(Photo © John Geary)
"Why canoe wild rivers? The first time you startle a moose that's feeding among the lily pads ... you'll know."
- Cliff Jacobson in his book, Canoeing Wild Rivers
Most canoe trips involve a certain amount of risk, but one of the biggest risks involves taking a partner in a fairly new relationship on his or her first overnight canoe trip. If you survive it without killing each other, you're doing well; if you're still talking at the end of the trip, that's a bonus; and if you both enjoy it, there is a good chance your relationship will survive almost anything.
If you do insist on using a canoe trip as an outdoor litmus test to determine a relationship's long-term potential, one of the best trips to take is B.C.'s Bowron Lake Provincial Park circuit.
I've done it, and obviously survived to tell the tale …
The park is set in the Cariboo Mountains, and offers gorgeous scenery, relative solitude and the chance to see plenty of wildlife.
The only way to truly experience Bowron is by canoe or kayak, paddling its 72-mile long, roughly rectangular circuit of lakes and rivers. All campsites are lakeshore campsites, and include bear caches for food. There are not too many portages, and instead of carrying your canoe in the traditional fashion, you can rent wheels that attach to the bottom and roll it down the trails, which include boardwalks along rough or boggy sections.
That last fact alone helped me convince my then-girlfriend Ann to take the paddling plunge.
The park's geographic location often results in more rain than sunshine, and because it is in the mountains, even summers can be cool. Such was the case when we awoke our first morning on Isaac Lake to find a thin coating of frost on our tent. It was mid-August, but the air had an autumn chill to it. Ann's usual comments about having to pick grounds out of her teeth from drinking my campfire coffee were absent that morning, as she gratefully gulped down the hot, strong liquid.
We had covered about seven miles from our starting point at the northeastern corner of Bowron Lake the day before. Just a few hours into our second day's paddling, we ran into one of the hazards canoeists can encounter on this trip: strong, sudden headwinds. It was also raining, so we pulled our canoe out of the water and sat out the inclement weather at a campsite.
We continued south next morning, hoping to make up for lost time. We arrived at the lake's south end before lunch. Here the lake flows into Isaac River, starting with a chute followed by some small rapids called the Roller Coaster. Jack Wainright's book, Canoe Trips British Columbia, lists these as Class II, but they posed no difficulty. The chute can be tricky, as you have to cut left sharply just before hitting it, then paddle hard to the right as you exit or the current will fire your canoe bow first into the opposite bank, as we witnessed before running it ourselves. Portaging is always an option.
Two short portages around a stretch of whitewater called the Cascades and a set of 36-foot high waterfalls took us to McLeary Lake. We then turned west into the Cariboo River.
While the park map/brochure warns people about the hazards of the Chute and Roller Coaster, the Cariboo River poses a much bigger challenge. Although there is no whitewater from McLeary to Lanezi Lakes, the Cariboo flows very fast. Numerous sweepers and strainers stand ready to snag unwary paddlers. We saw evidence of this in the form of a crushed canoe pinned against a huge y-shaped log at one point on the river.
By the time we entered Lanezi Lake, we had more than made up our lost time. However, we were two pooped paddlers, so we quickly set up camp.
The next day, we continued to paddle west through Lanezi and Sandy Lakes, into a slow stretch of the Cariboo River then into Unna Lake, one of the circuit's favorite camping spots. It features an inviting, south-facing sandy beach. At the lake's south end, a half-mile hike through the woods takes you to 80-foot high Cariboo Falls, a side trip well worth taking.
Since it continued to rain, we decided to paddle past Unna, thinking we might just as well get wet paddling as sitting around. Entering Babcock Creek, we had to climb out and get our feet wet as the low water levels forced us to line our canoe for about a mile into Babcock Lake.
While crossing the lake, we watched a moose swim along the east shore, a sight I'd seen while paddling here the previous summer. We joked about how much the park paid their "staff moose" to be seen in this lake.
Two short portages and a quick paddle across tiny Skoi Lake brought us to the south end of Spectacle Lakes, our campsite for the night. The next day, we paddled up Spectacle Lakes, stopping for lunch at Pat Point, before continuing to Swan Lake. This lake contains a large island that offers nesting sites for birds. We stopped paddling to watch an osprey hover high above the lake surface before diving to catch several fish.
Several campsites include primitive cabins with a wood stove for those who want a change of pace from tenting. We spent our night in one at the north end of Swan Lake, welcoming the opportunity to dry out.
As we paddled into the meandering waters of the Bowron River the next day, we spied a fresh grizzly track in the mud along the shore. We could feel the hairs on our necks start to rise and decided to sing as we paddled - to emulate the voyageurs of old, of course. If it also happened to alert any bears to our presence, all the better …
Once off the river, a leisurely paddle across Bowron Lake brought us back to our starting point, our relationship still intact. We'd survived frost, wind, rain, portages and my campfire coffee; and we're still paddling together to this day …
- John Geary
(*this story appears in the August 2002 issue of Canoe & Kayak Magazine)
Travel Tips
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You get to the park via B.C. Highway 97. Just north of Quesnel, turn west on Highway 26 to access the park. |
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There are 25 drive-in campsites near the Registration Centre. Reservations are not available for the drive-in sites - it's first-come, first-served. You can also camp at Barkerville Provincial Park, 17 miles west of the park boundary. |
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Becker's Lodge ( http://www.beckers.bc.ca/ ; 1-800-808-4761) and Bowron Lake Lodge (1-800-519-3399; www.bcadventure.com/bowron/ ) offer cabins for pre- and post-trip stays right by Bowron Lake. |
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The circuit has 42 campsites, each site ranging from two to eight tent pads. All sites provide bear food caches, outhouses and fire rings. Some feature picnic shelters or rustic cabins. Twelve wilderness group campsites are available. If you plan to paddle with more than six people, you need to register in advance as a group. Group size maximum is 14 people. The number of daily departures onto the canoe circuit is limited, so you should make reservations (1-800-435-5622). Fees are Cdn $100/canoe, or $50/person for solo or Voyageur (greater than three paddlers) canoes. If you don't have the time to do the entire circuit, do the west side (Bowron to Unna Lake and back) for $50/canoe, $25 for solo/Voyageurs. |
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For more details, log on to http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bowron.htm |
Books to read:
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Canoe Trips British Columbia, by Jack Wainright |
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The Bowron Lakes, British Columbia's Wilderness Canoe Circuit, by Chris Harris |
Conservation Corner
Want to help conservation efforts or learn about conservation in B.C.? Visit:
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Other Journeys ...
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The Beauty of B.C.'s Bowron Lakes |
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