From
the rocky mountains at the B.C. Alberta border to the semi arid terrain
around Kamloops, the region
offers some of the best scenery found anywhere. The Shuswap offers
excellent conditions for houseboating. The area in and around Kamloops
is cattle country and the terrain is rolling grasslands. This area
is diverse, uncommonly beautiful and dotted with lakes, rivers, streams
and waterfalls. It is the home of Wells
Gray Provincial Park, where you will find splendid forests, lofty
mountain peaks and clear rushing waters.
This region of British Columbia offers
some great paddling rivers. One of the many is the Clearwater River
where you need good maneuvering skills. This is a grade or class 3+
to 4, with a mandatory portage around a Class 6 drop. It's for advanced
and expert kayakers, while at low water intermediate kayakers and
guided novice rafters will have no trouble running this river, no
open canoes at any time. This river is fast moving and technical with
a paddling time of approximately four hours.
If you're looking for a warm up for some advanced paddling, try the
Thompson River, between Goldpan campground and the Nicoamen River.
Novice kayakers with intermediate and advanced kayakers, expert open
canoeists, intermediate and advanced rafters will find the section
of the Thompson to their liking. It's a grade or class 2 and 3, and
will take approximately two hours to complete. The Thompson River
from Nicoamen River to Lytton is for advanced paddlers only, and is
classed from a 3+ to 4, and maybe to a 5 during runoff. This section
of the river will take anywhere from three to six hours. Other rivers
to enjoy paddling in this region are, the Adams and the Nicola. For
the adventurous rafters, take a guided trip down the Fraser or the
Nahatlatch and enjoy sheer whitewater rafting.
The Clearwater-Azure Lakes is an easy circuit trip that is suitable
for novice and intermediate paddlers. This 96 km (60 mi.) return trip
will take from four to five days and because it's located in the Wells
Gray Park camping is allowed at designated sites only. This is a nice
safe paddling trip, but stay close to shore and watch for storm squalls
and winds, they come up suddenly and can be quite intense. Still another
excellent trip is to canoe the Murtle Lake route. Murtle Lake is a
designated Nature Conservancy, so there are no motor boats allowed,
camp only in the allowed sites and always remember to pack out your
garbage. Allow anywhere from four to five days to explore some of
the shorelines. Like so many lakes in British Columbia wind is a big
factor, always be prepared.
Before heading out on these waters and back country canoeing, check
with local dealers and clubs in the area for the latest conditions.
Be safe, have fun!
Book
A Canoe Or Kayak Trip
The following
BC Adventure Network members invite you to kayak or canoe with them:
The Rustic Resort: Fishing as good as it gets! Our resort just north of Kamloops has over 30 lakes joined by streams, naturally reproducing with wild Kamloops trout, perfect for flyfishing and float tubing. Enjoy hiking trails into lakes, mountain biking, the wildlife or just t... more
