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.

Lily Lake (Darwell)

In mid-June, we decided to try our luck at Lily Lake, west of town near Darwell. Lily Lake is not easy to get into, requiring a 800m (2500-foot) carry, but I was keen to give it a whirl. Access is from the north off of Township Road 550 through the JBJ McDonald Conservation Area. I always see deer on this road (and we saw two today) so mind the ditches.

The conservation area is operated by the Edmonton and Area Land Trust (EALT). The EALT publishes rules about appropriate usage (you can find online) and this site bars wheeled vehicles. That means no carts and you need to carry your boats in. As you'll see, carts would also simply be unworkable after the halfway point. Note that 800m is a long distance to carry a hard-shell boat.

There is a good map at the car park (and good signage throughout). The parking lot holds maybe four cars and I've never seen more than one there. There are no washroom facilities--I'd guess the closest would be at the gas station in Darwell or the Darwell Launch on Lac Ste Anne (maybe a 20 minute drive).

Looking at the image below, you park at the red arrow at the top. Walk south on the yellow line, take the first SE spur and eventually access the lake at the Esther Lookout. We decided to walk in without boats to see what it looked like (which was a good decision).

Things start out pretty good and you go about 300 meters down an old homestead road bed, equal parts dirt, gravel, grass, and cow poop. 

The first left is a good cutline. It is a bit steep but good footing all the way up.

Down the other side is steeper and it gets boggy at the bottom. This was the point where we should have turned back for lack of appropriate footwear. We did not (this was a bad decision).

At the bottom there is meadowy-trail through the woods that is boggy. Some parts have a metal grate. This soon peters out and you are on dirt. It was a very wet June and the ground was soakeds and soft. Waterproof boots were really required.

At this point my wife decided to wait while I wanted ahead (I presume she set up a go-fund-me for new shoes). The trail gets better, and then worse, and then better.

Then you turn left into a single track towards the lake. The bottom of the single track was very soft and wet but I figured what the hell, my feet were already soaked.

Eventually, this spills out on the NW corner of Lily Lake. The lake is pretty and would maybe take an hour to go around. It was already pretty full of lilies and that would have been a hassle to paddle.

The launch site is really just the edge of the marshy grass and you'd likely want to bum scoot into the lake (the ground was very very soft). The signage says the lake goes off very steeply.

Below, you can see that I'm sinking maybe three inches into the grass (and and inch into the water) and I was still a ways back from the lake. At this point, we decided to call it (well, my wife decided that quite bit earlier) and went to Lac Ste Anne instead.

Not every trip is a success, especially to a new lake. Overall, I'd be game to try this again, but probably by myself. I'd bring a lighter boat (that I can carry overhead--no way to carry two boats abreast for much of the trail)) and my waterproof hiking boots. Early spring or late fall would likely be a better time (water would have fewer lilies and the ground would be drier). I'd also bring bear spray again (there are bears, moose, and cougars in the area). 

Islet Lake

In mid-June, we visited Islet Lake, east of Sherwood Park. Access is on the east side of the lake at the staging area (look for the "no Sunday hunting" sign!). Lots of parking, pit toilets (bring head lamp!), and picnic ties and fire pits.

The launch is accessed behind the big building. It is gravel and is a carry of a couple of hundred feet, including a slight elevation change. Not a hard carry but something to be mindful of. The water was murky (milky Mountain Dew).

The shore on the north and west sides is mostly reeds with mixed forest. The south and east shores have more accessible shoreline with an aspen forest.

There were lots of birds (a pretty common thing here), including 25 pelicans, ducks, loons, cormorants, and heron. We also ran into three beavers who were curious (or irritated?). One surfaced so close to my kayak (between my boat and the paddle blade!) that I got wet when it slapped the water.

It was pretty calm when we were there, which has not been my usual experience at Islet. The islands on the north edge of the lake offer some shelter if it is windy and you can make you way west and then ride the wind back.

We poked around the west end and saw lots of birds, then the wind picked up and we floated into the east bay, where there are cabins.

 

Overall, a nice paddle. Maybe 90 minutes if you do the whole perimeter. 

While we were out in this area, I checked out access to two other lakes. Boag Lake is just on the edge of Sherwood Park, with access off Wye Road. The carry is a couple of hundred feet. I think you could get a boat in but you'd have to bum scoot through a mud flat and getting back out would be the trick. I've looked at this a couple of times and, absent a big increase in the water level or a different access point, I've crossed it off my list of places to paddle.

We also stopped at Antler Lake, east of Sherwood Park on Wye Road. There is presently no public launch point but you might (with higher water) get a boat in where range Road 211 meets Antler Street just right of the Canada Post Box) or a bit further east on Antler Street, where the bridge is. I looked at both of these. At present, the bridge looks like the best bet but, man, you'd really have to want it (mucky, shallow, tricky entry).

Hasse Lake

In early June, we paddled Hasse Lake. Hasse is a pretty small lake but is full of birds. The water was still pretty good in June with only a tiny bit of floating algae.

The parking lot is large, has a portapotty, and there is both a boat launch and a good-sized dock a few hundred feet to the north. There were ten people fishing of the dock on a random weekday morning! 

There is also a playground just south of the launch. The launch is super shallow and the bottom is very soft and gooey, so best plan to try and get in dry footed.

The lake shore is basically reeds in front of aspen, although there is some cleared far land to the south and a sandy bit of shore over on the east side.

We chose Hasse because it was shallow. My wife got a small kayak sail and we wanted to go on a windy day, but to avoid big waves. Hasse fit the bill and the sail was pretty fun (worked best with the skeg down).

The lake was, as usual, full of birds, including a dozen pelicans, loons, grebes, gulls, terns, ducks, and caribou shore birds. The island is chock full of birds and smells like it if you get downwind.

Overall, a fun paddle. Hasse is pretty so-so (small, gooey, prone to algae in the summer and fall) but was a good lake on a windy day and a fun place to try out the kayak sail without having to sweat big waves.

Lacombe Lake

In early June, I popped in to Lacombe Lake for  quick paddle on the way home from Calgary. Access was off Highway 2A to Township Road 402, which take you right to the boat launch in the NE corner.

The boat launch was nice sand and gravel with a gentle slope. The parking area was full (room for about six vehicles) and some folks were parking back up the hill by the Canada Post Box. A good mix of families, fishermen, and couples kayaking and paddle boarding. 

My wife picked up a leech at the launch. After dealing with that, we paddled down the east side of the lake. The shoreline is reedy and then gives way to aspen and spruce.

Near the bottom of the lake, we turned east into a little basin. There were a lot of birds in here (heron, grebes, loons, ducks, red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds) as well as muskrats and beaver.

The Transcanada Trail parallels Range Road 271B on the east side of the lake and it looks like you could slip a boat in here as well. There was one channel that led to a clear path down from the trail (including a sign, probably prohibiting launching from there).

We ended up back out on the main lake and paddle north as the wind and cloud picked up. There were some pelicans in the south end of the lake and lots of grebes trying to lead us away from their floating nests.

Overall, a pretty nice paddle. It might be easily combined with Barnett lake or Elizabeth Lake in Lacombe for a longer day on the water.