One of the best lakes for paddling in our area is Heffley Lake. The launch spot is at the east end of the lake close to the BC Rec site. A tour of the entire lake, following the shoreline is 13 km, so for most days on the lake we just choose a loop to paddle to match the conditions …Continue reading…
We paddled Lac le Jeune 6 times at the end of June, each time launching out of the Provincial Park Campsite. Cloudy, bright skies led to silver light on the lake each day. Each day featured a different loop under the grey skies. The best paddle of the series was the one where I went under Lac …Continue reading…
We try to paddle all of the lakes in our area and a number of them warrant a return visit. We enjoy both Knouff (Sullivan) Lake and Badger Lake. We drove from the Heffley Creek – Sun Peaks Road up the Knouff Lake Road, past the community of Knouff Lake to the BC Rec Site on the west side …Continue reading…
In most years the Thompson River floods during freshet filling Tranquille Bay for easy launching and access to the floodlands. In 2019, however, the river has not flooded these lands extensively so launching is more difficult and some of the channels we can normally paddle have low water. On a day in mid-June I launched out of Cooney Bay. There …Continue reading…
Some images taken while paddling Walloper Lake, then roaming around the shoreline afterwards (on two separate days). A gallery is provided here. Hover your cursor over an image for a title/caption and double click for a full-sized image.
Over the last week the weather has been variable but I have found somewhere interesting to explore most days. Here are a few: June 15 on Greenstone Mountain June 17 – Dairy and Duffy Lakes June 18 – Mt. Thynne Summit June 21 – Lime Ridge Summit in the Marble Range from the West June 22 – …Continue reading…
Most of Griffin Lake is within the McQueen Lake Environmental Education Center. It is a swampy lake, not suitable for fishing. It is too small a lake for a destination paddle and there is no good access to the lake’s edge. On a spring day I put my kayak on some wheels and followed a rough track from the …Continue reading…
When the river rises in spring, the McArthur Island boat launch is an easy launch for access to the Thompson River. Each year I paddle a loop route going upstream to the end of Rabbit Island, downstream around the island, across the river to the McArthur Island Slough, thorugh the slough to the end and back, then back upstream to …Continue reading…
In spring the three arms of Inks Lake fill with water making a larger lake. By going into each channel and back out we can paddle for 2.3 km. Once the loop is done we reverse the loop and do it again. The back channel is out of sight from roads. A few ducks dabbled in the lake. The advantage …Continue reading…
We do like McConnell Lake, but we avoid it because it is being loved to death. Hikers, runners, dog walkers, paddlers, fishermen, and picnickers frequent the lake and the parking lot is often full, the trails are busy and the lake is crowded. Because of its “busyness” we usually go early in the morning before the rush. We launched early …Continue reading…
Paska Lake is fine place for a 4 km paddle around the shoreline, especially when the Thompson River Valley gets warm in late spring. The Paska Rec Site can be busy on weekends, but it is quiet on weekdays and at 1460 m (4800 feet) , it is cooler in the high country forest. A loon was nesting along the …Continue reading…
Roche is a busy lake so it is best to paddle there on weekdays or in the off-season. There is a boat launch in each campground but both require a quick unload/load since botas can arrive at any time. The weather was mild with light winds. There was a chironomid hatch on and the fish were jumping. There was …Continue reading…
Jacko Lake is one of the first lakes to clear of ice so it attracts fishermen early in the season. In mid-spring the lake turns over and many ducks and shoreline birds arrive in the 4 marshy arms of the lake. Although it is a busy fishing lake, the 4 shallow arms are good for paddling and we can easily …Continue reading…
We paddled out of Kinsmen Beach on Windermere Park to the Athalmer Bridge, then downstream on the Columbia River to the wetlands and back on a warm day in early May. Windermere is a large lake and a complete circuit would be a longer paddle of 30 km, best done in 3 outings. We contented ourselves with a 10 km …Continue reading…
Paul Lake is one of our best paddling spots. The ice comes off in mid-spring, then we can paddle from either the Provincial Park or the and launch at the west end for the next 7.5 months. To paddle the entire lake is a longer route of 12 km, so we usually paddle the east end, the middle section, and …Continue reading…
We try to get our kayaks in the water in the river as soon as enough ice and snow melts to allow us easy access to launch and land. Our first choice is Pioneer Park. In early March when the gate to the boat launch is still locked, we have to transport our kayaks on wheels down to the river …Continue reading…