On Kootenay Time

June-July 2001

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Dave Quinn

Paddling the rugged northeast shore of Kootenay Lake. Photo courtesy of Dan Quinn

Few kayakers, it seems, take the opportunity of paddling on British Columbia's southern interior lakes. Indeed, few may have the desire-with visions of roaring jetboats towing waterskiers and obnoxious sea-doos. But one of the largest and most rugged of BC's lakes is a paddler's dream waiting to be discovered. The gasoline junkie crowd has yet to discover it, and its remoteness keeps all but the local recreationalists away.
Kootenay Lake is a glacier-fed giant of a lake in the southeast corner of BC, nestled in the hollow left by a retreating ice-sheet, between the rugged Purcell and Selkirk mountain ranges. Snow and ice-melt from these ranges tumble downslope to feed the Lake and the mighty Kootenay River that flows from the southern end at Nelson.

Despite all these mentions of snow and ice, the lake itself is considerably warmer than any Canadian coastal water, and this makes it a unique paddling destination. The lake's size (over 100 km long) allows for some challenging paddling conditions and the scenery rivals that of the coast. It is for these reasons that my partner, Kelly Comishin, and I have made an annual paddling pilgrimage to Kootenay Lake for the past four years.

Kelly's family owns a small cabin on the East shore of Kootenay Lake, and it is from here that we usually stage our 4 to 6 day paddling excursions. We paddle away from the sheltered cobble beach of the cabin, and almost immediately we are gliding by the steep granite cliffs that define the shores of the lake and make paddling here very challenging. It is a mistake to underestimate this lake, as strong winds often mix unpredictably with katabatic gusts from the many side drainages that empty into the lake, creating surprisingly large waves. Some sections of the lake's coastline offer little or nothing in the way of shelter for paddlers. Even on apparently calm days, we watch the far-off water horizon for the tell-tale black line that indicates large wave action ahead.

Kelly kicking back on the beach.

The North end of this massive lake is one of the most pristine wilderness areas to be found on any of BC's large southern interior lakes. The two southern arms, as a contrast, are quite developed, and private property punctuated by unique Kootenay communities such as Grey Creek and Crawford Bay offer another type of paddling experience altogether. These communities offer excellent public campgrounds on or near the water, and access to unique artisan and craft boutiques. It's always easy to find an amazing meal as well, even if you are vegetarian!

But we prefer to explore the remote Northern reaches of the Lake, with its breath-taking views of Kokanee Glacier, Mount Loki, and the steep walls of Fry Creek Canyon. Fry Creek is one of the infinite, inspiring opportunities to include in your paddling trip. A good trail into this steep canyon is accessed from the historic village of Johnson's Landing near the Northeastern tip of Kootenay Lake, and leads deep into the heart of the Purcell Mountain range. Recently, however, there have been some access difficulties to this trail due to extensive logging activity. Contact BC Parks for more info on this trail and other hikes into the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy.

Northern Kootenay Lake has few camping spots but these are small Shangri-La's to seekers of sun, solitude, and natural beauty. Many afternoons have found us lying about on a white sand beach in the hot sun in our natural state. Just as many days, however, have found us surfing or practising our rescues in the warm water and large waves of an afternoon storm. A freshwater dunk is a refreshing surprise if you've ever practised your rolls on the ocean! Storms blow up deceivingly quickly on the lake, and challenging paddling conditions can become dire if one is caught in the wrong spot.

One of our favourite routes is to cruise up the East shore for a few days, then follow the West shore for the return journey. This allows us to shift viewscapes from the Selkirk range in the west to the Purcells looming to the East. Both mountain ranges are blanketed thickly in glaciers, and behold many classic peaks that will keep your lower jaw firmly on the deck of your kayak in front of you!

Another benefit of following the West shore is the lovely town of Kaslo-a bustling little mountain town full of fun stores, restaurants and-most importantly-ice cream stands! Our favourite caper in Kaslo is to pull out the one set of dressy clothes we own-specifically packed for the occasion-and head into town for a classy meal. Our kayaks are safely stashed in the foliage of the local waterfront park, to be retreived later in the evening. Just before dark, we steal back to the park, bellies full of good food and ice cream, and-like some sort of deranged super heroes-change back into the shorts, t-shirts, and life vests we've been wearing for the past four days, push our boats back into the lake, and paddle the short distance across the lake back to Kelly's cabin before darkness sets in.

Paddling on Kootenay Lake has a very similar feel to the narrower fjords of BC's coast, except for lack of saltwater and tides. If you do bring your boats to Kootenay Lake, be prepared for challenging paddling, and expect to be awed by the setting of natural beauty that surrounds this inner water. Don't expect anything even resembling a rush here-everything in the area happens at its own pace, a pace known as "Kootenay Time".

Mapsheets are available that show shoreline, creeks, as well as surrounding topography: numbers 82F and 82K in the 1:250,000 series, or for more detail map numbers 82FSE, 82FNE, and 82KSE in the 1:50,000 series. Nautical charts are also available for the entire lake, thanks to current Ferry routes (the Crawford Bay Ferry is rumoured to be the longest free ferry in North America, if not the world!).

Dave Quinn spends his summers in the Queen Charlottes and the Canadian Arctic guiding sea kayak trips with Whitney and Smith Legendary Expeditions. The rest of the year he works as a wildlife biologist and a freelance writer/photographer from his home in Kimberley, BC.