10 places in the Valley where you’ll enjoy prime paddling

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The Okanagan Valley has so many possibilities for kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddling, how do you decide where to start?

The following are 10 kayak routes which have proven doable and interesting, from Vaseux Lake in the South Okanagan to Okanagan Lake to Kalamalka Lake in the North Okanagan.

As always with watersports, those participating should bring the mandatory Transport Canada safety equipment (wearing life jackets and personal floatation devices, not just having them onboard), have a minimum amount of safety/rescue training in case your watercraft capsizes, be aware of your own limitations and keep an eye out for inclement weather, from wind (and wind-driven waves) to rain and lightning.

1. KELOWNA PADDLE TRAIL

Our Top 10 has to start with the Kelowna Paddle Trail launched on May 19 by more than 100 kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, dragonboats and even a wheelchair paddler on a pontoon boat.

The 27-kilometre trail involved anchoring 22 buoys from Bertram Creek Regional Park at the south end of Lakeshore Road to McKinley Beach in the north.

The GPS-registered information buoys have a list of the beach accesses along the trail and the distance between each, making it easier for paddlers to stay oriented along the waterfront, to know when a rest stop is coming up and even challenge themselves between each distance.

2. KALAMALKA LAKE EAST SHORELINE

Take Oyama Road to Trask Road. If the limited parking at small Pioneer Park is full, drive to Kaloya Regional Park.

You can launch on either the west or east side, exploring the bay on the east side for a short paddle or head across the mouth of the bay to the mostly-uninhabited eastern shoreline.

There is a small cave in a rock wall decorated with what could be First Nation art alongside graffiti. The highlight, though, is a huge cliff several kilometres to the north. There aren’t many places to pull in to stretch the legs so watch for a small pullout in a small bay.

3. VASEUX LAKE

It’s small but right next to Highway 97 in the South Okanagan. The most interesting part is in the north end with extensive marshes (common waterfowl are Canada geese, trumpeter swans, blue-winged teal, widgeons and wood ducks) and Vaseux Lake Provincial Park, a birder’s paradise with 11 red-listed species and nine bluelisted species.

You might also see toads, turtles, beavers and muskrats if you paddle quietly.The lake provides promising fishing opportunities for large-mouth bass, rainbow trout and carp. Motorized watercraft are not allowed on the lake.

4. KALAMALKA LAKE, NORTH END:

Launch your kayaks at Kekuli Bay Provincial Park, located off Highway 97 north of Lake Country. Paddle east and across the lake, then head follow the shoreline north to Cosens Bay in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park.

After a snack or lunch, follow the interesting rock-sculpted shoreline to Rattlesnake Point, then across the lake to the west shore and beautiful yellow cliff, and then south back to Kekuli Bay. Even better, camp at the park and explore more of the shoreline to the north and south.

5. OKANAGAN SHORELINE, PENTICTON TOWARD NARAMATA:

An interesting paddle going past urban housing to a rock-sculpted shoreline as far as you want to go before returning to the Penticton waterfront. Those with touring or expedition kayaks can continue north and camp overnight at Van Hyce Beach, Goode’s Creek, Commando Bay and Buchan Bay. Tinyurl.com/y8sofdro has a map to follow. For those who want a shorter paddle, the map shows you can drive to the end of North Naramata Road to a lake access shown on the map.

6. RATTLESNAKE ISLAND

For those who can safely do open water crossings, launch in Peachland and paddle across Okanagan Lake to this small island which has a fascinating history.

There is a small area to land on the south end. In the early 1970s, Eddy Haymour developed a tourist attraction which included a mini-golf course with a replica of the Great Pyramid at Giza and a giant camel. Remains can still be seen.

The provincial government blocked the project shortly after it opened. In 1986, the BC Supreme Court ordered the province to pay Haymour $250,000 in damages for its “highly improper” actions. Legend has it that Ogopogo lives in a cave on Rattlesnake Island earning it the nickname Monster Island.

7. PROVINCIAL PARKS ALONG OKANAGAN

LAKE: Quite a few years ago, a group of Kelowna women did a complete circumnavigation of the lake, stopping to camp at the numerous provincial parks. You can do this in segments, launching at Fintry and Bear Creek provincial parks (off Westside Road) for example, and exploring both north and south. Between Peachland and Summerland is popular Okanagan Lake Provincial Park.

8. CITY PARK

For those who want a short paddle, you can launch at Kelowna’s City Park, go across Okanagan Lake right next to the Bennett Bridge and return on the other side while waving at the drivers. Many paddlers have examined the concrete support structures holding the raised portion of the bridge (west end) and imagined what it would look like if the Westbank First Nation painted them to look like totem poles.

They would quickly become the most photographed bridge columns anywhere in the province. Watch for boat traffic under the raised portion. In windy conditions, one side of the bridge will be wavy and the other side completely calm.

9. KALAMOIR PARK:

In West Kelowna, follow Collens Hill Road to the bottom (narrow access roadway) and launch at Kalamoir Beach. You can head north to unusual rock formations or south toward Green Bay.

If you feel like you need a real workout, you could paddle all the way to Gellatly Bay or Gellatly Nut Farm Regional Park or Pebble Beach, all of them perfect places to stop for lunch or act as your next kayak launching point as you explore the west shoreline of Okanagan Lake.

10. OKANAGAN MOUNTAIN PARK NORTH END:

If you want to get away from all those multimillion-dollar waterfront mansions, launch at Bertram Creek Regional Park at the south end of Lakeshore Road in Kelowna.

Paddling south, you soon pass the last of those and you are into the provincial park shoreline. You can still see the ravages of the 2003 Okanagan Mountain wildfire and check out how the undergrowth has recovered around the many blackened tree tombstones.

J.P. SQUIRE PHOTOS/Special to The Okanagan Weekend If you head north from Penticton or Naramata along the east shore of Okanagan Lake, you will come across a series of interesting rock formations. If you want a longer or even an overnight paddle, you can continue north to a series of campsites in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park.

There is a small area to land your kayak, canoe or paddleboard on the south side of Rattlesnake Island, located on the east side of Okanagan Lake across from Peachland. Legend has it that Ogopogo lives in a cave on Rattlesnake Island earning it the nickname Monster Island. So keep an eye out.

The east shore of Kalamalka Lake has its own art gallery on a short rock wall which also features a small cave. Despite warning signs, some still come onshore and jump into the lake from the top of the wall. One of the artists, unknown, could be a First Nation person, judging by the painting.

The new Kelowna Paddle Trail was launched on May 19 by more than 100 kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, dragonboats and even a wheelchair paddler on a pontoon boat. The 27-kilometre trail involved anchoring 22 buoys between Bertram Creek Regional Park in the south and McKinley Beach in the north.