After an abortive attempt at Lily Lake in mid-June, we ended up at Lac Ste. Anne and used the Darwell launch to get into the western basin. Access is up Range Road 45, just past the Lac Ste. Anne fire department and municipal yard.
The launch has a cement ramp, a dock, and you can park right beside the water. Just before the launch there is a community park with a picnic shelter and pit toilets (which my wife described as clean, but spidery).
There was a fair bit of duck week at the launch that I swept out of the way. This is the swampier end of the lake and the water was milky mountain dew in colour with weeds and algae.
There were no boats (maybe because of the weeds fouling the props) and a ton of birds here. We saw all of the usual birds plus a dozen pelicans and about the same number of heron.
We turned right out of the launch and went towards horse island, our plan being to paddle around it and back.
The water was weedy but it didn't impede paddling any. There are clearer sections in places.
Eventually, Horse Island appeared and we hung a left to go around the north side.
There were lots of beaver lodges. The channel narrows on the north side of the island and we stopped here to have lunch on the water. There wasn't really any accessible shoreline to get out on, given all of the reeds.
We competed our circuit of the island and poked our boats out into the middle basin of the lake. Then we turned around and paddled back.
Overall, a fine paddle of maybe 8 or 9km in just under two hours. This is not the nicest part of Lac Ste Anne but it is sheltered from the wind, there are no boats, and there are lots of birds. The
west cove launch (just to the east) offers a different, less swampy experience but wth the prospect of more wind exposure.
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