Paddling on a Mirror: The Bowron Lake Circuit

Summer 2007

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

“So let’s kayak around the Bowron Lakes instead,” suggested my son Patrick when a six-day backpacking trip had to be cancelled because the trail was closed. The hike was to have been a last epic Canadian adventure before he took off to work in Australia for a year. As it turned out, it was an easy switch, and luckily we had the needed four days before our departure to make the reservation with Parks BC. Even luckier, we were able to get reservations for the day we wanted to start.

The Bowron Lakes have been described as one of the brightest jewels in British Columbia’s provincial park system. This rectangular chain of lakes and rivers has long been a top choice of both local and international paddlers. However, only fifty people a day are allowed on the route, with some choosing the west side, and the majority beginning the complete circuit by starting on the east side. From mid-May to mid-September, the route is filled with people who have made reservations far in advance, with only four walk-on places allocated each day for spontaneous paddlers.

It takes about eight hours on excellent roads to drive the 800 kilometres from Vancouver to Quesnel—the last point to get provisions since the store at the Bowron Lakes Provincial Park campsite has only the most basic of supplies. Once in the campsite we bear proofed our surroundings—a task that we perfected as we relocated each night. At nine o’clock the next morning, we joined the other paddlers at the obligatory orientation meeting. The park employee described the route, the garbage regulations, location of woodlots, the wild-life precautions and assistance that either park rangers or remote telephones could provide us at points throughout the park. Little did we know at the time that we should have asked more questions!

The sky was blue, there was no wind and the temperature was perfect. We were keen to get started, but first we had to weigh all our food and equipment. Each person is allowed sixty pounds (lifejackets, paddles and safety gear are not weighed) and no glass containers (e.g. wine bottles) or beer cans are allowed. Along with our entry tag came orange garbage bags to bring out any garbage, including discarded food.
The circuit starts with pulling your watercraft up a hill and along the first of several long portages and short paddles in the small lakes and marshy rivers. Still, with the hardy wheeled carts we had rented, this went quickly on the wide, fairly smooth paths. In rainy weather though, these paths can turn into a muddy slog. I saw only one husky young man transporting his canoe in the traditional method on his shoulders—everyone else was “carting it.”

After the mid-morning start, we had set a modest first day goal of reaching the beginning of Isaac Lake—the longest of the lakes on the route. However, conditions were perfect and neither of us wanted to stop. So on we paddled through Kibbee and Indianpoint Lakes and to the end of the west arm of Isaac Lake—a total of 16 km and 6 km of portages. Our campsite had an open shelter, a ranger cabin and only two other paddlers—both of whom were in kayaks. As we progressed around the route, I observed that about half the people were paddling kayaks—quite a change from only ten years ago when the majority of people were in canoes.

That first evening the four of us talked kayaks and world events and watched the sunset and a storm approaching. Thunder, lightning, wild winds and waves had us wondering what the next day would be like for paddling. One crack of lightning streaked across the sky, and far along the main arm of Isaac Lake we saw the explosion and birth of a forest fire.

The next morning, having observed that I was able to paddle strongly and fairly quickly, my son devised the diabolical plan of doing the route with a speed that would allow him to attend one last weekend party back in Vancouver. Aided by the near perfect weather and paddling conditions, we were able to begin the first portage at 10:30 on a Monday morning and after 106.4 km of paddling and 10.6 km of portages, to pull out at 11:30 on the following Friday morning. Most people take at least six days, and some were paddling and camping for a leisurely fourteen days (the maximum you are allowed to stay on the route). Our speed didn’t allow us much time in the campsites, but for me, the paddling was the pleasure, and we were still able to see wildlife, talk to fellow paddlers from around the world, have a rest at noon and swim. This is not the case for everyone. One friend said that several years ago he did the entire route in three days and complete misery because every day brought endless torrential rains, wind and grey mist. Others told tales of relentless waves and wind on every lake.

We saw a lot of wildlife throughout the park. My favourites were the loons calling in the evenings to their lifetime mates or playing silly games by luring us off track when we attempted to get the perfect close-up picture. The mergansers demonstrated their daredevil nature by scooting down the oft feared and talked about “Chute” rapids that leave Isaac Lake and take a sharp L turn into the Isaac River. The human paddlers wisely avoided this challenge since water levels were very low—one group was rewarded by seeing a mother moose and her calf on the portage. On our last day we saw two moose munching grass in the Bowron River estuary. Only one person reported seeing a black bear—a credit to the cleanliness maintained in the camp sites. The grizzlies that live in the central Mowdish Range are seldom seen (except for the stuffed one located among park memorabilia in the Bear River Mercantile store at the entrance to the park).

From our kayaks, we heard several kinds of owls seemingly alerting wildlife to another forest fire that we watched advance down a hill to one of the campsites. The sound of the fire whooshing up a tree and turning it into a 50 metre candle was impressive, and we waited in vain for a water bomber to arrive. Later we found out that the park policy is to let fires burn naturally. I noted with sadness that the pine beetles had eaten their way through over half the forests surrounding the lakes. The dead wood will no doubt fuel many more fires.

There were several large waterfalls along the route, but thankfully there were immense signs warning us to portage. Ranging from the modest Chute to the large Cariboo Falls (visible after a twenty minute walk from Unna Lake), they tumble down steep rocky gorges that were impassable to even the best of paddlers. The sound of distant tiny waterfalls splashing into the lakes was always with us, but they were visible only when we went close to shore.

While paddling on a mirror is a wonderful, relaxing experience, we found we had to devise entertainment to add variety. Lanezi Lake offered the chance to view tall rock formations that are very similar to Mount Rushmore. For over an hour we discussed what famous Canadians (ranging from Lester Pearson to Diana Krall) should have their faces carved on those barren rocks. In camp that evening, we found out that several other paddlers had been doing exactly the same thing.

There was one part of the trip that did not need any excitement added. It is a case of saving the worst to last to describe the fast-flowing, silt filled Cariboo River as the least favourite part of the trip for most people we spoke to. While the orientation staff had described in a neutral voice to “watch out for the sweepers, deadheads, snags and currents, stay in the main channels” this did not do justice to the experience when you actually had to navigate it. One woman said she screamed down the entire 5.2 kilometres—but made it. My son, not so lucky, dumped when he got caught sideways in the current as he tried to avoid a large root. Fortunately, he was able to get over to the side of the river, pump out and we continued on with renewed admiration for paddlers who choose to paddle in fast rivers and rapids!

Each of the lakes has its own personality. Isaac Lake was deep, clear and cold; little Unna Lake a warm, delightful lake for camping and swimming; and Sandy Lake—well it was sandy and very shallow. On the final day, it was with some regret that we paddled across Bowron Lake to return our carts and get into our car. We agreed that the trip had more than met the criteria of an epic Canadian adventure. As well, it provided wonderful memories of a fresh water kayaking experience that easily rivaled sea kayaking for beauty and excitement.

If You Go
Reservations for the Bowron Lake circuit are available at 1-800-435-5622 (Hello BC).
Access to the Park is via the Fraser Canyon or through Whistler to Quesnel and then east to Wells.
Rental of everything needed for paddling (from the cart and kayak to dry bags) is available from Bowron Lake Lodge, 1-800-519-3399; Beckers, 1-800-808-4761; Bear River Mercantile, Radio phone H96699 Wells YP.

Aileen Stalker is an urban paddler who is tentatively venturing into wilderness paddling. She is co-author with her son Andrew of the book Paddling Through History: Sea Kayak Vancouver and Victoria