Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit

 Bowron Lake Provincial Park in northern BC contains a 116 km chain of that forms a perfect parallelogram. It is a popular canoe trip destination as you can paddle the lakes with short portages between to create a link up loop that takes about a week to complete. The circuit is well set up for canoeing with multiple outfitters on Bowron Lake (the only lake accessible by road) near the start of the circuit. The circuit has a permit system that prevents overcrowding and all the campsites are well maintained with outhouses and tent pads. Woodlots along the route have chopped firewood from downed trees to avoid environmental damage from campers harvesting their own wood. Between the lakes, portage trails are wide and smooth. The outfitters rent wheels that you can use to make portaging significantly easier, I would highly suggest the extra $10 per canoe to save your back and lots of time shuttling gear back and forth along the portages.

Map of the circuit

We converged on the Bowron Lake Provincial Park campground on Thursday afternoon and set about re-packing our gear for the week-long trip. After battling bugs for a few hours, we retreated to the trailer for an early bedtime. Drifting off to sleep thinking of the many family road-trips in the tent trailer brought on waves of nostalgia. On Friday morning, we checked in with the outfitter and collected our canoes, paddles, PFDs and fishing permits. There were a few other groups heading out at the same time as us and we were all ushered into the main building to watch a video about the circuit. Not long after, we were loading up our boats and packs for the first and longest portage of the trip, a 2.4 km uphill to Kibbee Lake, the first of 12 lakes. 

Wheels are on and we are ready to go!

It was smooth going on the well-groomed trail. Before departing, we had to weigh our gear and were instructed that we could only carry a max of 60lbs in each boat on the portages. The rest would have to be carried. That lasted about 400 metres. Most of our gear was packed into bins and dry bags that were not very easy to carry and we did not want to be hiking the trail multiple times. I don’t think we were the only ones doing this but have heard stories about people breaking canoes by overloading them on portages!

On the first portage, we stuck to the 60lbs weight limit in the canoe, which meant carrying lots on our backs

Nice trail, but its all uphill!

We made good time on our first day, finishing the three longest portages of the trip and stopping at a beautiful campsite on the west end of Isaac Lake. We enjoyed a swim and delicious home-cooked meal that you could never pack on a backpacking trip. Canoeing is great!

Gloomy skies over Kibbee Lake

A short paddle across Kibbee Lake to the next portage

Loon family on the lake

Finishing up portage #2 between Kibbee Lake and Indian Point Lake

Although it was hard to get lost, having the map handy was very nice

Gourmet cucumber and brie sandwiches on Indian Point Lake

Paddling down Indian Point Lake

Our third portage of the day between Indian Point Lake and Isaac Lake. Shorter, but much muddier. 

Time for some fishing on Isaac Lake

Chilly swim

Dad enjoying the wine, which ran out on day 3. You can never pack too much wine

First campsite

Evening casts on Isaac Lake

.      Day 2 was spent entirely on Isaac Lake, the longest lake of the circuit. We took our time and explored Wolverine Bay where dad caught his first fish of the trip. We paddled hard to an old prospectors cabin as it started to rain. Another group had the same idea and were all able to hide out under the roof while we waited for the storm to pass. The fish made delicious lunch. The sun made an appearance that afternoon and a tailwind picked up. We put up a sail and drifted down the lake enjoying the views of the mountains rising up around us. As is typical in the Cariboo Region in July, the good weather didn’t last. We paddled through short but heavy rain showers and were treated to rainbows over the mountainside. Dad landed a monster Steelhead, but released it back to the depths. Had we kept it, we would have been eating fish for the rest of the trip.

Nice rainbow trout

Fish for lunch as we wait out the rain under the porch of an old prospectors cabin

Afternoon blue skies and a tailwind

Sailing down Isaac Lake

Angela and Mom approve

Dad pulls up a huge Steelhead

The mountains are getting bigger

Mountainside rainbows

There were a number of campsites along the west side of Isaac Lake, but the rain had driven people into camp early that day. We passed one site we had been hoping for, but our friends from lunch had already claimed it. They offered to share but we opted to push on a bit farther as there were plenty of sites a few kilometres down the lake. To our dismay, the next site was occupied too and didn’t have extra tent pads. The same thing happened at the next site. We were starting to get desperate as we passed group after group so when we arrived at the next campsite, we pulled up on shore and asked if there was room for us. The small site had just enough space for our 2 tents and we were grateful to unpack and cook some dinner. We had been paddling for 3 hours longer than we had intended, and it was getting late. 

Looking back at where we came. Campsite number 2

The boys who graciously welcomed us into their campsite were three roommates in their 20’s from Vancouver who had moved from England in the last few years. We hit it off well with them and were soon playing UNO and comparing meals. This was their first canoe trip and they were in various stages of prepared ranging from cotton sweatpants, garbage bag rain covers, and liquid meal replacement for breakfast, lunch and dinner to North Face gear and bacon and eggs. Despite traveling together, they had all done their planning and packing separately and nobody was sharing!

Day 3: Misty mountains and waterfalls as we near the southern end of Isaac Lake

We stayed up late to watch the stars come out. That far north, it took a long time to get dark. It ended up being one of the only cloudless nights of the trip so the short sleep was worth it. The next morning, we packed up and started paddling in a light drizzle. It was a short distance to the end of Isaac Lake. The only rapids on the circuit, a short section known as “The Chute”, lay ahead. We stopped to scope them out briefly before going for it. The rapids can cause some issues for novice paddlers so there is an optional portage around, but we made it through with a few splashes. The Chute was followed by The Roller Coaster, a narrow section of swift water. It was raining hard as we made our way along the increasingly muddy and rugged portages that avoided large falls and unnavigable rapids. We pulled up for lunch at a cabin on McCleary Lake and started up the wood stove to warm up and dry our soaked gear. As the afternoon stretched on and the rain continued to fall, we realized that we were just too comfortable to keep paddling. We were already ahead of schedule so taking the afternoon off wasn’t going to interfere with our trip itinerary.

Scoping out the best path through the Chute

Hundreds of paddles carved by hundreds of paddlers before us a the picnic shelter above the Chute

Mom and Angela ride the Roller Coaster

Soggy portage

Soak but still smiling

Perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon

Thankful for a warm hut to dry our gear

The afternoon was spent reading and drinking tea in the cozy cabin until the rain finally stopped and we were treated to views of the mountains and glaciers to the south and east. While I was down on the shore, I spotted moose out in the middle of the lake. We took the canoes out to get a better look at the male, female and baby that were wading through the shallow water and eating weeds. It was magical. Back at camp, we tried our hand at carving paddles, a tradition on the circuit. Paddlers carve small wood paddles and leave them at different shelters along the way. I am sure that many people have cut themselves whittling the paddles and our group wasn’t spared. My dad ended up slicing his finger just as he was putting the finishing touches on his carving. Fortunately, Angela bandaged him up! 

Friendly neighbourhood moose

Getting up close and personal with the wildlife

Jenny's paddle

A bit of sunshine and some mountain views

That night, we decided to sleep in the cabin. We soon realized that the vicious bugs could easily find their way in through the cracks which made it difficult to sleep. Due to the significant tilt of the cabin, I didn’t feel secure on the top bunk and decided to move to the porch where I set up the tent instead. Everyone said that this was the worse sleep of the trip. My dad had a mouse run across his neck in the night and everyone woke with numerous bug bites. 

Packed up for another day on the water

Day 4 started with glorious views of the mountains and calm water. After crossing the tiny McCleary Lake, we joined the current of the Cariboo River, which winds its way down to Lanezi Lake. This was my favourite section of the trip. We got extremely lucky to have perfectly calm water which gave perfect mirror reflections of the towering mountains and avalanche paths on either side. The wind only picked up a few minutes before we reached our campsite for the evening, bringing heavy rain. Angela had packed a few tarps that became our cooking and hangout shelter for the evening. We spent most of the night under the tarp playing cribbage and reading before tucking in for an early night to escape the incessant bugs.

The moose came out to say goodbye as we left McCleary Lake

Cariboo River

Near perfect reflections on Lanezi Lake

Northern reflections

Green glacial water on Lanezi Lake

Starting to leave the big mountains behind, looking back down Lanezi Lake

The calm after the storm. Mom gazes towards the Cariboo River and tomorrow's objective

Ready for rain!

Family photo

On our 5^th day, we paddled across Sandy Lake and continued down the Cariboo River. We saw black bears on the shore and lots of eagles. Since we were making good time, we took a detour to Una Lake where we stopped for lunch at the far end and followed a short hiking trail to the Cariboo Falls. Here we ran into the British lads once more; they were making good time as well and were very excited to inform us that they had just seen a bear and its cub on the hiking trail. The Cariboo River doesn’t seem like much as you are paddling along, however the Cariboo Falls were impressive. The river plunges 15m down into a canyon and continues swiftly south to join the Quesnel River before entering the Fraser River. As we started to hike, a thunderstorm rolled in, but the thunder was soon drowned out by the roar of the falls. By the time we had returned to the canoes, the sun was out again but dark clouds were still on the horizon.

A good day for ducks!

Smaller hills and thunderstorms ahead on Sandy Lake

Entering Una Lake

Cariboo Falls, larger than expected

Slippery descent to the bottom of the falls

Misty family photo 

Ready for bears

Lush forest floor

Paddling back up the Cariboo River to the portage was disconcerting now that we knew about the massive falls not far below. The mellow current was still enough to make upriver travel more challenging and we paddled a harder than we had yet this trip. The portage was very flat and easy and soon we had arrived on Babcock Lake. We made short work of this lake, and finding all the campsites taken, continued across the 800 metre portage to Spectacle Lake. The campsite at the end of the portage was available so as not to have a repeat of our big day on Isaac Lake we stopped there for the night.

Reflections on Rum Lake

Exploring the hidden Rum Lake

On the banks of Spectacle Lake at the end of the final portage

A buggy campsite

My dad and I took the fishing rod out for a few casts after dinner, but hurried home as dark clouds, lightning and thunder were fast approaching. Another rainy night meant another early bedtime, but nobody was complaining. The whole trip was a great escape from the pace of normal life and really gave us the opportunity to reconnect as a family. We don't get to spend much time together these days and having 7 days stuck in canoes together in the middle of nowhere was the perfect way to catch up and slow down. We had lots of time in camp to play games and read books, and the whole trip felt like a major recharge after a crazy two years of non-stop work and travel. Canoeing is different than other types of backcountry travel because you have so much one on one time with your boat partner. After a few days, conversations get deeper and more interesting as you move past the superficial chatter, interrupted long stretches of introspective silence as you paddle silently through beautiful places. Paddling always brings back memories of family canoe trips, my first exposure to backcountry camping and connections with nature. I love the calm that comes from silently paddling down a lake. There is nothing else like it.

Moody skies over Spectacle Lake

Hurry in before the storm!

Early bedtime!

Day 6 we paddled up Spectacle Lakes and into Swan Lake. These lakes and Bowron Lake make up the western side of the park and are easy to access as there are no portages between them. As a result, this end of the park can be popular for canoeists looking for shorter out and back trip and the sites can be a bit busier. We realized this when we arrived at a woodlot to collect some firewood for the night and found it completely picked over with only a few small pieces left. Despite that, we didn’t see any other groups all day.

Breakfast burritos for the win!

Swan Lake

As we continued north, we left the large mountains behind us. The views changed constantly through the trip which kept things interesting! We chose the last campsite before the marshes that connect Swan Lake to Bowron Lake. To access it, we had to paddle through narrow waterways off of the Bowron River that were lined with tall grass. As we came around a corner, we surprised a mother moose and her calf that quickly disappeared into the foliage. We kept our eyes peeled and were rewarded with close up encounters with beavers, herons and more moose.

Watching the moose ford the river

The campsite had a cooking shelter with a wood stove and covered porch. After sunshine all day we didn’t have any gear to dry, but when the evening rain showers rolled in, it was nice to have a large space to retreat to. The British boys arrived at our campsite a few hours later and we shared our last night with them, playing poker and sharing our surplus snacks. The mother moose and calf joined us too by swimming across the channel to graze in a marsh beside the cabin.

Cozy cook shelter

Last night on the Bowrons

Batten down the hatches

Our final day was a relatively short paddle through the meandering Bowron River before arriving on Bowron Lake. The Bowron River was beautiful, and we encountered moose, beavers and eagles. Bowron Lake has several private cabins and campgrounds along its northern shore. For the first time in a week we saw other people out on the water in motorboats. We paddled up the eastern shore to arrive at the provincial park dock around noon. The final (and unexpected!) portage was up from the dock to the campground and registration centre. It was quite a steep hill and we were all out of breath by the top. We unloaded our boats into the cars and hosed down the boats before saying goodbye to Bowron Lake Provincial Park. 

Off for the final day of paddling

Bowron River

Overall, we had covered 116 km of paddling and portaging over 7 days. This was a very manageable amount of time for this trip, however we had excellent paddling weather with almost no wind the entire trip. Although we had rain almost every day, most showers were brief, with much of the rain falling at night. If you are looking to do this trip, I highly recommend good rain gear (including rain pants) and tarps. The circuit does have shelters with wood stoves that really helped for drying gear which is essential for keeping spirits high. Although I had been warned about the bugs, I was not prepared for the sheer number and aggression of the mosquitos and noseeums. On the water the bugs were not an issue, but as soon as we stopped for lunch or to camp, I would immediately put on long pants and a sweater or risk getting eaten alive. Most nights, I was wearing my gortex jacket and pants over my other layers to keep the bugs from biting through! It was incredible. Despite the bugs and rain, the Bowron Lake Circuit was amazing. The scenery was beautiful, we saw tonnes of wildlife and barely any other paddlers. I highly recommend this trip! Also, if you have some extra time, a trip to Barkerville is well worth a visit to learn about the history of gold mining in the area through an interactive historic town! Bonus: they serve beer!

We made it and are still smiling