Kalamalka Lake, Kaloya Regional Park

We took the chase in mid-September, to visit the cave on the southeastern shore of Kalamalka Lake, just south of Vernon. The easiest way to get there is to launch from Kaloya Regional Park on the south end of the lake. You can launch off the west or east side of the peninsula that houses the park. We chose the eastern, sandier beach to avoid the wind. This entailed a 30m carry past the pit toilets and down to the water.

The bottom is sandy but soft. It is firmer over to the left side of the photo below. The water is crystal clear and a lovely emerald green. Lots of folks were SUPping in the sheltered bay when we got back from our paddle.

We paddled north out of the bay and up the eastern shore, to the second point of land.

The entrance to the cave is below the tree hanging over the water (far left) in the picture below. You can't really miss it due to the graffiti on the rocks around it.

The cave itself isn't very deep. You can get one boat inside.

Inside there was a nest (maybe a loon? or a goose? something big anyhow).

Looking back out to the lake is interesting.

There is also a chimney above.

We then paddle back as the wind was starting to come up from the north. 

It is hard to overstate how beautiful this lake is.

Round trip was about 7km and took under two hours. We then had a walk around the peninsular on the trail (which was lousy with Oregon grape) and sat on the western beach to have lunch.

Overall, this is a nice park with a playground, change rooms, pit toilets, and picnic tables. The lake is also lovely, if maybe a bit prone to wind in the afternoon.

Kalamalka Lake, Kaloya Regional Park

In late September, we had a second paddle on Kalamalka Lake near Vernon, this time out of Kaloya Regional Park. This was an easier entry than the Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, requiring just a 20m carry over grass and sand from the parking lot.

You can launch off either the western beach (gravel) or the sandier eastern beach. We chose the latter. There are pit toilets and change rooms here as well as picnic tables and a short walking trail around the park.

We paddled north on the eastern shore about 3 km, basically to the second point of land.

The shoreline is rocky beaches and there are plenty of no trespassing signs.

Just past the second point (below) is the Kalamalka Lake cave.

The cave entrance is hard to miss given the graffiti.

It is a shallow cave (you can just barely get your boat inside) and has an opening in the roof.

We went bit further up the shoreline (which gets steeper) before turning back south.

Kalamalka Lake joins Wood Lake through a narrow and shallow channel in the SW corner (you drive over the channel to get to Koloya Park).

We took a quick tour through and into Wood Lake and then decided to turn around. Our arms were tired from the previous day's lengthy carry.

We ended up back at Koloya Park but on the western beach (which has a marked swim area). We then hung out here, reading books and having lunch.

Overall, this was a nice paddle. The terrain wasn't quite as spectacular as the provincial park and there was more boat traffic. But the entry was way easier and the cave was pretty cool. There was also direct access to Wood Lake off a gravel beach nearby. 

Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park

In mid-September, we spent a few days in Vernon and paddled Kalamalka Lake. The first day, we paddled out of the provincial park. 

After some walking around, we decided our best bet was to follow the paved trail from the first parking lot down towards Juniper Bay Beach and then hook a right to launch from the sandy beach into Jade Bay.

This was a 400m carry with a pretty good elevation drop (30m?) and the first time I've ever wished for carts! The launch was beautiful, though and we ended up swimming here at the end of the paddle. There were pit toilets and picnic tables right off the beach.

We then went left (south) off the beach and followed the shoreline for an hour around Rattlesnake Point and then towards Cosens Bay Beach.

This was a spectacular paddle. Great weather, no boats, and a tremendous blue-green colour made for a nice day. Yay, travelling in the offseason!

The water was super clear. The colour is apparently a chemical reaction: as the lake heats, crystals form that reflect the blue-green rays.

We were starting to poop out at Cosens Bay so we turned around, had lunch, and paddled back.

The carry back up to the cars sucked, and we ended up stopping several times to give our shoulders and hands a rest. But the paddle was totally worth it. It is also possible to access the beach from the north end at Kal Beach, but that area is much more built up.