Pipestone Creek at Coal Lake

I dragged the kid out to Coal Lake and up Pipestone Creek before she went off to work in the mountains for the summer. It was busy at the launch with both people unloading to kayak and fish.

While we crossed over the north edge of the swamp towards the creek entrance, we saw a tonne of birds, including a dozen pelicans.

We also saw a yellow-headed black bird.

For the most part, though, we saw red-headed black birds (a hundred?).

The creek was a super interesting paddle, as you transition from swamp to forest to open glades to forest, to marsh. A super interesting paddle.

There are a huge number of swallows nesting under the bridge, flying out to get bugs and return to feed the young in their mud nests. You could hear the young as we floated under. 

It was a beautiful day to be the the water (despite the bloom of mayflies).

As we were loading up, this poor fellow paddle this boat in, having forgotten to gas up. He had a much harder paddle than we did.

Pipestone Creek, Coal Lake

It has been a few years since I've been out to Coal Lake by Wetaskiwin. I went out this time specifically to paddle Pipestone Creek, which enters Coal lake at the south end.

Access is pretty easy. South on the 2A to Wetaskiwin, then east on Highway 13 for 15 kms until you drop down into the big valley by Gwynne. Coal lake is on the north side (you can see the berm from the road), with the turn off being marked by a truck up on top of some scaffolding. Follow the gravel road to the boat launch. There is a dock, a launch, good parking and nasty pit toilets.

Pipestone Creek is directly west of the boat launch in the swamp at the south end of the lake. When I was there, the most prominent marker was the lime green algae in the creek (the lake was clean).

Shortly after entering the creek, you go under a car bridge and, other than a house on the bluffs, you basically leave civilization behind.

The creek is a very nice paddle. Almost no current and lots of wildlife. I scared up some herons and saw lot of ducks and two hawks. There were also lots of shore birds and a couple of muskrats. Lots of beaver activity evident but I did not see any. Oh, and lots of wasp nests (but no bugs to speak of).

The algae came and went and this might be a cleaner paddle in the spring or autumn. No smell but a fair but of extra drag (which was surprising).

After about 75 minutes of paddling, I hit a pine tree down across the river (below). I could have snuck under on the right or maybe levered over on the left. Just around the bend, though, there is a large beaver dam (about a foot higher than the creek) plus lots more obstacles.

Some paddlers I met on the parking lot said you can portage around the dam but I was pooped so just turned around and went back. 

Overall, a fun paddle, especially if you like birds. I'd definitely go back in another season to see the differences.