The Gold Trail is in tremendous condition right now, and can be travelled with ease. Be cautious, however, as it is an active haul route for log-hauling trucks. Two-way calling is advised. If you don’t have a two-way radio and see logging activity, try to follow a logging truck or vehicle. There is lighter traffic in the afternoons, evenings and weekends. The road is well-marked and there are resting points with historic facts. It’s like a drive-thru museum with good scenery and your own music.
Anxious to get to our planned camp spot, we travelled the first 39km without stopping. Once we hit the Cariboo River Bridge, we had a stretch and did what boys do when they’re on a bridge and the water underneath looks like blue Kool-Aid.
Our next stop was Commit Creek to look at the rock buildings and waterfalls. Jax found a trail that led up the hill behind the rock houses and there was a great view of a set of falls.
At our site, Jax and I had just finished leveling out and unhooking our pickup from the Catalina rental trailer, when the Smith family showed up. Coincidentally, they had four paddle boards on the roof of their vehicle to match the two kayaks Jax and I had on ours.
We helped them set up their trailer so that we could head up to the lake. Just as we were finishing set up, a deer came out of the woods on the opposite bank and out onto the sand bar. It walked into the water and took a drink! With the heat of the day, the mountains towering above us, and that deer. It made us feel like on a scale of 1 to Canadian; we were maple syrup flavoured syrup!
That moment is one for the scrapbook.
We packed our kayaks down the trail to the edge of the lake and the Smiths’ packed their stand-up paddle boards down. Just like that, we were gliding across the crystal waters—filling the valley with our echoing giggles. It was so nice to join up with the Smith family. They have two daughters—the youngest being the same age as Jax!
Jax did pretty good but his arms got tired. I tied his kayak to mine and pulled him along to make sure he made it to the bay we were gunning for. We brought a picnic, and had some lunch on a nice little beach where a creek ran into the lake. We saw cliffs nearby that were too inviting not to jump off of to cool ourselves down for the paddle home.
We finished the day with campfire s’mores and stories! This was most certainly an exceptional day.
