Main Lake Canoe Trip - Quadra Island

Heather and I decided to take a couple of days and enjoy the paddling that the Main Lake Provincial Park area had to offer. We headed out Friday morning and caught the ferry from Campbell River to Quadra Island (10 minute sailing). It was a short 30 minute drive to the park and we put in at Mine Lake. We found a beautiful spot on the channel between Mine Lake and Main Lake and set up camp. The dogs were happy and attended to the most pressing of needs....


Quiggs sayd the water temperature is perfect!

We chilled out at camp, enjoyed a good meal and played a few good games of yahtze!

We had granola and bannock for breakfast, packed lunch, hung the food and headed off in the canoe for a day of adventure. We paddled up the east arm of Main Lake and paddled to the overgrown logging road that heads to Yeatman Bay. The trailhead can be accessed by either of the sand beaches at the tip of the east arm and is easily recognizable by the washed out rubble rock. The trail is not maintained but is in fine shape and would be rated as an easy jaunt in my books (1.6 km). When we got to Yeatman Bay we followed the south shoreline to a rocky bluff overlooking Yeatman Bay, Read Island and Okisollo Channel. We enjoyed lunch of the rocky bluff and took in a bald eagle and common loon.



After lunch we hiked back to the canoe and headed back out on Main Lake. We skirted the north shore and checked out all of the knooks and crannies. While it was overcast and misty the water was calm and made for enjoyable paddling. We decided to paddle down Shadow Brook to explore the salmon spawning grounds and intimate setting that small calm brooks create. Heather took this video.



On the way back the sun was trying to come out and eventually did break. A Common Merganser and her brood decided to go for a swim given this change in weather.


Swimming Lessons.

We had another lovely evening around camp, playing stick with the boys, warming up by the fire, reading and enjoying the area.


Mandatory game of stick!

We explored the south end of this chain of lakes which took us to Village Bay Lake in search of a jumping rock we had heard of.


Heather's Jump


Jarrod's Jump

We had lunch on the rock and paddled back to camp. It was still a bit cloudy and we decided to head home. So you can decide on whether the dogs had a good time...


Quiggs and stick.


Oliver bringing in his load.


Boys perched on a rocky bluff on Yeatman Bay.