Spruce Coulee Reservoir

In July, we paddled the Spruce Coulee Reservoir in the Cypress Hills Intraprovincial Park just southeast of Medicine Hat. Access requires a short trip (4km?) down a sandy gravel road, including a bit of a twisting downhill section. Not much worse than a bad alley in Edmonton, but something to be mindful of if you are a nervous driver.

You can drop your boat right beside the sandy/silt launch, which includes a dock, pit toilets, tent camping, and a "comfort" cabin you can rent if you like. Super easy launch with nearby parking. There were also two aluminum canoes here on a rack that you can rent for the day from the shack on Elkwater Lake (I think it was $40 for the day).

This was my favourite paddle in the Cypress Hills. The lake has a very alpine vibe and was small, had a slight curve, and no real wind. There was also really no one else around.

We went south down the lake to the swamp at the south end. Lots of shore birds and waterfowl. The water is super clear and the bottom was interesting. No bugs on the lake but you could see lots in the bush!

We then turned up the short reach to the east and paddle around, rescuing dragon flies and poking into the small hidden bays behind the reeds.

Then we came back up the lake into a very slight breeze.

The dam is right beside the boat launch.

Overall, a super low-key paddle suitable for families and beginners. There was lots of nature to see. Definitely my favourite paddle in the park and maybe one of the top paddles this summer (so far).

Reesor Lake

In early July, we were at the Reesor Lake reservoir in the Cypress Hills Intraprovincial Park, just southeast of Medicine Hat. it is an interesting drive into the area; watch out for cows on the road! It looks like you could get into the lake at either end with a bit of work but the easiest access was at the day-use area about halfway down the lake.

Lots of parking, a proper boat launch, and sandy bit beside it for beach(ish) launch. There are also pit toilets, benches, and the whole area (including the fishing platform) has received an upgrade since I was last here in 2019 (I think). There was a canoe rack here and it looks like you can rent canoes from the shack at Elkwater Lake (but there were no canoes in the rack or on the lake).

We waited out rain and crazy fog and then went in a mild breeze, grinding northwest into the wind and then being pushed back to the other end.

The north shore is mostly scrub with lots of lovely wild flowers. Lots of shorebirds here.

The moister south shore of the lake is wooded with pines. Below you there are grebes, pelicans, and a lone eagle in the pine tree.

The morning fog had visibility down to 50 feet at one point. The eagle was trying to dry its feathers out in the breeze after the fog lifted.

We sailed back down the lake to the dam at the southeast end. This was much more alpine than Elkwater Lake. There is a decent-sized campground at this end of the lake.

Then we paddled back. Maybe an hour round trip?

Overall, a nice enough paddle with clean water and only a few others kayaks on the lake. Great bird watching and a bit of a shame the weather was not great (second time I've tried for a sunny day here).

Elkwater Lake

In early July, we had the chance to paddle Elkwater Lake in the Cypress Hills Intraprovincial Park (just southeast of Medicine Hat). Elkwater is approximately the same elevation as Banff and gets some pretty varied weather. Our paddle started out rainy and foggy and then turned lovely. Overall, Elkwater is a morning or evening paddle because of the afternoon winds and boats.

There are multiple boat and beach launches from the south shore of the lake. We went off the main beach (just east of the marina). The carry from the parking lot was about 100 feet and there is also a place to rent kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards here. There are nice washrooms and changing rooms here as well as picnic tables and fire pits and, of course, a lovely beach with a roped swimming area.

The east end of the lake is swampy reeds so we went across to the north shore while we waited for the sun, trying to get into the northern reach. The shoreline was steep and grassy, with a sandy bottom pretty much everywhere. There were no boats out due to the weather.

We pushed through a shallow reed bed and into the northern part of the lake as the sun came out. there were lots of birds here as well as a muskrat but not much else of interest. There were no boats here, perhaps because of the shallow depth.

We worked out way counter clockwise around the lake as the sun came out. This deer paralleled us up on the bluffs. The shore line is a mix of sandy cliffs (with swallows) and grassy hills coming down to the shore (lots of yellow-headed blackbirds).

The western end of the lake is basically this.

The south shore is treed and much more alpine. This distribution of trees reflects the availability of water on north-facing slopes.

We saw a hawk come low overhead screaming and, right behind it, was a bald eagle, talons extended. They circled for awhile. We also saw a grebe fishing and feeding its young what looked like a small perch. By this time, the water skiers were out and we decided to call it a day and head back for lunch.

Overall, Elkwater is a pretty clean lake. The perimeter is like just over 10km and there is a fair bit to see. The downsides are the wind and the boat traffic, especially in the middle the day.

Crawling Valley Reservoir

In early July, we put in at Crawling Valley Reservoir. The easiest access was at the Crawling Valley Campground on the SW corner, just a few kms north of Bassano and northwest of Brooks maybe 40 minutes. There was no fee to launch but there was a bit of paperwork at the main office (mostly trying to control the spread of invasives through an inspection).

We launched off the main beach, which was lovely. All the usual beach amenities were there and there was a roped swimming area. We carried about 50 feet over the sand. The water looked great. The alternative was to use the old boat launch just beside the beach (pictured below).

This was our first trip so we turned left off the beach, paddled past the marina entrance and campground and into a swampy area on the west side of the lake. Then we worked our way up the lake and into an old coolie.

The lake bottom was a mix of sand and weeds and we saw a lot of cattle on the shore. There was no real wind near the shore. The reservoir is huge and had an enormous shoreline to explore. Despite a a constant parade of boats out of the marina on a Saturday afternoon, we hardly saw anyone on the lake.

The submerged coolie went quite a ways back into the surrounding ranch and, again, we saw a lot of cows plus shore birds.

We eventually turned back and let the slight wind blow us back to the beach. And an easy alternative would have been to paddle across the face of the dam to the east side and explore the islands there.

Overall, one of the nicest paddles of the summer and I would definitely go back again the next time I'm in the area.

Lake Newell

In early July, we were headed to the Cypress Hills. We stopped at Brooks for gas and detoured about 12km south of town to Kinbrook Island Provincial Park on Lake Newell for lunch. The park is lovely, with lots of camping, a beach, food stand, toilets, etc. Friends who have worked here describe this as a bit of a party campground on the long weekends.

Lake Newell is pretty big and was really rolling the day we were there (pictures don't really do it justice) so we had lunch on the beach and walked around. You could either get in off the beach (maybe a 150-foot carry from the parking lot). Or you could use the boat launch at the sailing club.

On the east side of the island is a sheltered part of the lake (there is a berm enclosing it) that we were told was full of birds. Access is from a small three-car parking spot (just follow the only road north from the beach and, if you hit the sailing club, you went too far) with a short walk through the trees to a dock.

The dock floats (sort of) and was pretty tippy. We got out boats in on the side, using the submerged part of the dock as a launching platform. This was a moderately challenging launch that was not for the faint of heart. It would have been easier to get a SUP or a canoe in off the dock itself.

We paddled the very calm waters north, basically doing a clockwise loop in about 75 minutes. There were lots of birds here, even though we were entering the quiet period of the summer.

The reedy islands at the south end of this area were a bit confusing and we ended up pushing through some reeds at the end to get headed back in the right direction.

There were no big waves to speak of in here but there was some stiff wind and it was a real grind to get back across the pond to the dock. My wife ended up drafting me. This would have sucked on a SUP.

Overall, a nice enough lake. I would have liked to have paddled the main lake but that is totally wind dependent. Crawling Valley Reservoir just north of Bassano (maybe a 40-minute drive west) is nicer and would be my choice if I was in the area again.