Rundle Forebay Reservoir, Canmore

Above the town of Canmore is the Spray Lakes Reservoir, a terraced series of reservoirs. In July, we paddled the Rundle Forebay Reservoir, which is the lowest terrace. To access this, we were required to buy a Kananaskis park pass from the province.

Access is off the Three Sisters Parkway by the Canmore Nordic Centre. There is parking at the edge of the reservoir as soon as you cross the dam and additional parking up at the Nordic Centre. The carry is about 100 feet to the edge of the water and the entry is easy off a gravel beach.

The picture above is a panorama of the mountains looking towards the far end of the reservoir.

This is an easy paddle that is about 3km round trip. There is a very slight current but nothing to be worried about.

Once you leave the main bay you are working your way up a canal with trees on the left and a berm on the right. People walk and cycle the berm.

At the far end, there is another larger bay and you can see where the second terrance drops down.

The pano-shot above looks back towards Canmore.

A lovely and easy paddle. The reservoir got quite busy the day we were there with paddle boarders and kayakers and some brave swimmers (t was cold!).

When we were done, we headed to nearby Quarry Lake for lunch and a swim. There are charging for parking here now.

It was nearly 30 degrees the day we were there and the beach was hopping.

Lac des Arcs, Banff

Every year as a kid, we'd drive to Banff and I'd see this tiny island Lac des Arcs from the highway. It always had a picnic table, or tent, or flag on it. I always dreamed of visiting it. This year, we stopped to paddle out there.

Access was from the east end of the lake in the Lac des Arcs campground, just east of Canmore. You can pull to within about 12 feet of the water. There are also pit toilets, picnic tables, and a picnic shelter. This campground is a part of the new Kananaskis improvement fee area, so you need to buy a daily (or annual) pass online before you arrive.

We paddled along the highway up to the island, crossed the lake, and then came back on the dyke they put in in the mid 1990s. There was a bit of smoke in the sky that day so the pictures are a touch hazy. We could have paddled the whole perimeter for two-ish hours but only had an hour to spare so just did half the lake.

The island was tiny and rocky and covered in goose poop. It would be fairly easy to access from a canoe but tricker from a kayak so we just paddled around it.

The limestone plant across the river is a pretty dominant sight and we watched trucks and dozers work. There were a few birds left on the lake and we saw a bald eagle at one point.

The water was calm. Given the valley, I imagine it could get choppy pretty quickly when a wind comes up.

Overall, a nice enough paddle. I probably wouldn't go back (Two-Jack in Banff is fair prettier) but I'm happy to have had the chance to paddle out to the island.

Spray Lakes Reservoir, Canmore

The Spray Lakes Reservoir is located just south and west of Canmore as you climb up towards the Nordic Centre. It is located on the same road and very close to Quarry Pond. The first access point is just past the dam itself on the south side of the road.



There is a small beach and the carry is less than 50 feet. The lake extends back into the mountains for quite a distance. For much of that, the reservoir is narrow.

There is quite a lot of wild life to be seen here. And the picture below was shot from the parking lot of the Canmore Nordic Centre (which has a cafeteria, washrooms, and an equipment rental centre).

This might be a good paddle to combine with a morning or afternoon at Quarry Lake.

Quarry Lake, Canmore

Quarry Lake is a man-made lake on site of an old mine. It is a small lake, maybe one-and-half acres in area. The area is very pretty.

The lake is located a few minutes south and west of Canmore, as you climb up the hill towards the Nordic Centre. The lake is about a 400-foot carry from the parking lot and there are toilets, picnic tables and a small beach.



The lake is usually quite busy with swimmers, fishing and various watercraft. There is likely a whole day of fun and it would be a good place to let kids paddle on their own or to learn to paddle board. There is a walking trail around the lake and (pictured behind Jessica in the shot below) there is a small cliff to jump off of.

The water is cool (spring fed) so swimming is really only an option in high summer. There are plenty of cycling and walking trails, however.

This might be a good paddle to combine with the Spray Lakes Reservoir just down the road.