Hanging Heart Lake, Prince Albert National Park

In July, we paddled a small portion of Hanging Heart Lake in Prince Albert National Park. Hanging Heart Lake is just north of Waskesiu and connects into the much larger Crean Lake. There are boat-in campsites on Crean Lake.

Access is through the Hanging Heart Lake Marina. There are washrooms, a boat launch, kayak and canoe rentals, and lots of parking. There is no charge to launch a kayak or canoe.

Nice boat launch and you are out into the first (and smallest) of three basins in the lake. 

Clean water, reeds on the edge, trees beyond. 

The narrows between the basins were clearly marked.

We got into the second basins and then the weather started to turn so we headed back. All three basins would be a long day of paddling.

Overall, a pretty lake. More of a fishing lake than a swimming lake, but the water was clean.

Amiskowan Lake to Shady Lake, Prince Albert National Park

In July, we were in Prince Albert National Park and did a two lake paddle: Amiskowan Lake to Shady Lake. Access is off the road that runs along the south side of the lake (top left of the map below). There is a widening in the road and room for maybe five vehicles to park (we never saw another vehicle there during our five days).

There is lots of room to unload and Amiskowan Lake is pretty. 

It is a bit of a steep entry, maybe 10 vertical feet down to the water on a steep slope. But we managed to get in with dry feet.

The lake itself is long and narrow and basically you just head east to the end, where you find the creek entrance. The lake was weedy by the first week of July and the Canadian Parks staff said it was very hard paddling in the summer.

The connecting creek is fairly interesting. The first half is just weedy oxbows against the mild current. This seemed a bit endless.

It slowly gets narrower, with a faster current, and more alpine. A good introduction to current in narrows spaces for a newer paddler.

We saw a pair of deer up close (both times coming around a blind corner to everyone's surprise). There were also herons here.

 

Then there was a low and narrow bridge. It was okay in kayaks (paddling was tough but you could use the ridges on the corrugated culvert to push yourself along).

Then out into Shady Lake, which was mostly unremarkable. Lake, reeds, trees, repeat. We did see an eagle that we chased down the lake from tree to tree.

Then you turn around and reverse the trip. It was three hours of solid paddling and was probably the most challenging trip we took in the park. 

Jenn came to appreciate it on the return trip (where the current worked with you) but that was our only paddle that day (I was bushed). Definitely an early season (or maybe autumn) paddle.

Waskesiu Lake, Prince Albert National Park

In July, we spent five days in Prince Albert National Park, primarily paddling on Waskesiu Lake. The lake was very large, but amazing. We paddled off several beaches. I've broken out some of the highlights from our time there.

Main Beach

On the eastern shore of the lake is the town of Waskesiu and the main beach. You can camp, but we stayed at the Lost Creek Resort (very nice). The main beach is about half a km of sand, with a marked swimming area, playground, washrooms, breakwater, and good parking. You can launch off the beach and go north or south. someone in town was renting paddle boards and someone else was giving kayak tours.

The beach was lovely, especially after dinner when most of the families had called it a day. Clean sand, great swimming, almost no one around.

We launched off the beach (which included wheelchair access to the water!).

To the south is Murphy's Bay. This was a very nice paddle with a rocky and forested shore that felt very much like the Canadian Shield.

It was overcast the first day but the bay was calm and it was a lovely paddle.

We also paddled north from the beach one day, up to the top of the map above and then hung out off the main beach while the sun set. We saw all of the usual birds as well as an elk and calf.

Waskesiu Marina and River

To the north of the town in the main marina. You can put in here off the boat launch; parking is in the gravel lot behind the launch. There is a launch fee for power boats but not for kayaks or canoes or SUPs. The main office also rented canoes and kayaks.

This was again a grey-day paddle for us. We went east off the Marina and up the Waskesiu River.

The river was wide and had a manageable current. it was a nice, clean paddle through reeds and fens.

You can go down as far as the bridge before buoys block the way. This was a good paddle on a rougher day out on the lake.

We saw a fox with dinner in its mouth on the way back.

First Narrows

There are a number of beaches you can paddle at as you drive up the south shore of the lake. The furthest west you can go is the First Narrows (which is about half was down the lake). 

There is a camp ground, boat launch, beach, bathrooms, etc. You could rent kayaks and canoes here. We just parked in the day-use area and went off the beach (maybe a 50-foot carry).

We chose this spot on a windy day because the spit of land that juts down from the north provides a sheltered spot to paddle. We went up the west side of the spit, along the north shore, crossed over and came back.

There was a tonne of wildlife. We saw pelicans, loons, and a lake otter.

Tripps Beach

We spent a couple of days at Tripps Beach on the south shore. This was a very clean beach with good swimming and clean toilets. There was almost no one there.

We paddled off the beach one day out to King's Island (about 2km into the lake).

The island was lovely and there were lots of fish in the shallows. Tonnes of birds, including an eagle and osprey.

Best access point to the island is the SE corner, just around a narrow spit of land.

There is a fire pit and picnic bench on the island. We then paddled west back to shore (the wind was picking up) and spent some time swimming off one of the many boat-in only beaches.

Overall, Waskesiu was an amazing lake to paddle and swim on. Lots of boats but the lake is huge so we hardly ever saw one. Clean water, sandy beaches, and no one around. It is a lot like Jasper, minus the mountains and all of the people. I'd totally go back.

Pierce Lake, Saskatchewan

Pierce Lake is located on the west end of Meadow Lake Provincial Park. We put in at Sandy Beach on the south-west corner of the lake. There may also be access in Howe Bay (we did not go here) or where Highway 950 crosses the creek connecting Piece Lake and Lepine Lake (this might be a scramble, though).

Sandy Beach has a boat launch, washrooms, fish cleaning shack, and a nice enough beach area. The lake was very clean, we launched off the beach, and we paddled east along the shore line for an hour or so. The water was clean and we could see the bottom at least 15 feet down.

The beach was smaller than at Kimball Lake. The swimming was very nice and the campground looks large. The store was not open when we were there. We probably wouldn't go back here as there are lots of other lakes of explore in the park and nearby and this was a bit of a drive (although we did see two bears on the drive).

Greig Lake, Saskatchewan

Greig Lake is a large lake located in Meadow Lake Provincial Park. The water is very clean but the edges are a bit swampy. The shore is a mix of sandy beaches and rocks.

There appear to be three main access points. On the east side, there is a boat launch in the Greig Lake campground (there is also a store at the entrance). The pictures also suggest a nice beach but I don't know about access for day paddlers.

On the south east corner (off Highway 224) there is a small day area which includes access to the lake (short carry over a berm). The third access point is at the Waters Edge Eco Resort on the west side, but access is restricted to guests.

We had a lovely time paddling here. The side of the lake means big waves in a blow. There was quite a lot of fishing and water spots on the lake, but its size meant that we never really saw anyone closer than 500 feet.

Kimball Lake, Saskatchewan

A vacation took us to Meadow Lake Provincial Park in Saskatchewan. Our first stop was Kimball Lake, which is rated as one of Canada's best beaches. Oddly, the lake did not appear on my GPS (although the road net to the campground did).

The best lake access is on the east side of the lake, just north of the campground. There is a boat launch a little bit to the north of the parking lot but the carry for the parking lot to the beach is about 100 feet and it was way nicer to launch off of the beach.

Boat launch as seen from the water.

We paddled up the north side of the lake to the west end. The bird watching was good: herons, eagles pelicans, and loons all put in an appearance. It was an hour or so to paddle the length of the lake, with several stops to rescue dragon flies.

We had fine weather and this was one of the nicest paddles I can recall.

Wr got the west end of the lake and found a beach (boat in only) where we stopped for a swim. The water is super clean and reasonably warm. It looks like you can get into the next lake with a short portage to the west.

The wind came up so we cut down the south side of the lake and made it make in half the time (there was a bit of chop!). We then sat on the public beach (below) and had lunch and swam.

The beach was pretty dead due to COVID. The store by the campground was closed (this was the case at all the lakes we visited), although the store at Grieg Lake was open. Would absolutely recommend this as a vacation spot. A bit of a drive from Edmonton (6 hours) but amazing beach and a decent looking campground.

Wascana Lake, Regina

Wascana Lake is located in downtown Regina and represents probably the best paddling option for residents. Access to the lake is best at Willow (docks at bottom right of map), just north of the Broad Street bridge. There is a fair bit of parking and three options for putting in.



The best option is the beach immediately south of the main parking lot (by the bridge). It is sandy, gentle and an easy carry (no picture--sorry). There is also a concrete boat launch right there, but launching kayaks and canoes seemed prohibited.

There is also a paddling centre (that rents) that has a beach and docks, including a sandy boat launch. There are also public washrooms here.

The perimeter of the lake is about 4km. Access to the southern half of the lake (south of the bridge) is prohibited as it is a migratory waterfowl sanctuary. Powered boats appear to be allowed on the lake, at least in some circumstances (several pontoon boats were moored), and there were also sailboats on the water.

There are a couple of interesting islands to paddle around and the lake is set next to the provincial legislature (which is pretty). There is also a paved walking trail around the lake.

The lake was marked for racing with buoys when I was there. There were also a lot of kids in canoes on the water. Although the flags were standing straight out, I didn't find the lake too choppy (its gets some shelter from the surrounding park). It is directly on the flight path from the airport so expect planes overhead!

The lake was lousy with waterfowl (mostly geese) when I was there. A friend who paddles suggests the lake gets nasty in later summer. The water was pretty murky while I was there but seemed free of leeches (at least at the beaches).