On a warm summer day in a part of the province that was not wrapped in smoke, I drove north through Wells Gray Park to the the end of the road.      At the boat launch I got into my kayak, then I paddled up the lake, heading north for 6 km.    The plan was to land at the beach of a marine campsite, then hike a signed trail up to a viewpoint overlooking the lake.   I had done this exact route a few years ago, but Clearwater Lake is my favorite lake, so it was a repeat, but one I was pleased to do again.   

The lake was calm as I kayaked to Divers Bluff Marine Campsite on the west side of Clearwater Lake.     There were a number of canoes on the lake heading up to one of 8 marine campsites spaced along the lake where there are beaches on the 23 km long shoreline, and a handful had landed on the beach for a break before moving on.      

After landing on the beach, I secured the boat, then started the hike up to the lookout.   The first part of the trail winds through cedar – hemlock – birch forest, heading northeast.    The last kilometer was steep,  and it has a couple of short scrambles to get to the top of rocky bluffs,  with views down the lake.     There are some glimpses to the east too, with Zodiac Mountain (2480 m or 8136 ft) and Azure Mountain (2495 m or 8185 ft), standing high above the forests, in inaccessible areas in the Cariboo Mountain Range.  

On the way up the lake more than 20 km away to the north are peaks above Azure Lake, with Mt. Huntley (2429 m) and Garnet Peak (2876 m or 9446 feet).    We once hiked up on to Mt. Huntley from Azure Lake, a very hard all-day hike and scramble.    

After having lunch on the beach and finding a geocache, I Ioaded the boat and started the journey back.   The 6 km back down the lake had a bit of afternoon wind, and it was done at a more leisurely pace.   This is a fine destination for a day in Wells Gray Park, but it is a long day, with many miles of travel required.  

Shared here are some photos from the paddle on Clearwater Lake and the hike up the Eagle’s View Trail.    Click any image for a link to the Google Photos album (inc. captions) or scroll through the slideshow, embedded here.

A video is available on YouTube – Eagle’s View Trail and a new one will be published soon.