More on the Sturgeon

While we wait for the lakes to open up, we were back on the Sturgeon last week. I dragged the kid along and we put in again in Oakmont and this time went upstream a ways.

About the most exciting part of the trip was coming through this washed out beaver dam. Otherwise, the current was negligible.

The evening light was beautiful the whole trip and made it seem much warmer than the 10C that it was.

This vine was way up several trees as we paddled by.

 

The spiky fruit pods seem to suggest it is wild cucumber.

After about an hour of pretty relaxing paddling, we turned around and floated back. There were a small number of ducks and geese and such.

I didn't get a picture but Jess spotted a beaver swimming ahead of us and we got several tail slaps as we pulled into the landing.

Absent some rain, I think we'll be in for a short season on the Sturgeon as the water was pretty low.

Early start on 2024: The Sturgeon

It has been a warm winter and early spring. That meant a portion of the Sturgeon River was open on March 17. I put in at the corner of Otter Crescent and Olivier Close and paddled downstream (north). Street parking about a 150-foot carry to the water. Just through the stone archway and head directly towards the river through the grass and shore weeds. 

I put in slightly upstream of the storm sewer outflow by an old beaver lodge. Pretty easy in and out. The bed of the river was frozen and the water was about 9 inches deep. I went upstream a ways (it was open to Canadian Tire) but kept dragging on the bottom so I turned and and went about 2.5 km downstream (started to lose the light so headed back).

Lovely quiet evening with only one other group of paddlers out.

There were a fair few birds: waxwings, the first robins, and a woodpecker hammering away.

This eagle's nest had two geese checking it out.

Overall, a lovely evening (+14C) on the water and about six weeks earlier than usual. I expect we'll be back to ice shortly but this was a welcomed treat.

2023 Wrap-up

Alright, well that wraps up the 2023 paddling season. Overall, it was a great year on the water.

I paddled almost 60 times (I lost track after 55). About half of those were on my own and half with the family. I also paddled 24 new lakes this year. Both of those are one-year records for me.

I spent some time over the winter putting together a more user-friendly list of lakes that I've paddled, linking to the posts for each lake. On the web version, this sits at the top right of the blog (above my picture). On the mobile version, your guess is as good as mine!

Hopefully, we'll have open water (and water period) this year to start off 2024! As retirement looms, I have a good list of lakes I'd like to try, including some down in the SE corner of the province and bunch up around Smoky Lake.

Northeast River Valley Park, Edmonton

In late October, I drove out to the new Northeast River Valley Park in Edmonton. The park was formerly a children's camp and still in the process of being developed, but opened in late September. It offers the largest paddling pond in the city.

Signage is still in development so I put a map above. The best parking is by the event centre (purple). You then hike about 600 feet to the launch (green). It is a good hike on a gravelled roadway/path.

The launch looks set to include a dock (it was not present the day I was there). The beach launch is a bit DIY but wasn't too bad.

The pathway down is steep and the last drop to the lake is also steep (if that matters to you). I managed to get in and out dry footed. 

The lake is basically a big north-south pond (maybe twice the size of Hawrelak pond), divided by an island into two basins. There is also a channel on the NE corner that loops around the island that the launch is on.

There is an active beaver lodge in the NE corner of the channel and I saw a couple of muskrats and some ducks.

Otherwise, it was pretty quiet this late in the season. The water is about 15 to 20 feet below the surrounding land so there is some protection from the wind. This is important because there are (so far) few trees in the park and it is a bit windswept--very much like a southern Alberta prairie.

It was a beautiful day when I was out. Sunny and +22C was amazing for late October. It took me about 30 minutes to paddle the whole perimeter at a moderate pace. A second lap made a nice hour of paddling.

The event centre is very pretty and sits atop the hill. Two covered bridged connect an island with a playground on it to the shore. You can easily get under all of the bridges.

Different bridges mark the entrances to the channel. Again, there is lots of headroom.

Overall, this was a nice paddle and would be a good place for a shakedown cruise in the spring or for first timers. It is a long way northeast (I could have gotten to several bigger lakes west of town in the same travel time) so I don't think I'll be a regular.

Half Moon Lake, Sherwood Park

On Thanksgiving, I hauled my boat out to Half Moon Lake just SE of Sherwood Park. The public access is east on Wye Road to Range Road 220 (the Esso corner), then south on RR220 until you hit the lake. The public launch is across from the second Canada Post box and there is gravel parking for three vehicles. Then you have to carry about 300 feet down a steep gravel path to the water.

The launch itself is nice gravel.

This shot maybe gives you a better sense of the launch.

The lake was still and empty and the trees were very colourful.

The lake was also colourful; this was about the worst of it.

The far west end was too choked with weeds to bother with and there were only a few geese and ducks around.

There is a beach launch on the souther end of the lake but usually you have to pay for access from the resort.

At this point in the years there is real "empty lake, empty beach" vibe going on.

Great reflections though and a pretty nice paddle.

Overall, this is more of an early season paddle when the water is better and the lake is much quieter on a  weekday than on a weekend in the summer.

Lac La Nonne

Last Thanksgiving, I dragged the family up to Lac La Nonne of a paddle. The weather was amazing and we basically had the lake to ourselves. The water was pretty green.

We put in at the north end of the lake at the nature reserve (signage of the highway was terrible). I'm not sure that this is a public boat launch. It is at the end of a public road, but there was a sign (I noticed on the way out) that said it was a members only space. That may refer to the dock that is usually here. Anyhow, there was a boat launch and a small beach and we went off the beach and headed east.

It was 24 degrees and the water was like glass.

Well, glass with a bit of tarnish, anyhow.

We paddled the northern quarter of the lake and had lunch on the water. There is public boat launch on the west side of the lake at the Willowbend Resort.

I suspected the would be the last family paddle of the year and it was great one.

Overall, I definitely go back and try a different section of the lake. Probably earlier in the year would be better.