Heffley Lake is one of the best lakes for paddling in the Kamloops area from ice-off to the end of the season, but it is even better to pick a day when it is not full of power boats.   In shoulder season and on weekdays, the lake is fairly quiet and it is long enough to accommodate a lot of boats.

The boat launch is at the east end and the route to the main body of the lake passes by two small islands and a point before it opens up.   Anyone who wants to paddle the whole lake, including all the bays,  will cover 13 km which will take about 2.5 to 3 hours.

Almost all of the south shore is forested.  The north shore has a number of homes overlooking the lake, under the slopes of Mt. Embleton.   The far west end has a marshy area with few homes but it is the quietest part of the lake.   The east end of the lake is the busiest area so we enjoy paddling all the way to the far end, paddling down one shoreline and coming back by the other.

More information:

• Heffley Lake in Spring