Showing posts with label Lake Wabamun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lake Wabamun. Show all posts

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Moonlight Bay, Lake Wabamun

In mid-May, we decided to try paddling with the dog so headed out to Lake Wabamun. There are no dogs on the beach or in the designated swimming area in the provincial park so we went off the boat launch. Water levels were way down this year (like 18 inches!) so the cement was exposed and we launched off the sandy bottom.


Wabamun is nice because, in addition to two launch ramps, there are docks, boat rentals, good washroom and picnic facilities, plus a nice beach. Early morning, mid-week early in the year also meant things were deserted when we got there.



After some initial skittishness, the dog got up and comfortable on the paddle board and off we went. We'd done some dry-land training in the basement along the lines of paddle board = treats and that seemed to have paid off.



We fiddled around in the shallows by the beach for a bit, with some on and off and then stopped for lunch.


After lunch, we tried again with a lot more success. The bay was pretty calm and small (another reason we decided to start here).




Eventually, I paddled south to the railway bridge and back while my wife did some solo paddling with the dog.


I wouldn't take the dog every time, but nice to know it is doable. Next time, we'll maybe try standing on the SUP and see how that goes.

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Moonlight Bay, Wabamun Lake

We popped out to Moonlight Bay on Wabamun Lake a few weeks back. Mostly this was a shakedown cruise for Jessica's new inflatable paddle board.


The boat launches are still good. We were there very early (8:30 am) and there were only a few people around. By the time we pulled out (10:30), things were much more crowded. This is probably a mixture of the weekend, good weather, and COVID.


We had great paddle. Jessica managed to stay upright despite the wakes and breeze and had only one unplanned dismount. She's a trooper.




Overall, a lovely family paddle. Hopefully we can explore some new terrain in the next few weeks. 

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Moonlight Bay, Wabamun Lake

It has been a couple of years since we've been to Wabamun Lake Provincial Park. I took a morning off work after a late night and Jess and I headed out for a quick paddle.



Things are basically the same as the last time were were here. Good parking and two boat launches. There is also a big public dock if that is to your taste. The bathrooms move have been recently improved.


The beach was lovely and largely deserted on a Wednesday morning. The weekends are typically much, much busier


We paddled around the outside of moonlight bay, voice dup some garbage and two beachballs.


The water was super clean, and with the sun, we spent a lot of time looking at the weeds, watching fish jump, and swallows catch bugs.


It was a calm day so we also went under the railway bridge and out in the main lake. Basically you could paddle forever here (Wabamun is big!) but Jess was getting a bit tired so we poked around in the reeds and then went back to the beach.


I'd say we spent 90 minutes here and it was a lovely paddle, perfect for beginners. Things were picking up by 11 with more kayaks, some paddle boards, and more power boats.


Our next paddle with either be Long Lake north of Gibbons or maybe Lake Nakamun (hard to find info about public entry--google suggests a launch on the south side).

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Moolight Bay, Lake Wabamun

Last week, Jess and I braved the smoke and drove out to Moonlight Bay on the east end of Lake Wabamun. The lake can be accessed from Wabamun Lake Provincial Park and the bay provides a nice sheltered paddle of about 2.5km around the perimeter.



There is a boat launch (two actually) on the south end of the provincial park, lots of parking, toilets, playground, picnic tables, and a busy public beach.


We had a quick snack sitting on the edge of the board walk and then launched from the boat launch ramps. Nice sandy bottom with no weeds or other junk.


The launches were quite busy even though it was an overcast week day. You could also rent canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats.


The bay is shallow and a pleasant paddle. We saw lots of birds and people fishing.


The bay empties into the larger lake at the south end. You just have to paddle under the CN main line bridge and you are out in open water with the town of Wabamun (and its marina) to the west.


It was very calm the day we were there. I would imagine the lake itself could get pretty exciting of there was a big wind.


Overall, a nice paddle and easy location. You can also get into the lake from the town of Wabamun on the north side (boat launch) and from Seba Beach on the west side (public beach) of the lake.