A favorite combination for summer recreation is to paddle a lake, then hike around it. In August I launched my kayak and paddled the 3 km loop around the lake. After securing the boat, I hiked the 3.5 km trail around the lake, enjoying some of the larger douglas fir trees by the single-track trail. There were a few hikers …Continue reading…
On a pleasant spring day I drove up the bumpy road to Pat Lake, sometimes called Six Mile Lake. It is a favorite spring fishing lake, but I stayed close to the shoreline paddling around twice, once in each direction. There were many birds on the shoreline and on the lake, including blackbirds, loons, ducks (mostly coots), geese, bluebirds, …Continue reading…
On a hot summer morning I chose to drive up to Lodgepole Lake to do some loops – twice around the lake in a kayak, then once around the lake on the Lodgepole Lake Trail. The trailhead starts at the end of the Recreation Site campground and winds around the lake. The loop route is about 2 km. There is …Continue reading…
As winter approaches cold and windy conditions limit the number of times we can paddle on the lakes and rivers, so if an opportunity arises, I load up the kayak and head out. In late October, the day was still quite cool and my time was limited so I chose to paddle on Inks Lake. A paddle of the shoreline, …Continue reading…
At the end of the paddling season it becomes more difficult to paddle on the lakes at higher locations so I turn to a small selection of lower elevation lakes and the south Thompson River, mostly launching from Pioneer Park. By mid-October there are rarely any boats on the water, but the boat launch provides easy access to the river. …Continue reading…
Edith Lake is close to town, providing quick access, but it can be a busy place for fishermen and campers. For this reason we usually paddle the lake in the off-season. On a cool and windy October day, I launched my kayak into the headwinds for two loops around the lake. There is a long arm of the lake that …Continue reading…
Every year I take backroads to Ross Moore Lake. The route was through the upper grasslands on the Long Lake Road. The road becomes a bit rougher as it enters the forest in the Dropping Creek drainage. At a junction with the McConnell FSR, I stayed left and continue through the forest through gullies and over ridges for another 8 …Continue reading…
On a mild early October day I paddled Tunkwa Lake, one of the best paddling day of 2020. Partly-sunny skies and light winds are always a blessing when kayaking in the high country. There are campgrounds and some private homes on the east and south sides of the lake, but the west side of the lake has pasture land, Parks …Continue reading…
There is a good boat launch from the wet end of Canoe Beach and we spend a couple of days of paddling in Salmon Arm (Shuswap Lake) in late spring. This was a busy boat launch area and on the Saturday of the May Long weekend it was the Zoo at Canoe. Dozens of boas were launching and heading out …Continue reading…
In late summer the pelicans start their migration south, stopping for a few weeks in our area’s lakes or rivers. I expect to see them in Campbell Lake in August or September so I plan ahead to paddle with the pelicans. Unfortunately the wind forecast was wrong and I battled stronger winds out of the west as I paddled the …Continue reading…
I created a Google Map with paddling spots in the general area. Each waypoint is placed at the launch spot and a photo and article link is provided where an article has been published. I usually update this once a year. This was done today. The link is found on the On the Water page, but it is also provided …Continue reading…
On a sunny fall day, I drove into the High Country to paddle and decided (en route) to paddle Mamit Lake. There was no one else on the lake and it is not a prime fishing area. The lake is shallow and algae fills the lake in summer. There were a few ducks on the lake and some shoreline birds …Continue reading…
On a smoky day I drove up into the hills to look for a smaller lake to paddle, then go for a short hike. I chose Pat (Six Mile) Lake. Access is on a rough road that turns off the Trans Canada Highway just west of Tobiano. the old double track was once the highway and a bit of the …Continue reading…
In mid-September we drove to Blue River, then followed the Murtle Lake Forest Service Road to the end of the road. We loaded our gear into portage packs and into the kayaks and fastened the boats to kayak carts, then portaged 2.5 km to the Murtle Lagoon. At the launch, we reloaded the hatches and paddled west. The original plan …Continue reading…