Clear Lake

Today’s kayaking adventure led me and a couple of friends to Clear Lake. Now, let’s be clear here, this is Clear Lake located on Hwy 126, 4 miles south of the Hwy 20 Junction. There is another Clear Lake located in Oregon, which is located 12 miles south of Mount Hood. Ok, now that we’re all on the same page…

Clear lake was absolutely gorgeous this morning. We arrived at 9am and while there were some people milling about, most of them had likely stayed the night at the nearby campground. We used the launch area at the resort, rather than the campground.

Free advice given: If you decide to kayak at Clear Lake on a weekend, get there early! All of the parking spaces down by the water’s edge were taken, which means the later you arrive, you have to park along the road side. By the time we left at 12:30pm, there were easily 50 or more cars parked all along the edges of the road leading out of the park. So, bottom line – if you’re a weekend visitor, get up early and plan to be there before 9am.

When we arrived, the water was very still. There were only a few people out on the lake at that hour and it had that “glassy” appearance! It was absolutely gorgeous.

The one thing I want to point out is that the wind typically picks up as the day moves on. In fact, by the time we left today, it wasn’t smooth any longer. So, with that in mind, I recommend you turn to the right after entering the water (traveling south). That will lead you out into the large mass of the lake. It’s much more enjoyable when you don’t have to paddle against the wind!

Clear Lake is well known for it’s crystal clear waters. As you kayak past the resort/kayak rental place, the water is shallow enough that you will be able to see all the way down. You will kayak over places where there is algae and moss growing in the water and others areas where the bottom is the color blue. I always think I’m kayaking in a swimming pool. Yes, the water is that clear!

If you’re a kayaking photographer, you will love these areas! The best pictures you can take will evolve as you turn yourself around so the sun is at your back. It is then that you will see all of the different colors. I think of it as scuba diving, from the top of my kayak.

Once you pass the resort, just keep paddling until you reach the bottom end of the lake. It is here that you will see the pedestrian bridge that crosses over the river.

Now, I want to offer some caution here. There is a sign hanging from a wire above your head when you get down to this area. It states, “No boats allowed.” The reason for the sign is because after you go under this bridge, you will then hear the water crashing. This is the very end of Clear Lake. The water draining from Clear Lake is the beginning of the McKenzie River and it flows south and west through the Willamette National Forest.

When the water level is low enough, as it was today, you can easily kayak down to see it. Earlier in the season, the current is moving too quickly and the water level is too high making it unsafe to do so. However, a word of caution here: If you’re an experienced kayaker, confident and know how to handle difficult situations, then journey down here. If not, DON’T! Getting sucked into the current will, no doubt, lead to personal injury and watercraft damage!

If I didn’t have 2 friends waiting for me, I could have just sat here for a time, listening to the sounds of the river and inhaling that fresh air! But, it was time to go and so I turned around.

As I paddled north to go back under the pedestrian bridge, there are these stacking logs on both sides of the water. I’m guessing that they used to be the support for a previous bridge? I thought they were cool looking. Advantage: everything is so green and so incredibly beautiful!

The scenery on both sides of the lake was so incredibly gorgeous! Everything is so incredibly green and healthy. A side note – I didn’t see one single piece of garbage throughout my entire journey – not in the water or next to the water! Thank you to Linn County Parks & Recreation for managing this area so well and also to all of the visitors who have kept their garbage in their hands!

As you make your way back towards the resort, all along the water’s edge, you will see dozens of ducks! They’re obviously very used to all of the people on the water because you can get very close to them. I think it’s fun to watch them. If you want to interact with them, take duck food with you – not bread!

One of the reasons I like the north end of the lake so much is because there is always a little more of nature’s surprises!

There were wildflowers growing all over. I don’t know what kind of flowers these are, but I thought they were very pretty.

So, as you continue to kayak towards the north, stay to the left and you will see the water goes around the corner. Many people don’t kayak back there – I’m not sure why. But, it’s very pretty back in there. You will follow along a short water trail until you come to the “dead end.”

I really wish Linn County Parks & Recreation would saw a pathway through these logs because you can see the water trail goes forward. I’m not sure how far, but I would love to go back there! At any rate, you can see just how green everything is up there! Just beautiful!!!

From here, we turned around and headed back to the resort. This is a nice photo I took as we passed it.

Now, this is when you realize you should arrive early in the morning. In all of my trips to Clear Lake, I have never seen so many people and so many cars. It was unbelievable.

Note to myself: Go on a weekday during the summer. If you go during the weekend, arrive an hour earlier at 8am.

We had decided that we would leave Clear Lake and go have lunch at Fish Lake, which is just over 3 miles up the road. I have kayaked there many times, but I have never seen it without water. Yes, the water disappears every summer. It’s really something. Here is a photo comparison.

Despite the water missing, it was gorgeous. There is a dirt walking path that leads through the grass and goes off in the distance. I need to come back and just go hiking here sometime! It’s just so beautiful!

My kayaking adventure was absolutely perfect today! Down in the valley where I live, we have been encompassed with wildfire smoke, so it was nice to get out into the fresh air and see the bright blue sky!

2024 – Kayak Trip #34