet one on a drizzly, grey October morning. The section from the Valleyview Boat Launch to Dallas is 5 km each way, about right for a good paddle upriver and back. The upstream paddle along the south shore side passes many riverfront homes on Thompson Drive then along a section of … Continue reading…
Little Shuswap Lake is a bigger lake to paddle in our area. A circuit around the entire lakeshore is 19 km. On a mild fall day, we paddled over 16 km, returning by the southeast shoreline. The best place to launch is at the Chase Memorial Park. The far eastern shore is 7 km down the lake under the slopes … Continue reading…
Walloper Lake is a small high country lake just off the Coquihalla Highway near Lac le Jeune, but it is always a pleasant paddle, especially on a quiet midweek day. There is a good boat launch at the Provincial Park picnic area. There are a few cabins and some homes along the lakeshore, but much of the lake has a … Continue reading…
By October, there are very few other boats on Paul Lake, but the water in the lake is still warm and if the day is not windy, paddling is still a good activity. Conditions usually don’t become too cold until mid-November. The easiest launch is from the beach at the provincial park. A loop around the whole lake (article) is … Continue reading…
We paddle the lakes of the Interior all summer, then once the river becomes quieter, we return to paddle upstream and back. Our favorite launch is at Pioneer Park. The current on the South Thompson River is slower than the North Thompson or the combined Thompson River so we can make good progress upstream. On this day the wind was … Continue reading…
When fall arrives, we return to paddle the river. The boat launch at McArthur Island becomes a mud flat in the late fall, but there is still enough water to launch out in September and October, although each year is different. Once out in the Thompson River, the water moves quickly so progress is slow upstream. We paddle up then … Continue reading…
Even though this lake was right next to the Okanagan Connector, we found it be a delightful spot for an easy paddle. There is a pull-off into a small Recreation Site for northbound vehicles. The launch spot is a good one with lots of parking. The paddle around the shoreline is about 4 km. Grassland hills surround the lake. … Continue reading…
