We planned a couple of nights at Quiet Lake and also hoped to get on the water in the canoe. We woke to flat calm water; however had noticed yesterday that the wind could come up fast. We headed out and stayed close to shore. Venturing south along the shoreline, we encountered a fishing lodge & civilization, so turned back home.
Looking west from the boat launch at Quiet Lake, towards the Big Salmon Mountain
Range
Quiet Lake is 28-km long and the largest of three lakes that form the headwaters of the Big Salmon River system.
Looking north from the boat launch ...
Later, we explored some of the area in the truck and learned the unmaintained recreation site at Nisutlin River would have been a great overnight stop. When we drove by yesterday we chose to not drive in as we did not know if there was a turn around area. Apparently this site is a popular spot for kayakers to put in for a week trip down the river to Teslin.
After hooking the fifth wheel up and loading the canoe, we left Quiet Lake to continue north. We stopped at the Quiet Lake recreation site about 20 km north of the campground. It was a narrow edge along the lakeshore suitable for tents and truck/campers and very exposed to the chilly south wind blowing on the lake.
Further along, there are a few pieces of equipment from the original road building.
Quiet Lake Grader Station, a maintenance camp at km 98
Quiet Lake Grader Station, a maintenance camp at km 98
Most of the bridges on the South Canol are one lane wood bridges.
Rose River bridge, km 104 (this bridge was not passable on our July 2008
visit)
Note: see many more pictures taken between Rose River bridge No. 1 and Ross River from our July 2008 trip
Next stop was Lapie Lake (km 164), where there was an unmaintained recreational site with a couple of camping spots. One of the spots had a picnic table and plenty of room for the fiver ...
Campsite at Lapie Lake
Looking south from the campsite at Lapie Lake.
Looking south on the lake from our campsite
After unhooking the fifth wheel, we set off to explore a side road along Groundhog Creek that led east into the hills and Seagull Lakes.
Side road to Seagull Lakes
Road to Seagull Lakes
Returning from Seagull Lakes
We were hoping to make it all the way to the lakes; however, after a
couple of hours
the road started a steep climb and became very rough, with deep
gullies running
down the tracks. Even
with 4x4, it was risky to continue on our own, so we turned
back.
Back on the South Canol we headed a bit north of our campsite at Lapie Lake to find a walking trail to Ian H. Thomson Falls. After we found the sign marking the trailhead, it took a few minutes to find the trail. It's a short hike to the falls.
Trailhead to Ian H. Thomson Falls along the South Canol Road