Wakomao Lake

In very early May, we drove up to Wakomao Lake, just east of Clyde. Access to the south end of the lake can be gained off Highway 18, about 20m to the west of the bridge and Whissell's Castle (you'll know it when you see it...). Parking is DIY. I parked on the south ditch and carried across the road; you can also drop down the steeper slope on the north ditch and park right beside the lake.

The entry is fairly obvious when you get there (follow the tire tracks towards the big bush). There is a nice enough grassy entry. In the past, I've been here with lower water and there is a lip of sand to launch from.

Whissell's Castle (below) is interesting to get a look at (built for bird watching) and you can duck under the highway and paddle down the creek. We went north up the east side of the lake.

Below is pretty representative of the shore. It is a mix of fields and trees, with a mix of reeds and grassy mud at the shoreline. There were a tonne of birds! No deer on this trip, though.

There are a number of islands. The largest island apparently has a camp and perhaps a hammock on it.

 

We paddled about three and a half kms up the lake and, as we were turning around, spotted two eagles and a nest on the east shore.

We then turned around and came back down the centre of the lake to take advantage of the wind.

God, it was hot!

As we approached the south shore, we saw a swam. It honked at us for awhile and then took off in front of us.

All told, a nice enough paddle. We did about 6km in 90 minutes. I suspect the lake is likely 10-12km if you did the whole thing. The water was pretty iced tea coloured easy in the season. This is not bad introductory spot if you want some easy experiencing DIYing parking and entry.

Wakomao Lake

In late May, I drove up to Clyde to put in at Wakamao Lake (about 7 miles east of town on Highway 18). I've been eyeing this lake for awhile but only recently saw some good instructions about how to get on it. Access is a bit DIY. Parking is on the shoulder of hHghway 18, just west of the bridge (yellow boxes below).

Googlemaps doesn't convey the slope of the ditches very well. The southern box is a fairly gentle slope; the northern box is a steeper angle and you need to get to the bottom to park. I parked on the south side to check out the northern slope (steep but manageable), the parking space (firm the day I was there) and access point (really good) on foot and eventually just carried the boat a couple of hundred feet across the road rather than move my car. Highway traffic was light so it is no problem to get across.

The launch is a small, sandy beach that looks like the access point for ice fishing in the winter (tire ruts). The water is pretty yellowy-green so I opted to get in and out with dry feet. I would bet this is more of a spring paddle before the weeds get started. In places on the west side, the lake had a very swampy smell.

I made it half way up the lake along the west shore before I decided to turn around. Lots of birds and some beavers but otherwise pretty uninteresting.

There are a number of islands. Some are low and boggy while others have some height and trees. The lake is shallow at the edges and around the islands so it can require a bit of looking to find a place to take out dry footed.

The eastern side of the lake is hillier and has more trees and there were a lot of deer here. Some eating in the forest and at the edges of the fields. Others were frolicking in the water.

At the south end of the lake, there is a bridge that lets you access a slow, winding stream. This eventually becomes the Red Water River and dumps into the North Saskatchewan, but that would be a multi-day paddle, I'd bet.

To the east of the bridge is this tower. I'm told it was built for bird watching. I gives off a bit of a haunted lighthouse vibe, to be honest.

Just as I was about to pull out, this duck paddled right up to me, apparently unconcerned (or dozing?). It got within arms reach before it figured out I was a person and then it freaked out.

Overall, a nicer paddle that I would have guessed. Thanks to the folks on Facebook for the tips about accessing it.