The Surrey Lake Forest Service Road starts as a turn off the Meadow Creek Road (between Lac le Jeune and Logan Lake). It is a gravel road bearing south, climbing up through the forest. After 7 km it passes under the Coquihalla Highway. It provides access to several lakes in the area – Surrey Lake, Frogmoore Lake, and Sussex Lake. The Surrey Lake Road is a signed turn going to the former Surrey Lake Resort, now owned by CNA (link). Right before the entrance gate is an unsigned secondary road. This narrow single track road goes around the former lodge property and along the shore of Surrey Lake. There are two small pullouts for a hand launch a short way along that road. I started the day by parking, launching the kayak, and paddled around the lake.
The paddle started in light winds, but the final part was in strong winds. Surrey Lake is hard to get to, so there are few fishermen or boaters. It was a quiet kayak outing in the backcountry.
I secured the kayak and put on my hiking shoes for a loop route along Surrey Lake, heading to Sussex Lake. The old track had fallen trees and was grown-in. It was once the only route to the lakes, but when BC Rec Sites and Trails established a site at Sussex Lake, a new road was constructed through the cut blocks, parallel to the Coquihalla Highway. The old track wound through lodgepole pines, creaking in the wind. At the south end the track climbed over a ridge and went down to the shores of Sussex Lake. The Rec Site has 3 campsites on the north side of the lake. From the Rec Site, I hiked the Sussex Lake Road back to the start, completing a 6 km route. I have also snowshoed this route in late winter.
Shared here are some photos taken from the paddle of Surrey Lake and the hike to Sussex Lake in a Google Photos slideshow. Click the link to go to the album where there are more details, including captions, or just scroll through the embedded slideshow:
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