White Lake Lookout Trail | A Neighborhood Gem
From the lookout- White Lake, Little White Lake, Tappen Valley and Mount Ida off in the distance.
Shuswap Adventure Girl
The Community & Lake Life
White Lake is home to a small community of people who all seem to love the slower pace of lake life over the bustling Shuswap. White Lake is one of the prettiest lakes around and offers exceptional paddling, boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, and more! The color of the water is truly something else, beautiful and brilliant turquoise color with a white sand bottom that glimmers in the sunshine. White lake provides many opportunities for exploration and adventures! From the secret sunken islands to the lookout in the clouds, White Lake is a local true love. We personally spend a lot of time at this lake and have made many amazing family memories here. I love to take my kids kayaking in the springtime to look for the western painted turtle and to watch the abundance of birds in action. We also like to fish here, paddleboard here, swim here, and play here.
Living in neighboring Blind Bay, I feel so very fortunate to have White Lake in my backyard! It really provides a whole other level of outdoor recreation and fun! Aside from the marvelous lake, there are community parks, an interpretive trail, campgrounds, fishing resorts, cabins, wedding venues, boat launches, an amazing playground, and a downhill bike park. The mountains and hills surrounding White Lake are also known for some great ATV and off-roading trails. You can explore the backroads and access other amazing destinations such as Bastion Mountain and Tillis Landing among others. The lovely community, people, and abundance of recreation amenities in White Lake make this slice an absolute gem.
White Lake is known as a Marl lake in B.C. hence the turquoise blue color of the water. “ Marl” lakes have high concentrations of calcium carbonate minerals in their sediments which creates the white sand look in their shoals.
Other common examples of Marl lakes in B.C are Kalamalka Lake (Okanagan) and Boya Lake (Stikine Region of Northern B.C.)
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Kayaking White Lake is a family favorite
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Even on a rainy day, the colours of White Lakes pristine waters are tropical
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The White Lake Lookout Trail
White Lake trail is one of my all-time favorite neighborhood hikes to do. And I bet anyone who hikes this area would say the same! The trail is short but somewhat steep, so excellent for exercise (especially when carrying a toddler on your back!). It is enjoyable with kids, with friends, as a solo hike, on snowshoes, or even on a mountain bike!
The trail climbs through a picturesque forest, passing by a creek, and offers a great small series of switchbacks. Once you reach the first lookout on the rocky bluffs you are gifted with incredible views of White Lake, Little White Lake, Tappen Valley, and Mt. Ida in the distance. All of this in a short 2 km return trip!
White Lake seen from the first lookout
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White Lake Lookout Tower
Continuing upwards after the viewpoint on the bluffs, you can find the radio tower. Although the first lookout provides the best view of the two. From the lookout travel upwards, the first section is steep with loose rocks. The trail climbs through a beautiful open grassy forest filled with mosses and mushrooms and eventually opens up to the tower.
We decided to continue downwards on the ATV trail and came to a narrow little trail on our right. It was marked with an orange trail marker so off we went. We are all SO GLAD we did because this became the new highlight of that whole trail! Why have we not been here before! Here we were, in the midst of the Shuswap, seeing mountains in every single direction. I believe that we could see the snowy tips of the Monashees from here. The fall is the perfect time to be up there as the larch trees are in their golden glory. A sunny and crisp autumn day made this hike completely unforgettable.
White Lake Traverse to Balmoral
Another amazing option is to do the Balmoral to White Lake traverse trail which is about a 16 km round trip or 8 km if you only go one way. We did this trail last year and loved it!
We have also recently learned that you can hike the Reinecker Creek trail all the way to White Lake but is an unmarked trail, so use it at your own risk.
The trail offerings at White Lake are boundless and are a great way to get out and just enjoy life!
View of Tappen Bay and Mt. Ida from the Balmoral to White lake connector trail
Taking in the views of Little White Lake, Tappen Valley and Mount Ida in Salmon Arm
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Hiking with toddlers on the way to the radio tower above White Lake lookout. Photo by Marina
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White Lake glimmers in the Shuswap sunshine
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A story about a hike in the clouds…..
The morning in Blind Bay was foggy and crisp, the drive to the school was not anything out of the ordinary. Coming along Blind Bay Road, following the shores of Shuswap Lake, we could see a line on the mountains of the North Shore brilliantly lit up by morning sunshine. So beautiful that I pulled the truck over to marvel and talk to the kids (yet again!) about the beauty of nature and how lucky we are to live in such a fantastic place! One groaned, one agreed enthusiastically and the littlest was just merrily going along for the ride.
I was meeting my two friends at the White Lake lookout trail for a morning jaunt. It was cold and dismal and foggy and grey and yucky out. We all kind of mumbled that it wasn’t a great day to go to the lookout but were just happy to get out together hiking. We started the short but somewhat strenuous 1 km hike up and just as we came to the opening above on the rocks we couldn’t believe the magical wonderland we had arrived at!
We were soaring above the clouds! The sunshine was gloriously beaming down on us! The thick white fluffy clouds below us looked like an ocean of cotton! The sky was brilliantly crystal blue and the smiles could not have been wiped from our faces! We had climbed into heaven on earth! It was an incredible sight to see!
We played around at the lookout for some time, basking in the beauty of it all. We watched the clouds slowly dissipate before our eyes to reveal the gorgeous turquoise blue waters of White Lake below. The waters were so pristine and clear that day that we could even spot the secret sunken islands.
Once we got back down, and after talking with a few other friends I realized that we were up in the sunshine walking on clouds while everyone else was still in the grey fog of a day! Lucky us!
That week, every morning the sun peaked out from above the thick clouds in the same way and I knew it was going to be another magical day in the mountains.
White Lake lookout is behind us! Photo by Marina
Shuswap Adventure Girl
Its a cloudy day in the Shuswap under this cloud cover! But not for us at the lookout!
Shuswap Adventure Girl | White Lake Lookout Trail B.C.
Taking in the views as the clouds dissipate over White Lake. Photo by Marina
Shuswap Adventure Girl | White Lake Lookout Trail B.C.
White Lake shimmering in the Shuswap Sunshine
Shuswap Adventure Girl | White Lake Lookout Trail B.C.
Category: Return, loop, scenic w/ views
Distance: Various
White Lake lookout: 1 km one way
White Lake Tower: 2 km one way
White Lake to Balmoral: various 10-20 km round trip
Directions: Approximately 9 km east of Sorrento on Hwy 1 at the Balmoral Rd junction, take first right onto White Lake Road (behind Balmoral Store). Travel to the John Evdokimoff Bike Park on your left about 7 km from the Balmoral Store on White Lake Road. Park here, the trail is clearly marked.
