Elenor and Naramata Lakes

Elenor Lake

Elenor Lake

Naramata Lake

Naramata Lake

Elinor and Naramata Lakes

I zeroed the odometer at the corner of the Chute Lake Road and Smetherst Road since I planned on a circular route as I investigated Eleanor and Naramata Lakes. The first part of the trip is really easy, 6.4 kilometres along the Chute Lake Road before reaching the first major fork where you keep to the right. Just past where the pavement ends at 9.2 kilometres the Glen Fir Road takes off to the left and soon we pass the switch back of the old Kettle Valley Railway.

At 16.7 kilometres the Chute Lake Road takes a sharp right hand turn and crosses the Kettle Valley Railway bed onto the Elinor Lake Forest Service Road. Just past the Chute Lake Recreation site this road splits: the left hand road heads towards Big Meadow Lake and the Nutall Lake trail, the right hand road continues to Eleanor Lake.

Soon I arrived at Elinor Lake at 19.2 kilometres, where the left hand road goes across the dam and heads in the direction of Big Meadow Lake. I parked, took a few pictures, broke out the fishing tackle and soon caught a few smaller rainbow trout. Near the east end of the dam a little stream cascaded over a small rock outcrop into the lake.

I then carried on the west side of the lake. At 19.5 kilometres a small road took off to the left to a small recreation site, followed at 19.8 kilometres by another road on the left leading to a fair sized recreation site. A little further along there is a sign that the road has been decommissioned, a practice with which I do not agree. At 20.4 kilometres, there was another road off to the left onto the dam at this side of the lake. Again I stopped and fished for a while, getting a few strikes.

Elinor Lake is quite narrow and most of the shoreline is hard to fish from the shore. I would recommend a canoe or a belly boat here and although most fish are small you can expect the odd one up to 13 or 14 inches.

Shortly after leaving this dam, Naramata Lake began appearing off to the east and at 21.4 kilometres the road split again, with the left hand branch heading onto the dam. This lake is much wider than Eleanor Lake and more of the shoreline is fishable, but getting through the bush can present a problem. I spent an hour or so here hooking up with many smaller fish and one decent keeper.

There was a belly boat further up the lake and I did manage to talk to a couple in an aluminum boat who, were having some success. They had already landed 10 fish and soon limited out at 12.

At 22 kilometres there is a small road off to the right. Keeping to the main right hand branch I soon ran into some fairly rough road. A person might consider going out the other way past Chute Lake. However I like to explore. At 25.3 kilometres I crossed the Kettle Valley Railway line. Turning right would take me to Chute Lake or left to the big tunnel on the railway line.

I crossed over though and kept heading down for about another 3 kilometres to the next level of the Kettle Valley Railway and the rock ovens park. I like this part in particular because of the large trees that have escaped the forest company saws. Reaching the next level, I did a small jog left before heading right off the tracks heading for Smetherst Road. I just got a little way down before I came upon a windfall blocking the road. As my back was already giving me pain, I turned around and went once more to the old railway bed and turned north to join the Chute Lake Road at Glen Fir.

It’s a good idea to know your own limits and that of you vehicle and to keep an alternate route in mind when travelling the back roads