Beauvais Lake

In late August, we headed south towards Waterton and put in at Beauvais Lake (just 30ish km west of Pincher Creek). Access is through the the Beauvais Lake Provincial Park (no fees) and there is also camping available here.

The launch was great. You can drop your boats at the edge of the lake. There is a cement launch and a gravel shore launch right beside the dock. You can also go off the dock and there is a proper kayak launch. There were also nice pit toilets here.

The lake is 3km (or maybe a bit more) long and about half a km wide, running northwest to southeast. We paddled it clockwise. Immediately left off the launch is a series of private cabins that eventually give way to a public day use area.

We had basically every kind of weather in the hour and a bit we paddled here except snow. It started out cloudy. Then the wind came way up and blew us down the lake.

The lake was pretty weedy in late August and there was a lot of fishing and fish jumping.

The wind eventually quit and blue skies appeared to the north. And then it poured as we hit the southeast end of the lake.

We paddled back on the southwest shore, which was swampy and then eventually gave away to an alpine vibe (rocky with a steep slope and fir trees.

As the skies cleared, you could see the mountains.

The northwest end was also swampy but the water was very clear.

Overall, a great paddle and great facilities. I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to come here. But, if I was driving along the mountains (to or from Waterton), I might well come back (with my rain coat!).

Chump Lake (Big Johnson Lake)

In mid-August, we spent a nice morning on Chump Lake (also called Big Johnson Lake), about half way between Boyle and Lac La Biche. The launch is in the Chump Lake Campground and the turnoff of Highway 663 is not signed. You want to watch for (and turn north onto) Golden Nodding Road and then follow it to the end.

There is no cost for day use and you can launch off the beach or use the boat launch. There are pit toilets (super clean!), a playground, and benches. The campground staff were very friendly.

We launched off the beach. It is about an 80m carry from the parking lot down a hill and across the sand. The carry was so-so (bit of a slope, uneven footing--no big deal if you are fully mobile). Super easy beach launch and good swimming here.

The boat launch has a dock and is cement.

I can't say enough about the water quality. There are the usual weeds but the water was very clear.

The shoreline is about 10km and is basically this: reeds and bullrushes, then a mixed forest.

There is an island in the middle of the lake that you cam camp on. 

Access is on the west side. The bottom is a mix of rocks and sand.

On shore there is a fire pit (with wood!) and benches. There is room for a tent here. There is also a second more rustic site further into the interior of the island.

We did a loop that included most of the shoreline. There was not much for wildlife the day we were there. There was a lot of loud loons and lots of beaver lodges.

Overall, a very nice two hours. The campground operator said the fishing was very good, especially over in the southwest bay.

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.

Spring Lake

In early August, I drove out to Spring Lake on a whim. Access can be a bit tricky and there are detailed instructions here. The water level was down about 8 or 10 inches (probably a combination of little snow and evaporation during a hot July).

I looked at the usual shore launch and it seemed pretty mucky so I decided to try my luck on the dock that is about 100 feet to the north.

I'm not sure this was better since it meant almost a three foot drop to the water. Docks are my least favourite way to launch but, by using my paddle to pin the boat against the pilings, I managed to get in without getting wet.

It was overcast and smokey so no real scenery shots. I did see a tonne of birds. This tern was very annoyed I chased it off this grebe nest.

There were also lots of loons with young. And grebes with young. There were also half a dozen osprey fishing overhead.

The lake was pretty calm so there were some Monet moments.

 

I surprise this heron fishing off the island.

For whatever reason, this cormorant was just sitting on this stick and would not move no matter how close I got. Maybe wet feathers? I also accidentally pushed a loon towards the shore so it dove and cut across in front of my boat to get out towards deeper water. Loons move crazy fast underwater.

Having braved the dock once, I decided to try the shore launch to get out. It was not a bad as I thought and I got out dry footed after some poling and bumscooting.

This was a pretty good paddle on Spring Lake. I hope the water level comes up a touch next year. There were lots of places I was scraping bottom near the shore. The water quality was pretty good, though.