Day 18: Kinaskan Lake to Boya Lake: Adventure on the Stewart-Cassiar Hwy

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Today is all about sleeping in.

At 9 o'clock we are awakened by.... the rain 😵‍💫 What??? Rain? Oh no 🙈

Due to the lack of mobile phone service, we have no weather forecast. So 'old school' - it will be what it will be, and there's nothing we can do about it!

So we put on the appropriate clothes for the weather and off we go.

The campground host still hasn't come by. We don't actually want to 'skip out on the bill', but the lady isn't even at the campground. Okay, then we thank her for the nice site 🙃

After breakfast, we hit the road. The weather changes every minute. It stops raining and the sun comes out, but a few kilometers later the weather worsens again - just like the Stewart Cassiar Highway!

So, as beautiful as the road has been so far, it continues on rather poorly!

The road damage is increasing, and the biggest challenge now is: to dodge the potholes!

Behind Iskvit, there is no center line anymore, and we are having a hard time finding 'our part' of the road in the rain.

Next, there's a construction zone, 7 km long. The road closure is indicated in advance by pylons and signs. We have to line up and after what feels like endless waiting, follow the pilot car.

We face another 7 km - despite light rain - on a super dusty gravel road. We see almost NOTHING and struggle to follow the vehicle in front of us. By now, our RV looks like a mess, and our tires must be filled with little stones...

Hardly have we finished the gravel road and construction zone, when we hit the next gravel road. This continues for kilometers. A very nerve-wracking drive, and the ongoing rain doesn't help.

Along the way, we see signs like

'Caution Caribous!' or 'Caution Bears!'

Unfortunately, today we also see no wildlife along the route... What a pity.

We stop for a quick bathroom break in Dease Lake, where we see the largest gum vending machine ever! We actually wanted to buy bread, but everything is sold out. And nothing is cheap here, so we quickly bought a small bottle of whiskey for 15 CAD (for the sundowner 😛) and we're off again.

Notably, there are no fireweed or other flowers growing along the roadside beyond Dease Lake. Over the next few kilometers, rain and sun alternate.

Eventually, we drive into a massive cloudburst. It pours so much that our windshield wipers can barely keep up.

After the worst cloudburst passes, we stop at the parking lot by Simmons Lake and have lunch. When we finish, the rain stops, and we get a glimpse of the lake. The sun comes out and the clouds thin out. Yay!

Next stop is Jade City - which should rather be called 'Jade Rip-off City'. Really the total rip-off. Tiny trailers for 70 CAD, earrings 150 CAD, and everything else starts at 100 CAD.

Crazy. To be honest, I am shocked. However, I have no idea what jade generally costs, but this seems incredibly expensive to me.

My son is sad because he would have liked to have something for his mineral collection. I treat him to a small MINI jade stone (untreated, just a little polished and waxed to reveal the green color) and a small crystal in stick form for a total of 16 CAD. He is happy. Well then.

We check out the stones/boulders outside, the machines, and what is probably the smallest motel ever - the public washroom can’t be missed 🤣

Funny are the two vehicles for sale - from the other side, you can also see that the cars are not in the best condition...

One more photo with the Jade City bear - and off we go.

We continue with a wild mix of sun and clouds and an occasional rain shower...

In the distance, we see the Good Hope Lake. It is said to look stunning - turquoise blue. As we drive by, we see beautiful spots, but there is no possibility to stop for a photo. We stop in a parking lot a little further, but once again there's no view. How frustrating!

We walk a bit down the path towards the lake. It seems to be a boondocking spot as well, but you need a jeep to navigate down the steep mountain filled with potholes...

We can’t really see the lake - just a 'turquoise' glimmer behind the bushes, but we do see these funny dandelions.

At 4:15 p.m., we reach Boya Lake and settle at the beautiful Site 5 on the small peninsula with a Day Use Area. Here is the only RV site for vehicles over 18ft, while the other 4 sites are for cars with tents, tent campers with bicycles/motorcycles, or vehicles up to 18 ft.

We explore the campground.

Next to the playground is a small Day Use Area with a hut, behind it is the dock and next to it the boat ramp. The water glimmers in various turquoise and blue tones. With sunshine, it's bound to be even more impressive.

There are canoes and kayaks available for rent, based on trust. There’s a box for the money (2 hours cost 20 CAD) and a note where you document the rental. Let's see how the weather will be tomorrow; maybe we will go for a canoe ride.

Unfortunately, the small beach at our site is quite muddy; the rain hasn't helped. However, the light mud color adds to the beautiful blue-turquoise tones of the lake 😜

On the other side of the lake, it’s raining, which gives us a wonderful rainbow to finish the day 😍🌈

For the stats:

Campground: Boya Lake Provincial Park (Tā Ch'ilā Provincial Park)

(20 CAD ~14 €); Site 22 (unserviced)

Distance traveled: 230 km

Hiking: 7 km

Photos: 306

Weather: sunny, sometimes cloudy, 23 degrees