Tobiano to Six Mile Point on Kamloops Lake
There are only 3 reasonable access points to Kamloops Lake – Cooney Bay, Savona, and Tobiano Boat Launch (Brubaker Marina). For paddlers this divides the lake into 3 sections and since this is a big lake (30 km from end to end), each works well for 3 days of paddling each year. To access the middle part of Kamloops Lake, turn into Tobiano and follow the signs down to the Marina. Since this is a private business, paddlers should expect to pay a parking/launch fee, similar to what we would have at a fishing resort elsewhere. We were pleased withe the service and found the beach to be a good place to launch a kayak.
Kamloops Lake can be a windy spot and small kayaks should be very cautious about conditions in the middle of the lake. We have paddled all of the lake in various conditions and we know that our ocean kayaks (18 feet long) can handle a day on Kamloops Lake, but on this day, conditions were calm and beautiful.
We chose to paddle from Tobiano to Six Mile Point, an 11 km out-and-back route along the shoreline. We passed the silt cliffs and hoodoos west of Tobiano on our way to the Six Mile Bluffs.
It was a grey morning, but the lake was calm, providing clear reflections in the lake waters.
The view to the east toward the head of the lake 15 km away was dominated by clouds reflected into the lake.
On the way to Six Mile Point, a number points of interest could be spotted from the lake..
This was the one clear day during the forest fires of July in 2017 when the winds from the east cleared the air. By the next day the pall had returned to the lake. We hope to return to paddle from Tobiano to Cherry Bluffs and back one day, then from Savona to Painted Bluffs and back on another day.