Shunda Lake and Twin Lakes near Rocky Mountain House

In late June, we popped in to try our luck at Shunda Lake, just west of Nordegg. Access is through the day-use area and there was a kayakomat on site if you want to rent. You can drop right beside the water and then go park about 50 meters away where there are pit toilets. 

The parking area also has a dock and some DIY launch sites, but the boat launch is the easiest option.

It was bright and sunny when we arrived. By the time we got the boats off, it had clouded over.

The shoreline mostly looks like this. We got about 100m from the launch and the lightening and thunder started so that was that for the day.

We adjourned to the Miners Cafe in Nordegg for pie. I was disappointed to not get to paddle this lake (it has been on my list for several years) but I'll plan to make another trip out here later in the summer.

Twin Lakes

After abandoning Shunda, we drove to Rocky Mountain House for the night. The storm passed over after dinner so we decided to do an evening paddle at Twin Lakes, just west of Rocky. This is a lovely fishing pond.

You can get in on the west end but there are stairs involved. If you drive around to the east end, there is a very nice boat launch. You can either beach launch or use the kayak launch on the dock. There are picnic tables, fire pits, and a pit toilet up by the parking area.

The lake is small (maybe 800 by 400m) but is a great paddle and nice for SUP.

The shore line is a mixture of fir trees and swampy grass. There are multiple docks for fishing and the lake is stocked with rainbow trout and infested with yellow perch.

The water is super clear.

In the SE corner, there is a small channel that goes through the the twin lake to the south. We tried it again this year since the water looked high. We made it quite a ways (about 50m of the 120m channel, much further than last year) before chunks of firewood blocked forward passage.

There were lots of birds, including loons, heron and osprey as well as endless ducks.

Overall, a nice plan B after Shunda did not work out and a lovely twofer with nearby Crimson Lake.