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Elk/Beaver Lake Paddle
Elk/Beaver Lake is a Regional Park in the Capital Regional District, located halfway between Sidney (and Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal) and Victoria. The lake derived its funny name when the two once-separate lakes became dammed and the water level rose to flood the marsh land between them. Instead of renaming the newly formed lake, they…
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Burnaby Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: Burnaby Lake Rowing Pavilion Launching type: dock Difficulty – very easy, beginner friendly Boat traffic – no recreational motor boats allowed View – wetlands, wildlife, North Shore mountains, and crops of high rise buildings Facilities – no public washrooms Overall score – 7/10 Located in the center of Burnaby Lake…
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Trout Lake Park (aka John Hendry Park)
Quick Facts: AllTrails link: Trout Lake Loop, 1.3km with 6m elevation Difficulty: very easy, stroller friendly Traffic: heavy on a sunny weekend afternoon Facilities: flush toilet at the community centre, two small playgrounds, a few sandy beaches View: best view from the south end of the lake (Trout Lake Beach) with the North Shore mountains beyond…
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One Mile Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: One Mile Lake Launching type: dock and sandy beach Difficulty – very easy, beginner friendly Boat traffic – no motor boats View – nice views of the surrounding mountains, some snow-capped peaks in the background Facilities: pit toilet Overall score – 5/10 (good spot for beginner paddlers to practice if…
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Duffey Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: Duffey Lake Viewpoint Launching type: pebbly beach Difficulty – windy and small waves made it more of an intermediate paddle Boat traffic – no motor boats View – majestic, snow capped Mt Rohr accompanies the outbound paddle Facilities: none. Overall score – 5/10 Duffey Lake sits on Highway 99, halfway between…
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Paddling Lightning Lake at Manning Park
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: Lightning Lake Day Use Area (the better option) Spruce Bay Parking (if the above is full) Launching type: small dock at Lightning Lake Day Use Area and sandy beach at Spruce Bay Difficulty – very easy No cell phone service. Boat traffic – no motor boats View – layers of…
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Camping at Alice Lake Provincial Park
The campground at Alice Lake Provincial Park is routinely listed as one of the most family friendly in the region. It features flush toilets, automatic hot water faucets at the sinks, showers, a playground, a paved bicycle pump track, many picnic tables and of course, a very swimmable Alice Lake. We booked an overnight stay…
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Cultus Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: Entrance Bay Picnic Area Spring Bay Picnic Area Maple Bay Picnic Area Launching type: beach Difficulty – generally easy especially in the morning before motorboats and wind pick up Boat traffic – many motor boats, jet skis especially on a weekend afternoon. Water-skiers get up surprisingly early. View – lakeshore…
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Whonnock Lake
Quick Facts Parking: 49°12’29.4″N 122°26’54.3″W Launch: 49°12’32.7″N 122°26’59.6″W Launching type: sandy beach Difficulty – very easy Boat traffic – no motor boats allowed View – conifer-covered lakeshores Facilities – playground, picnic tables, sandy beach, porta potties at the park. Overall score – 7/10 Whonnock Lake is a small, calm lake in Maple Ridge, accessible to…
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Rolley Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Parking: 49°14’30.4″N 122°23’20.3″W Launch: 49°14’33.4″N 122°23’23.3″W Launching type: sandy beach Difficulty – very easy Boat traffic – no motor boats allowed View – conifer-covered lakeshores Facilities – pit toilets, no running water. Picnic tables, sandy beach. Overall score – 7/10 Paddle Report: September 2020 For the Labor Day long weekend, we stayed close and…
Outdoor Family 