Kayak Trip - Pitt Lake & Osprey Provincial Marine Park

Date: Saturday May 31 to Sunday June 1

Location: Pitt Lake, camping at Osprey Provincial  Marine Park

Trip Leader: Rob gill (contact Rob on Club Locarno Slack for more information)

Overview

This is an excellent trip if you've never kayak-camped or are just wanting to get out into nature early in the season. The lake is generally calm and early season will have less boat craft. At about 16 km each way the paddle to the campsite will take several hours but we hug the lake shore and there are some opportunities to make landfall as needed. The campsite is rustic and back-country with pit toilets about the only convenience on offer. Overall this is an excellent beginner kayak-camping trip.

Trip plan

Meet at Club Locarno at 6am on Saturday morning to load kayaks and related gear. Drive approximately1 hour to  Grant Narrow Park at Pitt Addington at the south end of Pitt lake. There are several boat launch ramps with plenty of parking at the park. 

Osprey Provincial Marine Park is about a 16 km paddle up the lake and there are several camping options at the park. Fresh water available from a river at the campsite, and pit toilets are also on site. Otherwise this is a rustic, backcountry campsite. Pitt Lake itself is generally considered too brackish to drink.

Pitt Lake is tidal but being so far from the ocean the ebb and flow is generally mild. The wind typically is stronger in the afternoon so an earlier start will increase the odds of a calm paddle

The return journey is made more interesting by hugging the western shore where there are waterfalls and old logging equipment to view along the way.  However, consideration needs to be given to the tide levels as the south western corner is very shallow. We would expect to return to Club Locarno late afternoon on Sunday.

See this link for a trip report I wrote back in 2020: https://forums.clubtread.com/18-paddling-biking-other/6282-three-day-kayak-trip-around-pitt-lake-2.html#post851876