Short SUP Stories from South Western BC.  We took a flash trip to Keremeos to check out the Similkameen River in late August and discovered that its a pretty sweet SUP spot.    After failed attempts to find the town’s quasi Taxi driver, we met up with Baker Bill who helped us shuttle the car to our drop point at the Chopaka bridge, 13.5 miles South of the town.  The parched hillsides, fast moving current, and wildlife made us feel like we were back in the Wild West

and with no roads, human-made noises or people in sight, it was a 4 hour paddle back in time.  We even found a small standing wave which eventually removed some skin from our shin and there were plenty of rapid sections which kept the ride moving at a good pace.  The water levels are dropping so iSUP’s are recommended.

Pics:  (Below) Pam Young takes on a set of rapids at the mid-way points.  (Bottom) Heading towards the Chopaka Bridge

Penticton Pam takes on the standing wave and then decides on a swim instead

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The Similkameen River runs through southern British Columbia, eventually discharging into the Okanogan River near Oroville, Washington in the United States. The river is approximately 197 kilometres (122 mi) long, and its Drainage basin is 7,600 square kilometres (2,900 sq mi) in area.

It starts on the east flank of Manning Park, about 10.3 km north of Allison Pass and flows past the towns of Princeton, Hedley, Keremeos, and Cawston, closely followed by Highway 3/Crowsnest Highway. About 25 km upstream from Princeton the river drops over Similkameen Falls. There are numerous viewpoints of the river from the highway, the most popular being Bromley, where it is possible to swim in the river from a spectacular sandy beach, although the water is very cold. It contributes 75% of the flow of the Okanogan River and crosses the international border at Nighthawk,Washington.

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1.   Stand Up Paddle Board Okanagan   |  Monday, 03 January 2011 at 4:14 pm

   [...] a coin flip between the Shuswap River Run at Ashton Creek and a late summer trip down the Similkameen River near Keremeos, BC.  Ashton Creek, a put-in on the Shuswap just East of Enderby, BC became a [...]