Murphy's Point & Colonel By Island

Hoggs Bay & Colonel By Island

Spring has arrived and another kayak season is well underway and with today's perfect paddling weather, 20+c and sunny with light winds it was time to get out for a full days paddle on Big Rideau Lake.   Our put-in is the public launch just off highway 15 a bit east of Portland and our destination is Hoggs Bay a lovely sheltered bay in Murphy's Point Provincial Park then a visit to the fish sanctuary behind Colonel By Island on the return leg of our trip.

off Hwy 15

Portland put-in

Travelling about a kilometre west we round McDonald island turning NW foranother four towards the buoyed channel of the Rideau canal arriving at a point a little NE of Col. By island we turn to starboard at Fancy Free island then continue NE until just past the end of Tar island before diagonally crossing the channel to reach the entrance to Hoggs Bay.

Fancy Free approach

Entrance to Hoggs Bay

The entrance to the bay is somewhat hidden behind an island and not easily discernible from the opposite shore.    When you pass the island with a cottage on it you see ahead the ramp and docks for Murphy's Point, only on almost reaching this does it become clear that a narrow channel continues to the left, this is access to Hoggs Bay.  From here on no power boats are allowed, Yeah!  Not that they were any concern on this day as it seemed we had all of Big Rideau to ourselves.  The bay has a swimming beach for young children and a recent addition of a sheltered pavilion and swing set.  Today there is no one to be seen in the park so we opt for landing on the beach, a no-no under normal operating conditions.

Entrance

Beach

It is very pleasant having our lunch here, so peaceful, the only sound the gentle sighing of wind in the treetops truly a great time to be out paddling before the boaters or park visitors become active.  Normally I would pull up on the grassy bank just before the beach so not to interfere with beach users but also not to draw attention from any park officials as presumably we would be required to have paid for day use.   Lunch over we set off for Colonel By island; this time by keeping the shore on our starboard side until almost opposite Tar island before making our crossing of the channel to approach Colonel By from the north.

Crossing Big Rideau

I will be looking for what I call my secret entrance to Lost Lake an area of water enclosed by four islands and designated as a fish sanctuary; one of the islands being Colonel By.  This narrow passage is easily navigable when water levels are high, i.e. now, but may require a lift over later in the season when levels drop.

Secret entrance

Lost Lake fish sanctuary

Travelling roughly Sw through Lost Lake brings you to a narrowing of the channel which will take you around the west side of Colonel By bringing you out to where the main Parks Canada docking and moorings for the island are located.  I will come here quite often in warmer weather to swim and picnic as a nice little beach develops further round when water levels drop.  

Colonel By Island

From here we head in a south easterly direction for about 5 km to get back to our put-in then it is pack up and head home. Just a note, although the weather was lovely water temperatures are still pretty frigid so I am still wearing some cold water gear which is recommended.

Happy paddling!

KayakJock

Canada 150 Rideau Canal Kayak Camping

Rideau Canal-Davis to Kilmarnock

Davis locks to Newboro

I am finally heading out for my first kayak camp of the year; a four day jaunt on our most treasured paddling resource, the Rideau Canal Waterway. On this celebratory year of Canada's 150 year birthday, Parks Canada has given free passage through the locks to all Canadians so for paddlers to not partake of this opportunity would almost be sacrilegious.    My paddling has been severely disrupted this year due to selling our home and moving to a new city, with a six month interim stint in an apartment with no facility to keep my kayak, but now with all that behind me the St. Lawrence river and the 1000 Islands are my bailiwick.   It was my original intention to paddle from Kingston and end up in the vicinity of Big Rideau lake but heavy rainfall had once again resulted in the closure of several lock stations south of Davis.

Davis launch

My wife shuttles my companion and I to Davis where we launch a little before noon and set out for Chaffey's lock a mere 3.5 km where we will stop and have lunch.   At Davis the bypass, and Chaffey's the mill race, there is evidence of excess water brought about by the recent heavy rains.  This torrent of water causing some dangerous currents which can be a hazard in tight navigation.

Mill race

Lunch at Chaffeys

From Chaffey's we head to Newboro by way of Indian, Benson and Mosquito lakes which is the longer route but will avoid the power boat traffic following the designated channel, and we are in no rush as Newboro is where we will spend the night to take advantage of dining at Stirling Lodge.

Boathouse at Chaffeys

Mosquito L to Newboro L channel

Paddling NE up Newboro Lake, skies begin to darken and the ominous rumble of thunder fills the very humid air.   Can we beat it?  Unfortunately it catches up with us about 5 minutes from Newboro locks so we arrive at our camp in a very soggy condition and wait for some let up before setting up camp.  No sooner set up when the arrival of 3 Quebec boats and their rather obnoxious crews who informed us they planned to make lots of noise and too bad for anyone looking for a peaceful night.   So we uprooted our tents and moved to the far end of the lock but other boaters were not so lucky and had to put up with their rudeness and noise till the early hours as they ignored all requests to turn it down.  We had dinner and a leisurely breakfast at Stirling Lodge allowing the now sunny weather to dry up all our gear before setting off again.

Newboro Locks to Colonel By Island

After a tasty breakfast at Stirling Lodge we set off for Colonel By Island under sunny skies once again.     Exiting the cut we just follow the shore to starboard continuing to bear right for about 8 km to bring us to the Narrows locks to traverse the narrow isthmus separating upper and lower Big Rideau Lake. A gentle breeze brings some relief to the high humidity.

Newboro Lock

Leaving Newboro

Arriving at Newboro we lock through and turn into the floating dock behind the locks for take-out to have our lunch.

Narrows Lock

Lunch at Narrows

Lunch over it is off to Colonel By island which is around another 7 km NE on Big Rideau.   This time we roughly parallel the north shore before turning east toward the group of islands around Colonel By where we will camp for the night.     Arriving Colonel By around 15:30, we meet up with a friend who came out for an afternoon paddle and to spend some time with us on the island.  After setting up camp we take to the water for a refreshing swim.  Then dinner is sweet Thai noodles with fresh steamed veggies and a cherry pie for dessert.  Time still for my friend to practice a little yoga before being trounced by my beginners luck at horseshoes!  And then for a peaceful night under starry skies.

Col. By camp

Yoga practice

A comfortable night, breakfast of fresh fruit and egg McMuffins and it's time to pack the boats for today's paddle to Poonamalie locks in the Smiths Falls Cut, 25 km.

Breakfast

Packing up

Colonel By Island to Poonamalie

Leaving Colonel By we take the back channel, a peaceful paddle through a fish sanctuary at the north side of the island, thence exiting Long Island lake by an almost hidden channel that at times of low water can be impassable.

Fish sanctuary route

From here we proceed NE passing between Tar island and Houghton Bay on our way towards the narrows at Murphy's Point.

near Murphy's Point

For lunch we stop at Rideau Ferry where there is some docking, a gazebo and toilets.  The docks are high and getting out can be tricky due to the rough water conditions caused by frequent traffic in a fairly narrow channel compounded by any wind present.   From here I set course for a waypoint I have marking the entrance to a shallow cut through the marsh at the top of Big Rideau; a shortcut that deviates from the main channel which makes a wide sweep to the east.  This marsh is home to some interesting bird species, Least Bittern, Pied-billed grebe and Common moorhen to name a few.

Shortcut through marsh

Entering Smiths Falls cut

Paddling up the Smiths Falls cut we arrive at Poonamalie in sweltering heat and humidity and just ahead of what is shaping up to be another storm.   After setting up I jump in for a swim below the locks to get my temperature down. Then we are rushing around to try and get dinner prepared before the storm hits.  Tonight I'm doing spaghetti bolognese and we just manage to get it ready and gather everything up before racing over to the office building to get out of the rain.   The wind whips up so under the eave doesn't cut it and we retire to the washroom where we finish our dinner and wait out the storm.

Poonamalie to Kilmarnock

Morning and my tent has some wet spots on the floor from condensation and feels like a sauna.  But the rain is off and we breakfast on pancakes and bacon with fresh fruit while I try to air out the fly, then pack up and set out on the last leg of this trip to Kilmarnock.   A short distance downstream about 4 km is the first Smiths Falls lock, the detached.  This is a favourite with me when doing a transit as there is a restaurant not 40 m from where I camp and ample opportunity to resupply if necessary.

Smiths Falls

After that comes the combined which is one of the few automatic (push button) locks, once two locks changed to one when modernized.  Lastly Big Sly then about 6 km to Edmunds.   Edmunds has experienced a minor breakdown and is undergoing repair when we arrive and are told there will be a 30 minute delay. So we use this time to go ashore and have a snack.

Leaving Big Sly

As promised they are ready to lock 30 minutes later and we hustle into our boats and join the cruisers already in the lock.  In the last 6 kms to Kilmarnock we catch sight of a Caspian tern, the largest tern in eastern Canada and earlier in the marsh between Poonamalie and Smiths Falls we had the Black tern the smallest as well as Pied billed grebe.  Before leaving Edmunds a phone call to my better half ensures our pick-up from Kilmarnock where we end this little trip.

Kilmarnock take-out

Happy Kayaking

KayakJock

Day Paddles

Day Paddles

This is a new section where I will from time to time provide what I hope will be some useful information on what I consider day paddles in and around that portion of Canada lying within a radius of roughly 150 km of Ottawa, Ontario. These are in no particular order, but will appear more or less by whim or perhaps because I have just paddled yet again.  Distance shown is as I recorded but of course will vary by route you take so just a guide.

1. Kemptville Creek - Curry Park to Rideau River - 10 km

This is a short paddle that I pretty much reserve for those days when I have little time and it has the advantage of being only a 15 minute drive from home and this time was to be the last paddle of the season for me as my yak goes into storage this coming week and Saturday looked very much to be the last decent day in the foreseeable future.  Initially my plan had been to paddle Kemptville to Burritts Rapids had time permit, but Saturdays being what they usually are, shopping etc I almost ran out of paddle time completely and was debating whether worth going at all.  So launching at 3:30 the best I could hope for was down the creek and back likely with the last of this in the dark.

For others contemplating this paddle I might add that this can be extended to a decent day's paddle with possible destinations like Baxter Conservation (appx. 20km) or Muldoon Rd towards Burritts Rapids also about 20 km round trip.  This time of year no one else is out and water levels are down yet again.  Where does all our water go this time of year?  The Rideau, St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers and just about every lake and stream around get the plug pulled!  I think it is the damn yanks siphoning it off to water their golf courses in Nevada!  Never mind building a wall, we need to build some dams!!

The sun had set by the time I reached the Rideau and had stopped mid-stream to capture an image so I knew I would be paddling some of the way in the dark.  I notice my GPS go dark all of a sudden, why you ask do I need to use a GPS on a creek.   Well I just try to follow as close as I can my outbound track hoping this way to avoid rocks or shallows I happily missed on the way down.  Clever little gadget had switched to night colours which are almost invisible using the marine profile.  Rather than fuss with it I just hit the click stick once in a while to activate the screen for a few seconds viewing.  Being mostly overcast it gets really dark in places but there are a few cottages and as I get close to hwy 43 bridge a house is ablaze with coloured lights, Christmas came early to Kemptville.

Navigation lights?

Excuse the image, I was still moving when I tried to take it.  Till next year!

2.

Big Rideau Lake - Narrows Locks to Colonel By island.  15.5 km

Narrows Locks provide easy launching for kayaks for either east or west travel on Big Rideau as well as adequate parking and washroom facilities.  Col By island is maintained by Parks Canada and is considered part of the Rideau Canal Waterway.

Narrows put-in

Col By Island

View from Col. By Island

Boaters travelling the canal can camp here for same rate as charged at locks and washroom facilities are available.  Note, take any garbage you have with you when you leave the island.

Narrows to Colonel By

3.

Big Rideau Lake - Narrows Locks to Westport 16.5 km

Looking west from Narrows

There is a gravel beach almost next to overflow parking lot for Narrows on west shore of isthmus providing easy launch.  Travelling west following north shore of Big Rideau will bring you to Westport a picturesque village and tourist attraction at the western extremity of Big Rideau.   Several restaurants, some doing take-out make for a pleasant interlude before paddling back.

Narrows to Westport

4.
St. Lawrence River - Singer Castle - Grenadier - Rockport 28.5 km

For this paddle the ideal launch site is Parks Canada facility at Mallorytown Landing, just off the Thousand Islands Parkway at the junction of County road 5.

Singer Castle - Grenadier - Rockport

Singer Castle on Dark Island, was built in 1905 by Frederick Bourne, one time president of Singer Sewing Machine Co. and today is open to visitors via tours out of Alexandria Bay NY. Like Boldt Castle this is a very impressive edifice and well worth the trip.   Dark isle lies about 4 km east of Mallorytown Landing in U.S. waters so that is our primary destination before heading SW along the outer shores of Grenadier island.

Dark Isle

Singer Castle

Singer Castle

Travelling SW you come to Peel, the first of a string of small islands running NE of Grenadier island, bearing a little more left you should pass Grenadier's most easterly point and thence follow Grenadier SW till reaching its end.  Sister island with its lighthouse will be noticed to your left, almost marking the international border it is in fact just inside u.s. waters.   The bay to your right has a sunken wreck of unknown provenance which may be marked by a plastic float. On calm bright days some of the timbers are still visible.

Peel island

Sister 

As the shipping channel is just beyond Sister island you may get lucky and get a little surfing from the wake of a passing freighter.

3G Maquiss

Passing Grenadier West and heading WSW will take you past Little Grenadier, Doctor, and Tar island on your way into Rockport where you can land on the grassy slope between the church and Boathouse restaurant.  If you can secure a seat on the deck at the Boathouse you will have a view of your parked kayaks. Three restaurants all very busy during the summer season servicing the thousands of tourists bused in for boat tours of Boldt castle and the Thousand Islands.

Boathouse Restaurant

Paddling into Rockport at the height of the summer season can be a bit unnerving as it is a high traffic area with power boats of all types zooming around you and on windy days the geography of the islands combined with wakes can make for very confusing water.  Taking the innermost channel through Tar Island Narrows is your quickest way out of this busy area and shortest return route to Mallorytown Landing.

O'Neil island

5. Charleston -  Charleston Lake -Charleston to Bill Island 17.5 km

Charleston Lake

The village of Charleston is the north access for Charleston Lake and during the summer season becomes a very busy place particularly on weekends but you should be able to find parking near the boat ramp at the west end of Water street.  This is a large lake with many cottages on numerous islands but is also home to Charleston Provincial Park which occupies a large area to the west and south affording a beautiful wilderness area.  I often head for Bill island at the north end of Donaldson arm by a variety of routes of varied distance.  This small island belongs to the park so I stop here to lunch and maybe a swim. A quieter area with few cottages.

Donaldson Arm from Bill island

There is also a nice beach in Sand Bay at the county park in the NE corner of the lake, about a 3.5km paddle from put-in.  It can also be reached by co-rd 39.  Access to the Provincial Park is at the south end of Charleston Lake off co-rd 3.

Charleston Lake

6. Rideau Lakes Township - Morton to Delta - Lower Beverly Lake - 24 km

The village of Morton is reached by highway 15 from Smiths Falls and there is a canoe/kayak dock on Morton creek just off the highway beyond the bridge.  You can park along the mowed verge.  This access is provided on private land so be respectful. 

   

Put-in

Morton creek

Morton creek meanders almost five and a half kilometers before reaching the lower SW extremity of Lower Beverly lake.  A very pretty paddle through a mix of farmland and deciduous woodland with a few cottages closer to highway 15. Then almost another 5 km up the SW arm before reaching the main body of Lower Beverly.

Delta creek

From here it is another 2 km across to the east shore where you can enter Delta creek which leads to the picturesque village of Delta with its historic mill once powered by the waters of Delta creek flowing from Upper to Lower Beverly Lake.  Here you can find a public launch where you can take out and have lunch.

Delta public ramp

From Lower Beverly to Delta is approximately 1 km up Delta creek which has a township campground on it's north side and houses on the other.  A little beyond the public ramp is the mill race and dam, thereby access to Upper Beverly would require a portage.