Cross Lake

In late May, we drove up past Westlock to Cross Lake Provincial Park (just 60km west of Athabasca). I've been meaning to paddle here for a couple of years but I always leave it too late in the season (algae-wise). The last bit of the drive in on gravel but the facilities are very nice.

There is a boat launch but we just launched from the day-use beach right beside it. It was a nice, clean, sandy launch. There were washrooms, change rooms, and picnic tables plus so-so cell service. The camp store apparently sells ice cream.

We went north (left) off the beach and padded around the first large bay. The picture above is pretty representative of the shoreline. Eventually, we arrived at George's Point (below). The point is a hike-in/paddle-in picnic site (looked like outhouses, garbage cans, benches, tables and a fire ring. Some of the older maps suggest this is also a tenting site, but I've read that is no longer the case. something to sort out a head of time if that is your plan.

Before we go to the point, about half way around the first bay, we turned up a creek and ran across a loon on a nest. The loon tried to lure us away. We took a couple of quick shots of the nest before following the loon back out to the lake.

Lots of other birds to watch along the way. The lake was teeming with fish, including perch in shallow.

After about an hour and 20 minutes of paddling along the north shore, we decided to turn back and cut across the lake. There were a fair number of fishing boats out (a dozen?) but the lake is huge so we hardly noticed them.

We had great weather the whole time. Warm, sunny, and no wind. I would imagine the lake would get pretty rough in a good wind.

The water quality was pretty good. There were places where there was some algae (not blue-green). The worst spot was out in the middle of the lake (shot below). The shores were fine. Experienced paddlers say go early in the season to avoid the algae.

Overall, this was a nice lake and I would likely go back and try to south shore. It is bit of a drive (90 minute or more). Nearby is Long Island Lake, which might make for a nice two-for-one trip.

Magee Lake

In late May, I went SE of Ponoka to Magee Lake. From the north, I think the easiest access is to turn off Highway 2 at Morningside, head east and the south on the grid roads. The boat launch is down a short gravel road. At the bottom, there is a parking area, a portapotty, and a boat launch. The lake looks to be down about two feet from usual so the bottom drop off sharply as soon as you get in the water. There was cell coverage everywhere on the lake.

The lake is about 2km long and maybe 100m wide. The water seems to come in from the north from the Chain Lakes. I went south down to the outflow (reed choked).

In the SE corner, there was a large bald eagle nest (maybe five- to six-feet wide). 

As I paddle up the east side, I saw both birds sitting in a tree. Apologies for the pixellated photo. My phone was zoomed pretty hard and I was bobbing in the slight chop.

The north end is pretty much the same as the south (reedy). There was a fellow fishing for pike there and he said he'd caught and released about 20 over the course of four hours.

Overall, a nice enough paddle but probably not one that I'd repeat. It was not as nice as the nearby (like, 7 miles) Chain Lakes. It might be nicer with a higher water table (not sure why it was low).

Chain Lakes, Southern Lake

In late May, I drove SE of Ponoka to try out the Chain Lakes. I put in on the southern lake and didn't get to the northern one. The Chain Lakes by Ponoka shouldn't be confused with the Chain Lakes Provincial Park and reservoir between Pincher Creek and Long View.

The easiest access is east off Highway 2 at the Morningside underpass onto Secondary Highway 604. This turn into Township Road 420 at Morningside. Just keep going east. It eventually turns to gravel and, if you start throwing a bow wave, you went too far. Access is through a Habitat preserve on the north side of the road and down a steep gravel road that has been catted out of the hillside.

At the bottom, there a boat launch, a big parking space about 30 feet up the hill from the water, two portapotties, and some garbage cans. Everything was in good repair when I was there.

The lake is down in a deep valley and has a bit of an alpine feel to it. There was no cell coverage in the parking lot but you could get a signal on the dock and on the water. The water was clear and clean. There were a lot of aquatic bugs and whatnot in the lake so it would be a bit gross for swimming, I think.

The lake is about 2.5km long and maybe 100m across. I went north of the boat launch and this is basically what you get the whole way.

The shoreline is all private owned and there is some docks and such. The north end is a bit of a swamp. Google maps suggests you can paddle through this to the northern lake. I'm not so sure. It was very reedy and log choked here. I did see a young bald eagle cruising the waterfowl, looking for breakfast.

The east side is more deciduous and prairie-lake like. Maybe a fire went down the eastern side 30 years ago? Anyhow, it was pretty enough. Lots of moose and deer poop and prints but no animals. 

The south end of the lake ends in reeds. The water seems to flow through to Magee Lake to the south, but I don't think you could paddle through the fens.

The only weedy part was the SW corner of the lake and this was "charming weedy" rather than "gross weedy".

Overall, a very nice lake. It took me just under 2 hours to paddle the whole shoreline at a very stately pace. It was maybe 6km around (maybe a touch less). I saw two boats out drift casting and otherwise it was empty.

Wakomao Lake

In late May, I drove up to Clyde to put in at Wakamao Lake (about 7 miles east of town on Highway 18). I've been eyeing this lake for awhile but only recently saw some good instructions about how to get on it. Access is a bit DIY. Parking is on the shoulder of hHghway 18, just west of the bridge (yellow boxes below).

Googlemaps doesn't convey the slope of the ditches very well. The southern box is a fairly gentle slope; the northern box is a steeper angle and you need to get to the bottom to park. I parked on the south side to check out the northern slope (steep but manageable), the parking space (firm the day I was there) and access point (really good) on foot and eventually just carried the boat a couple of hundred feet across the road rather than move my car. Highway traffic was light so it is no problem to get across.

The launch is a small, sandy beach that looks like the access point for ice fishing in the winter (tire ruts). The water is pretty yellowy-green so I opted to get in and out with dry feet. I would bet this is more of a spring paddle before the weeds get started. In places on the west side, the lake had a very swampy smell.

I made it half way up the lake along the west shore before I decided to turn around. Lots of birds and some beavers but otherwise pretty uninteresting.

There are a number of islands. Some are low and boggy while others have some height and trees. The lake is shallow at the edges and around the islands so it can require a bit of looking to find a place to take out dry footed.

The eastern side of the lake is hillier and has more trees and there were a lot of deer here. Some eating in the forest and at the edges of the fields. Others were frolicking in the water.

At the south end of the lake, there is a bridge that lets you access a slow, winding stream. This eventually becomes the Red Water River and dumps into the North Saskatchewan, but that would be a multi-day paddle, I'd bet.

To the east of the bridge is this tower. I'm told it was built for bird watching. I gives off a bit of a haunted lighthouse vibe, to be honest.

Just as I was about to pull out, this duck paddled right up to me, apparently unconcerned (or dozing?). It got within arms reach before it figured out I was a person and then it freaked out.

Overall, a nicer paddle that I would have guessed. Thanks to the folks on Facebook for the tips about accessing it.