Premier Listings: Canoeing & Kayaking: Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast

The Chilcotin River is rated among the best – and most challenging – in North America for kayaking and whitewater rafting. The Chilko River, a tributary of the Chilcotin that flows out of Chilko Lake, is also known for its whitewater activities. Not only will the Class IV-V whitewater get your adrenal glands fluttering, the landscape will too.

The headwaters of the Chilcotin and the Chilko lie in the Coast Mountains near the southeast corner of Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park. The rivers become runable in the subalpine regions, then they descend to the Chilcotin Plateau’s sprawling grasslands and arid canyons. Some of the most spectacular scenery is found near the Chilcotin’s confluence with the Fraser River, south of Riske Creek. This is an esteemed kayaking and rafting locale, but because of its isolation, the Chilcotin sees relatively few rafters and whitewater kayakers.

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Within Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, the chain of lakes connected by Hunlen Creek provides the opportunity for an enjoyable canoe trip of three to five days. Leading from Turner Lake to Sunshine Lake, a distance of about 17 miles (27.5 km) one way, this route enjoys calm water, beautiful scenery, good cutthroat trout fishing, sandy beaches, and wilderness camping. With the exception of 7-mile (11-km) Turner Lake, the lakes are small. There are six easy, short portages, the longest taking 30 minutes. Although the canoe season begins in June, the best time to enjoy this delightful corner of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park is in September, once the first frost has brought an end to insect season. Canoes can be airlifted in or rented from Tweedsmuir Wilderness Camp on Turner Lake, June 15 – September 15.

There is a three-to-four day canoe route on the Nazko Lakes south of Alexis Creek. Campsites are located at Loomis and Deerpelt Lakes in the new Nazko Lake Provincial Park. Total round-trip distance is about 30 miles (50 km). To reach the park, drive 28 miles (45 km) south of Alexis Creek on the Alexis Lakes Forest Service Road.

Premier Listings

Ocean Light Adventures with the vessel Afterglow

Box 64594 Como Lake PO Coquitlam BC V3J 7V7 Home Phone: 604-328-5339Home Fax: 604-731-7066Website: Visit Website
Photo of Ocean Light Adventures with the vessel Afterglow

Biographical Info

Ocean Light Adventures introduces their new vessel for summer 2021. The powerboat Afterglow is a 60ft Monk designed Gulf Commander with 5 staterooms and 3 heads, offering amazing wildlife viewing from all windows and from the spacious top deck. Her crew has 34 years of experience offering natural history and photography tours on the BC Coast, including Haida Gwaii, and specializing in grizzly viewing tours in the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, and spirit bear and grizzly tours in the Great Bear Rainforest. We also offer whale watching and eco tours, from totems to intertidal treasures, rocky shores to sandy beaches, and spawning salmon to towering trees. We offer five spectacular adventure trips between May and October, each to a different region and each highlighting the awe-inspiring beauty of the beautiful BC coast.

Categories: Alert Bay, Bear Viewing Tours, Bella Bella, Boating, Sailing & Cruising, Broughton Archipelago, Broughton Archipelago Marine Provincial Park, Canoeing & Kayaking, Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast, Coast, Discovery Coast, Fiordland Conservancy, Graham Island, Great Bear Rainforest, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, Haida Gwaii, Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy Area, Inside Passage, Johnstone Strait, Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, Khutzeymateen Inlet Conservancy, Klemtu, Moresby Island, Naikoon Provincial Park, North Island, Northern BC, Northern BC & Haida Gwaii, Penrose Island Marine Provincial Park, Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Prince Rupert, Princess Royal Island, Prudhomme Lake Provincial Park, Pure Lake Provincial Park, Queen Charlotte City, Queen Charlotte Islands, Queen Charlotte Strait, Recreation, Sandspit, Sightseeing & Tours, Skidegate, Sointula, Vancouver Island, Vancouver Island & BC Islands, Whale Watching, Wildlife Viewing