One of the first two lakes to clear of ice in late winter is Jacko Lake.   It can be a busy place in early spring with a lot of eager fishermen, so it is best to find other places to paddle.    But, because it is at a lower elevation and shallow, it is not a great summer fishing lake but it is a good time to paddle.   Jacko is a scenic lake with a number of shallow arms, all worth exploring.   On a hot summer day, I put a paddleboard on the water and followed the shoreline around the 4.7 km perimeter of the lake.

The turn to Jacko Lake is on the Lac le Jeune Road right next to Inks Lake.   The access road parallels the Afton-Ajax Mine Road for 1.8 km.   A good parking/launch area is located on the north side of the lake.   The lake is surrounded by grasslands hills and a few douglas fir forested patches.

The access road to the mine passes along the north side of the lake.

There were ducks, loons, dragonflies, damselflies, killdeer, swallows, magpies, a caddis fly hatch, leeches, and small fish feeding on the surface.

There was no one around and Jacko Lake was peaceful and quiet on a hot summer day,  with clear blue skies.  Paddling the lake on a SuP is slower (for me) than with the ocean kayak, but perfect for a smaller lake in mid-summer.