Jackfish Lake, Parkland County

In late May, we got out to Jackfish Lake, just west of Stony Plain, for a mid-week paddle. Jackfish is a nice, clean lake with good access on the eastern side at the county boat launch just off Highway 770. There is a dock, cement ramp, gravel beach, pit toilets, and a picnic table here. The drawback is that the county charges for access after 4:30 on weeknights and all day on weekends (it was $20 when I was there).

The other drawback is that, on occasion, I've had some unkind behaviour from big wake boats, especially around the launch area. We were fortunate to not have any issues this paddle and crossed to the island before turning south.

There is a lot of shoreline to explore and this trip we saw a stupid number of loons.  Some were on nests while others were just out cruising.

The shoreline is fairly built up but there are also still wild areas.

The water was super clean and I'd SUP here.

There are some small bays and inlets in the south end that are fun to explore. There were lots of geese in here.

We had pretty amazing weather, being both sunny and calm. I have had wetter paddles on Jackfish (it is big enough to get a good chop on a windy day). 

There were lots of other birds, including this pelican who we watched fish along the shore. 

Overall, a decent paddle a nice lake. I would avoid this one on a summer weekend as it is likely to be busy. The people we watched fishing were having a great day.

Long Lake Provincial Park (and Jackfish Lake)

In mid-August, we took a weekend trip towards Athabasca. First stop was Long Lake Provincial Park just south of Boyle. I was here a few years ago late in the season and the weather was crap. By contrast, we had an amazing day this time.

When you enter the park, you drop down a long hill and then go right to the day-use areas. The first day-use area has a boat launch (with dock) and pit toilets. The second day-use area has a dock, a beach, flush toilets, boat rentals, and a concession. We opted for the second day-use area.

The dock was fine but I'd rather launch from a beach. It is about a 100m carry from the parking lot to the beach down a gentle grassy slope. We were there at 10 am on a Saturday morning and it was dead (we were the only car in the lot).

The beach was nice, with clean water, a gentle slope, and a marked swimming area. By the time we got back (2ish), the beach was full and hopping.

There was a bit of a southeast wind and and I wanted to go south so we cut across to the eastern shore to get out of the worst of the waves. 

Just south of the launch on both sides are small bays which are interesting to explore. This is the eastern bay.

The eastern shore starts out a reeds with a rocky shore line and aspen in behind. 

The further south you go, the boggier the shoreline gets.

It took us about 2 hours to paddle the 8 or 9 km to the south end into a gentle wind. There were a few boats down here fishing and most were pretty good about keeping their distance and cutting their speed as they passed us.

In the southeast corner, there was a tiny, sandy beach where a creek comes in. We were happy to have a spot to get out and stretch. This was the only spot on the eastern shore where getting out was easy.

The south end of the lake was a swamp, although pretty. It looked like there was a creek but, if so, it was too weedy to both with.

The western shore was slightly less swampy and there were a couple of places you could get out if you needed to. We also saw a bear (disappeared into brush before I could get a shot).

We had a good tail wind back and probably did 20 km that day (a bit longer than our usual). The wind and the boats both increased as the afternoon went on. Overall, a very nice paddle and a nice lake. The provincial campground looked very busy (they have a separate beach and boat launch). 

That evening, we took a quick look at Jackfish Lake, just northeast of Athabasca. This was a pretty secluded county campground, with a boat launch (there was a box for money and a price list for day use but no forms or sign it was enforced). The water was pretty murky.

The lake runs north-south and is basically this all the way around. Probably an interesting paddle, especially during nesting season. 

We decided to skip it and try out luck at Chump Lake, the next day.

Jackfish Lake

In mid-August, I drove out to Jackfish Lake and paddled the southern part of the lake. I've never done this part of the lake before. I put in at the county boat launch on the east side of the lake. It looks like they narrowed it this year so only one trailer can use it at a time.

I went early in the morning on a weekday to avoid the boat traffic that this lake often has (as well as to avoid the $20 parking charge after 4:30 on weekdays and all day on weekends). Even so, of the four boats on the lake, two were complete jerks about spacing and wakes (including one right at the launch). That is pretty much always my experience on Jackass... errr... Jackfish Lake.

I went south off the launch and followed the shoreline. It is a 50/50 mix of reeds leading to Aspen forest and lake lots with boats, docks, and floaties.

I did get close passed by a pelican!

I also surprised a loon among the docks. It was very angry to see me.

A bit later I noticed it had an almost grown chick with it (left in the photo below).

The lake was pretty enough and there was just a hint of autumn colour.

There were also a couple of interesting bays to explore. The water was really clean despite it being late in the season.

Overall, this wasn't an okay paddle. Jackfish is a clean, big, and interesting lake. It is also busy and full of very inconsiderate boaters. Better options early are Mayatan Lake, Johnny's Lake, and Spring lake.

Jackfish Lake

In early September, I went out to Jackfish Lake for a quick paddle. I used the public boat launch in the day use area just off Highway 770 (Weekend Estates turn). Note that google maps at time of writing does not exactly match the new entry the county has constructed off of Highway 770 (which is 100 meters south and requires a tiny bit of backtracking once of the highway--no big deal, just slightly different than shown).

A nice clean launch with a dock, pit toilets, picnic tables, and a goodly amount of parking. If you stay after 4:30 on a weeknight or go any time on a weekend, there is a parking fee (I think $20).

I decided to head up to the northern half of the lake this trip as it had been years (2015?) since I'd gone that way. As soon as I got away from the dock, a wind front came through and the lake got moderately choppy. 

It wasn't too bad on the western edge but trying to get into the most northernly basin was a bit of a paddle. Other than a surprise lap full of water, it was a fun paddle and the wind eventually gave up.

The lake is basically a mix of cabins and stretches of reeds in front of aspen forest. There were a lot of birds on the water but not much else happening. The water was very clean.

Overall, a nice paddle and I was happy to evade the parking charge by going early in the morning.

If I get a chance to go back, I'll give the southern half of the lake a go. I think I was here with Jess a few years ago but we didn't do much of the perimeter.

Jackfish Lake

Jackfish Lake is located just south-east of Stony Plain with access of Highway 770. Parkland County operates a day-use area on the east side of the lake that includes the boat launch, washrooms, and picnic tables. While access to the boat launch is free, the county charges $20 to park in the evening and on weekends.

The lake itself is reasonably pretty and clean. It is about four km north to south and maybe 2.5kms east to west but the irregular shape make the lake seem smaller and keeps the waves down. There are a lot of cabins on the lake and a fair number of boats (especially on the weekend).

This trip we went into the south end of the lake (we'd previously been to the north about five years ago). There were a large number of coves and reaches to paddle that kept us out of the wind.

The water was very clear. Parts of the bottom were sandy and parts were quite weedy.

I got to try out the new life jacket Jenn and Jess bought me (old one was 20 years old and smelled pretty bad).

Of particular interest is the main island which has boat-in cabins. How do you empty a septic tank on an island?

We had a better time this trip than last, mostly because there were fewer yahoos in boats. I suspect that a hot weekend would see the lake full of power boats, so timing the trip is important.

Jackfish Lake

Jackfish Lake is located about 60km west of Edmonton, just south of Highway 16 off Secondary Highway 770. This is a small lake (about 2 km of surface area) with lots of bays. The size and shape seems to keep the waves down.



Public access is on the east side of the lake and includes a nice boat launch, lots of parking, washrooms and picnic site. The county dings you $20 to gain access to the launch and the parking.

The lakeshore is almost completely developed. There were a fair number of birds and the paddling was nice. There is also at least one island.

The major issue with this lake is the power boaters. The locals seemed reasonable enough but the yahoos putting in at the boat launch were most discourteous! Going early in the day seems like the best plan.

The lake has no public beach but plenty of swimmers. The bottom that we could see was quite sandy.