Lower Waterfowl Lake

In late September, we took a trip to BC. Our first stop along the way was Lower Waterfowl Lake, which is located just south of Saskatchewan Crossing on the Icefields Parkway. The best access is through the campground. We arrived to find the campground closed for the season, so we backtracked to the lookout on the Parkway and put in from there.

The Parkway lookout is pretty busy with cars and tourists. It also requires carrying the boats down a short, but steep path and then navigating the rocks at the bottom. This was no big deal but might be a barrier if you have mobility issues. There was a Parks self-certification box here but no other amenities and our self certifications actually got checked as we were putting in.

That done, we managed to get into the boats without dumping in front of the huge crowd of onlookers (!) and we set off counterclockwise.

Lower Waterfowl is beautiful and we had great weather for mid-September (on the return trip, there was sleet!).

It looks like you could also access the lake from the north end (there is a pull out and people had walked in). This might have been an easier access, at least at the shoreline. 

We then followed the shore to the outflow in the northwest corner.

To get a good look, we beached the boats and walked a bit. The bottom of the lake is rock on silt but it is gooey in places!

We then came back south on the western shore, which was lovely.

There is a nice sandy spit if you'd looking for a picnic site or to have a very cold swim.

The inflow (from Upper Waterfowl Lake) is on the south end. There are a couple of braided channels. We tried paddling up but couldn't get very far (current was strong).

We walked the boats up a ways (again, ground was pretty soft) and then had a short run down to the lake. You could portage your boats to Upper Waterfowl Lake. That would be about a kilometre carry. You can also access Upper Waterfowl from the campground (again requiring a carry; this access was also closed). 

It isn't clear if Parks deems these two lakes separate bodies of water when they apply their 48-hour dry rule. We didn't have time to do both lakes, so we just did a short river run and continued around the lower lake.

Below, you can see the campground access point to Lower Waterfowl. The perimeter of the lake is about 4.5km and would take maybe an hour. We fiddled about at the inflow and outflow and spent maybe two hours here. If you did Upper and Lower you'd be looking at about 3 hours.

Overall, a lovely lake and a great paddle. Maybe not as large and beautiful as nearby Bow Lake, but there was no one here, whereas Bow Lake was jammed with cars and boats when we went by.

Lake Isle, Silver Sands Launch

In mid-September, we went out for a mid-day birthday paddle at Lake Isle. It had been a couple of years since we'd been to Lake Isle and this time we tried the Silver Sands launch in the southeast corner.

The launch was gravel and cement. We dropped right beside the water and then parked 20 meters away. There was a playground, a picnic shelter (no fires, though), horseshoe pits, and pit toilets were located up by the municipal garage (100 meters).

The water was pretty green and had a faint whiff of manure and we got in dry. We then did a clockwise loop around the large island and much of the eastern bay. We paddled maybe two hours and covered 8km or so.

There wasn't much to see. There was no one on the lake and only a few birds.

The different, autumn light gave the water a cool CGI effect.

There was the beginning of the fall colours along the north shore.

Overall, this was a fine enough paddle. Maybe a bit boring? Less boring is the road signage leading into the summer village of Silver Sands. Really, this raises all kinds of question for me. Are intramural firefights such an issue it required a sign? Can you shoot into and/or out of the village?

Happy to have tried this launch. I think the Kokomoko entrance on the southwest side was more interesting.

Northeast River Valley Park

In early September, I dropped in on the Northeast River Valley Park that opened in 2023. The park has a small lake and a channel to explore. You can probably get a boat in just about anywhere but the official launch is about a 250m carry from the main parking lot, across a bridge and down a hill. The picture below looks back at the pavilion from the launch.

There is a dock here in the summer but it was gone for the season when I was there. Entry was a little easier this year due to a small apron of gravel. The bottom is a shallow slope and I got in dry.

Lots of folks are just DIYing entry. The picture below is one access point just below the main parking lot down into the channel. A bit goopier of an entry but only about a 50m carry.

The edge of the lake is most reeds and grass. I was getting some early fall colour the day I went.

The best part of the park are the bridges, including these two that join an island with a playground to each side of the lake. There are also washrooms and a picnic area.

The water was clean but weedy and there are no swimming signs up.

I had a crazy calm day but the lake is also shallow and protected by the surrounding hills so waves aren't going to ever be an issue here.

There are also cement/brick bridges that mark the entrances to the channel.

There wasn't much happening animal wise. I did see a couple different types of hawks, lots of geese and ducks, and I chased a poor heron down the channel and back. The beaver lodge back here looks abandoned.

Two leisurely laps took about an hour. I think this lake offers a nice evening paddle when the days are getting shorter.

Lac Ste. Anne, West Cove launch

Cancelled plans led to a sunset paddle at Lac Ste Anne in early September. The weather was a bit unsettled when we drove out, so we put in at the West Cove launch, thinking we could shelter from any wind behind Farming Island.

The launch was deserted when we got there. The water definitely has some blue-green algae (pretty common in Lac Ste. Anne at this time of year) but it wasn't too bad.

There was a bit of chop and a slight bit of rain when we set out so we paddled north along the eastern side of Farming Island as the storm blew past and the sun came out.

It was super quiet on the lake. I expect the first day of school and the weather were responsible for that. 

The skies cleared as we rounded the north point of the island and the wind mostly gave up. 

The sun was starting to set as we headed south. There was also periodic drumming and singing from the Alexis First Nation that drifted across the water, which was super cool. 

Not much for birds on the water (some pelicans in the distance, some annoyed grebes in the reeds) and a few fish jumping.

I nearly bit it getting out of the boat (couldn't seem to to find the balance point as I stood up for whatever reason) but managed to catch myself and only got a wet sleeve! Overall, a great night on (and partly in) the water.