First Narrows on Powell Lake tends to create weather of its own. Here a cloud is sandwiched between the top of Goat Island and the blue sky above.
At the base of the cloud, it was misty and moist. Giving the trees some much needed moisture.
The Labour Day long weekend is coming soon! Powell Lake is very busy now and there's a cabin here just waiting for you. The water is warm, the sun is shining, and the BBQ in going. Don't miss out on what's left of the summer of a lifetime! There are still a few great properties available. If you have any questions or need us, you know where we'll be. Up the lake of course.
Are you interested in getting a cabin of your own? Here's an updated list of cabins and properties up the lake that are for sale. Some are through real estate agents, so you can get more information via their websites.
From the Powell River PEAK on September 1, 2010: Registered water lease ready for you to add the float cabin of your dreams. Prime location at the mouth of popular Henderson Bay with dramatic views of the Bunster range to the west and snow capped peaks to the north. Just 17 minutes from the Shinglemill Marina with a new breakwater and wind/solar power generation system on shore. Asking $45,000. For more information call 760-218-8938.
Harry Zroback from RE/Max offers a float cabin on the south side of Goat Island just past Dego Point. It is a well appointed 3 bedroom, 2 bath float cabin. You have to take a look at the photos on Harry's website. It has lots of room for family and friends, or plenty of space for just the two of you. It comes with fridge, stove, woodstove, even satellite TV. The 60X60 cedar log float gives you lots of room to enjoy the outdoors and dynamite lake views. The asking price is $169,000. You can reach Harry at 604-483-8333 or harry@powellriverrealestate.com.
From the Powell River PEAK on July 23, 2010 and online at ConsignAll.ca: Powell Lake float cabin 5 minutes past Hole-in-the-Wall, mainland side, 1-bedroom downstairs plus loft for additional beds, fully furnished including new propane fridge and stove, large float with lots of deck space and tie-up room, good breakwater and year-round stream, $120,000 firm. Contact Julie at 604-483-4293 or check online at ConsignAll.ca.
Harry Zroback and Mandy Brown from RE/Max have a cute freehold cabin on Powell Lake. It comes with about half an acre of treed property about 15 minutes from the Shinglemill Marina. The 900 sq ft cabin has two bedrooms and one bath, and a cozy woodstove. It comes with canoe, linens, kitchen utensils, everything to get you started on the best summer you've ever had. All this for only $259,000. For more information, click here. You can reach Mandy at 604-485-2741 or mandybrown@remax.net. You can reach Harry at 604-483-8333 or harry@powellriverrealestate.com.
From the Powell River PEAK on September 1, 2010: Warren Behan from Coast Realty lists a large float cabin on a large float now further reduced from $149,900 to $129,000. It is located in a scenic spot near the inlet of the Goat River. It comes with all furnishings. It's has a cozy wood stove, kitchen appliances including stove, oven, fridge and freezer, and bathroom with toilet and shower. Click here for more information, click here for a multimedia tour, or contact Warren at 604-483-8173 or warrenbehan@shaw.ca.
Don Mcleod from RE/Max list a spacious boat access only float home in a beautiful and peaceful setting on Powell Lake's east side past the log dump and Dego Point now reduced from $84,000 to $79,000. It has a large deck, 3 bedrooms, wood stove in a spacious kitchen/living area plus a large loft. The listing says it has loads of room but needs finishing. Click here for more information or contact Don at 604-485-2741, by e-mail at don@mycoast.ca or his website www.mycoast.ca.
Don Mcleod from RE/Max also has a land cabin on Powell Lake was listed for $140,000 but now it has been drastically reduced to only $79,900. The cabin is on it's own island (currently leased from the Crown/BC government) in picturesque Three Mile Bay, just three miles up the lake from the Shinglemill Marina by boat. It's an older cabin with a large kitchen and living room area. The floats do need work. What a perfect summer (or year-round) retreat great for swimming, fishing and just getting away. Large kitchen and living room area. Click here for more information about this great recreational property or contact Don at 604-485-2741, by e-mail at don@mycoast.ca or his website www.mycoast.ca.
Interested in an 8.35 acre land holding for a remote retreat or ecotourism resort? The Powell Lake Lodge is for sale and Jason Zroback of LandQuest can help you out. The land has ten years left on a thirty-year Crown (government) lease. The improvements include five cabins, several outbuildings, water, septic and dock. It's been vacant for a while and would need some work, but the price is right at $299,000 for everything. It's water access from Powell River but there's road access to the ocean at Theodosia Inlet. Give Jason a call at 604-414-5577 or jason@landquest.com.
Want a real estate agent that really knows float cabins? That's Harry Zroback (our man Harry who helped us get our cabin) from RE/MAX. Harry owns a cabin himself, so he's an excellent person to contact for all your "up the lake" real estate needs at 604-483-8333 or harry@powellriverrealestate.com.
We travel up and down Powell Lake to our cabin in all kinds of weather, except the extremely windy kind. There are names for places along the way such as The Washout (an earthen dam on nearby Inland Lake burst, washing out a patch to the shore of Powell Lake, Sandy Beach (an easy one to guess), Elvis Point (a life-size statue of the King used to stand here), and the North Sea (John's name for the large, often choppy section below First Narrows). We've also named a few places of our own.
Here is Palm Tree Point just south of The Washout. A large fir tree sticks out on an angle with its top branches somewhat lopped off. From a distance, it looks a lot like a palm tree jutting out for more sunlight.
On a foggy day, when our "palm tree" looms out of the mist, we know exactly where we are. But on calm summer days, it is just another beautiful tree among the many along the shore. -- Margy
Impossible, you say? Well, not really. But this is one adventure I didn't get to participate in except for launch and recovery. Wayne and John used our cedar log raft to tow their quads up to the head of Powell Lake for three nights of camping and two days of riding. But first, the raft needed a bit of modification to make it go faster.
The weather needed to be timed for no rain (makes tent camping easier) and calm water (makes towing easier). To be ready for such a window, Wayne and John decided to tow the quads up and preposition them at our cabin. For the next few days, looky-loos in Hole in the Wall had something new to catch their attention.
On Sunday morning, John arrived with his dog Bro ready to go. They weren't sure how long it would take, but estimated five hours. But first, John set up our Campion to push the raft. He thought it would be easier to handle and faster that way. So with lots of extra gas (for the quads and boat), tents, sleeping bags, tons of food, our trusty BBQ, and our tin boat, off they went.
At the head, they were able to tie up to the old logging dock and offload the bikes right there. Pretty slick. Just tie up once and you're done. Otherwise, they could have used the barge ramp. They set up camp right there since they wouldn't be in anyone's way. All logging has shut down for now and Plutonic Power has completed their transmission line installation.
Wednesday was return trip time. This would be a longer trip, all the way back to the Shinglemill Marina in one day. The first leg down to our cabin took about five and a half hours. From the cabin, John, Mom and I went down the lake in his boat while Wayne slowly plugged along.
John and I hurried down so we could serve as Wayne's landing crew. We met up at Kinsman Beach (right where the adventure began) and John used his ramps to offload the bikes from the raft to the shore. Pretty slick! Swimmers out on a warm summer day thought so too.
In addition to John and I, Helen and Ed came down to serve as a welcoming committee and quad shuttle crew. Then off Wayne went, to take the raft up to John's cabin, another hour away. It was quite an adventure, the coming, the going and the riding. Maybe next time I'll be able to tag along. -- Margy
As I've mentioned before, this has been the best year for fishing on Powell Lake. At the end of a warm summer day, you'll find Wayne and I out in our tin boat trolling through First Narrows and out into the main lake.
We purchased a Garmin Fishfinder 160C to help guide us to likely spots. It's full colour display is easy to read and gives us information about depth, water temperature, and the bottom structure. It also displays images of cute little fish swimming below the surface. Dark ones are below the boat, outlined ones are swimming nearby. Don't ask me how that works, magic I guess.
Whether using old fashioned fishing skills or new fangled technology, the fish are here. Powell Lake is open from April 1 to October 31. You will need a BC freshwater fishing license if you are 16 years of age or older to catch some of our resident Cutthroat and Rainbow trout. Use barbless hooks like we do to make it easier to catch and release if you want to give our fish a second (or third) chance.
One lone logging truck remained, a last testament to times gone by.
A hike up the logging road towards the old camp was a sad reminder that times change.
But the waters of the Daniels River flow on, filling Powell Lake as they have since the last ice age. I guess some things don't have to change. That's a good thing. -- Margy
Wayne and I are amazed at the quantity and size of trout in Powell Lake this year. We've been fishing here ever since we arrived in 2001, but this year tops everything. We think it must be a multi-year cycle. That makes sense since trout take about five years to fully mature.
Recently, Wayne and I took our Campion on a day boating trip to the head of Powell Lake. We fished the mouths of the many snow-melt streams cascading into the lake. Trout love hanging out in the fast water where nutrients are stirred up. We were rewarded with many strikes and landed seven nice-sized rainbow trout between us. We usually catch and release, but this time kept two of our fish for a picnic lunch at the Head.
Even though it was a nice day, the lake was very quiet. We only passed two other boats on our 35 kilometre (22 mile) trip and never had to share a fishing hole. At the Head, we stopped at the logging dock and built a small fire to cook our fish. This used to be a busy logging spot. Today it is empty, a sign of the slow timber industry.
Fishing season on Powell Lake, BC, runs from April 1 to October 31. You will need a freshwater fishing license if you are 16 years of age or older. Annual, one-day, and eight-day licences come in resident and non-resident formats. For BC residents, the annual license for $36 is the best bet, but if you are a visitor, the one day for $20 or the eight-day for $50 might work better. Licenses are easy to obtain at most sporting goods stores or online. We like to get ours at Marine Traders near the Powell River Wharf.
Are you looking for a summer vacation idea? Make Powell River and Powell Lake your fishing and recreation destination. Want to learn more about the lake? Wayne's books Up the Lake and Farther Up the Lake tell the story of our Coastal BC home. For more information about print, Kindle and ebook versions visit www. PowellRiverBooks.com. -- Margy
We live near Powell River in Coastal BC and logging is a very important part of our economy. In fact, the availability of good timber and lots of water for hydroelectric power made it an attractive location for the the paper mill that was built here in the early 1900's. You can learn about the history of timber and logging in our Forestry Museum at Willingdon Beach.
The last several years have been difficult for forestry companies. There's the aftermath of the Canada vs. US softwood dispute, slowdown in new home construction, the recession and the high Canadian dollar for international trade. Up Powell Lake, much of the logging activity is conducted by Western Forest Products. From our cabin porch, we see them head up and down the lake with work boats and barges. I may not be awake at the early hour they go to work, but I can feel the wakes rock my cabin and the waves lap on the logs. That's much better than an alarm clock for sure.
Each year different tracts are logged. This makes a patchwork on the hills and allows for trees to grow back at different rates. In the late 1990's, the hills north of the Hole in the Wall were logged. Trees there are now about ten feet tall and everything is green. Then last fall we got a notice on our cabin door that they would be logging this spring near our cabin. A full parking lot at the Shinglemill told us the time had come.
Last month a large crew arrived and cut behind the cabins in the Hole and around the point towards the main lake. Because of the steep, rocky cliff behind us, our trees were spared. I know the rest will grow back in the years to come thanks to the hard work of tree planters and responsible logging companies. But at the same time, I'm glad mine still have a lease on life. -- Margy
Spring rains combined with warm weather and snow melt cause creeks and streams to flow. They result in beautiful waterfalls, especially towards the steeper cliffs and higher peaks at the head of the lake.
But even down our way we get our share of water displays. This lovely falls is in the Rainbow area, about fifteen minutes north of our cabin.Want to find out more about what it's like living up the lake in a float cabin? Check out Farther Up the Lake, the newest book in Wayne's Coastal BC Stories series. Go on an overnight boat trip in the Bayliner to the head of Powell Lake. Look for Mountain Goats on the rocky cliffs around Goat Lake. Go on the maiden voyage of the Gemini with Stick the Cat. Ride out a windy winter storm in the float cabin and so many other tales. Go to www.PowellRiverBooks.com for more details. -- Margy
Powell Lake is a glacial carved fjord that filled with fresh water after the end of the ice age, trapping salt water from the ancient ocean at the bottom. It's a big lake that's 51 kilometres (32 miles) long with 480 kilometres (300 miles) of shoreline.
Like all fjords, the rocky walls are steep. While most are covered with trees, there are some bare outcroppings. These areas are home to Mountain Goats. From a distance they stand out as small white dots on the moss covered rocks. This time of year they are easier to see. The snow level has pushed them lower on the cliffs, just about 120 metres (400 feet) above the water level.
This trip we saw a group of four followed by a single goat in a separate location.
The days are short, so we had to leave the Head after lunch and a quick hike along the logging road. Then we skirted around the empty logging booms on our way down the lake.
We would have liked more time to explore, but the short winter day made us hurry on our way. -- Margy
