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.

Lac Ste. Anne, Darwell Launch

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.

Lac Ste. Anne, West Cove Launch

For Mother's Day, we took a trip to Lac Ste. Anne, using the West Cove boat launch. The launch was deserted and the water was super clean.

We paddled north to Farming Island, basically following the west shore of the island to the north side of the lake. The island looks like a glacial moraine (or maybe an esker).

It was smoking hot on the water at 10 am (like +24C) but a south wind picked up. 

We had a bit of a rough paddle back to the south shore down the east side of the island but it was a lovely trip. 

If I go back, I'd like to beach on the island and walk around bit. I think I read there are two geocaches on the island.

Since we were in the neighbourhood, we continued on to the Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary that is operated by the Edmonton and Area Land Trust. We've volunteered to count loons for them on one of the lakes here and thought we go get the lay of the land. No loons, but we saw three frogs, two trumpeter swans, and one large pile of cougar poop!

Lac Ste. Anne, West Cove Launch

At the end of September, I put in at the West Cove boat launch on Lac Ste Anne off Range Road 43 (green arrow). It looks like there is another launch a mile to the east, on what would be Range Road 42 but is called Boat Launch Road (pink arrow). Both give access to the second west-most basin of the lake (see below).

My plan was to paddle up one side of the long island (Farming Island) and down the other if the lake was calm. If not, I was going to go to the west side of the lake. It was quite rainy when I left town but the clouds cleared as I got there and the lake was glassy calm. 

There was no one at the boat launch (although there were a few cars in the lot). Launch has a small cement ramp, a gravely beach, a dock, garbage, and a pit toilet. There was just a tiny bit of blue-green algae in the water (looked like someone had sprinkled dill weed or grass clippings). The beach was shallow so I got in dry footed.

I went of the beach and crossed about 500m to the island and then went up the west side, Mostly a reedy shore.

The amount of algae increased the further I got into the lake and it was pretty green in places.

I worked by way to the north end of the island and the paddled across to the the Alexis First Nation shore.

There was a big beaver lodge here. I then paddled back to the island,

I noticed this sandy beach and grassy spot on the northern tip. This is probably the best spot for accessing the island that I saw.

I then went back down the east side of the island and, with the sun behind me and the smooth water, the colours were crazy pretty.

Maybe about 6km round trip. The picture below is the boat launch from the water.

A great paddle and probably one of my top three paddles of the summer.

Lac Ste. Anne, Darwell Launch

In late August, I decided to try Lac Ste. Anne. I don't think I have paddled here before. The lake is pretty big so I decided to try it in pieces, starting at the west end from the Darwell boat launch. The boat launch is at the bottom centre of the picture below. I turned right, paddled northeast east around the island and back. Maybe 6km all told but really only a fraction of the lake.

The boat launch was pretty good. Big grassy parking area with garbage cans, a dock and a cement launch. There was no one around and there looked to be pit toilets at the community picnic shelter on the right as you enter the boat launch.

There was a tiny bit of algae collected right in front of the launch that I managed to paddle to the side so I could get in cleanly. The water was a medium green colour and I would not want to fall in.

Below is a pretty representative photo of the paddle. Reedy edge giving way to an aspen forest. There were weedy patches in the water but nothing that interfered with paddling much.

There was a lot of wildlife on this paddle including about a dozen herons fishing and several hundred ducks flocking up. I also saw an eagle cruising overhead and I startled a couple of beavers.

The water in this end of the lake was calm and I saw no one the entire time (there was a campfire going on the southern shore but I couldn't see anyone around). Maybe the lake is too shallow and full of deadheads here for boating?

The loop around the island was interesting for the wildlife. The island itself was nothing special.

On the way back, I saw 21 pelicans formed up in a V (right below the Sun in the shot below) headed south.

Overall, this was an okay paddle. The absence of anyone else was nice (I figured the lake would be busy on the last Sunday afternoon in August). The boat launch was well kept. I'm going try a bit further to the east the next time I'm out here--maybe paddling out of the West Cove boat launch and up Farming Island.