Hihium Lake is a fishing destination.    Most fishermen go past Loon Lake, then on logging roads to the Hihium Lake Fishing Resort.   Paddlers could bring their canoes or kayaks there, but it is a longer drive (Cache Creek > Loon Lake > backroads), a there will be a small launch fee.    For Kamloops paddlers, we can instead take a shorter backcountry route to Hihium Lake Recreation Site.

• Drive west on the Trans Canada Highway past Savona.
• Turn at the Deadman Valley Road and go north for about 20 km.
• Watch for the sign to the turn onto a secondary road, sometimes called the McLeod Road.
• Follow this forest service road for 15 km as it climbs through the Arrowstone Hills to 4500 feet (m).    Do not turn right or left.    Continue on to the Rec Site on the shores of the lake.
• Access on these backroads is for summer or early fall travel.

The Rec Site has 17 campsites, outhouses, tables, and a boat launch.    We can launch into the lake and paddle around the shoreline.   It is about 10.5 km around.    There are few scattered cabins, two small IR Land parcels, and the rustic resort.   The shoreline is forested, but fires ran through this area a few years ago, leaving some black forest areas.

There are 60 lakes closer to Kamloops to paddle, so this is a lake we paddled for the first time, with a return visit to be planned for a day in the next couple of years.