Today’s kayaking adventure was absolutely fantastic. Well, it was also beautiful. Oh wait, it was absolutely fantastically beautiful and awesome! OK, I’ll stop now. I’m guessing most of my readers have been to Clear Lake. But, have you been when there is still snow on the ground? GO GO GO!!!
There are two Clear Lakes in Oregon. So, let me clarify. This Clear Lake is located off Hwy 126 (from Eugene) or just off Hwy 20 from Sweet Home and then a right turn on Hwy 126. It is actually located in Linn County and is a part of the Willamette National Forest.
OK, but first – let me get you excited as I was while driving.
Of course, as soon as you leave Sweet Home, on your left side (North) is Foster Reservoir. It looked so incredibly beautiful, I had to stop and take a photograph.
The water was so incredibly smooth, glass like. If I didn’t already have my heart set on kayaking at Clear Lake, I could have easily dropped my kayak in the water here!
Anyway, I continued east on Hwy 20 towards Clear Lake. I had read all of the relevant weather reports and everything said the roads were clear, but I still had no idea what to expect. Well, it wasn’t too long after leaving Sweet Home that snow came into the picture.
It wasn’t very much (at first), but it was everywhere. The mountain ranges were absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t wait to get to the top of the pass to see what it looked like.
It was overwhelmingly beautiful. It has been a long time since I’ve driven over the pass this early in the year. As I began to head downward from the pass, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the roads were 100% clear! It was perfect. I just had the biggest smile on my face for the rest of the drive.
I finally made it to Hwy 126 and it’s about 4 miles south to Clear Lake. I had no idea what the road was going to look like, but I was prepared. Well, let me tell you what, I am incredibly proud and in awe of the staff working Clear Lake! The road all the way down was 100% clear of snow. I was amazed, actually. It was also so incredibly beautiful!
Honestly, at this point, if I couldn’t have kayaked for some reason, I would have been OK with that because the scenery was just fantastic! But, I DID kayak. This was going to be my first outing in the snow. I drove down to the launch site and this is what I had to manage.
I backed my car about half-way down and unloaded everything (carefully). I had several people stop and ask me about kayaking during this time of the year. I was honest and said it was my first trip in the snow. However, I was very well prepared and if you go – so should you! I had two shirts on underneath my dry suit. I had heated socks on my feet. I had a ski hat and gloves. I was quite warm the entire trip!
*Cautionary word to the wise: Please DON’T kayak at Clear Lake right now unless you are wearing a dry suit or wet suit!!! The current water temperature is 39.4 degrees. Yes, you read that correctly. If you should fall in the water or just get sprayed with water, the end result could be fatal. OK, I’ll step off my soap box now.
As with all of my previous kayaking adventures at Clear Lake, I always head to the left (north) from the launch site. Many folks don’t know that the waterway actually goes quite a ways back to the left. So, off I went. One problem!
Now, this was definitely a first for me! This, my friends, is solid snow/ice and it stretched out a long ways. But, never being someone to just turn away from a challenge, I decided to tackle it. It was soft enough that I could get my paddle in and propel myself forward – VERY slowly. But, as I mentioned, I was determined. The snow ranged from 3-5″ and I just put my head down and paddled hard! I had to stop 3 or 4 times to catch my breath, but I persisted. This was my view from the other side.
Not bad. If you’re a strong paddler and have a lot of determination – it can be done! When I first began, I could see still water in the distance and so that’s why I persisted. Once I got to the other side of this, it was so beautiful!
I know I’ve said this already, but this was all new to me. It was even better than I expected. If I didn’t have the rest of the lake I wanted to pursue, I could have sat here in my kayak admiring how gorgeous everything was for hours!
The log pictured above was my stopping point. One of these days I’m going to sneak a large saw of some sort and cut through that log because you can see the channel of water goes quite a bit further in the distance. At any rate, I turned around and headed back into the main body of water.
Once I plowed through the snow/ice again, and it was much faster this time, I continued my journey staying on the left side (east). One of the most spectacular things I’ve ever seen were these “trail” marks in the snow atop the water. There were a bunch of ducks swimming here and they flew away as I approached them. The route of their travel is so clearly marked – it’s just a very cool picture!
As I continued to kayak along the water’s edge, I came upon the spot where water enters Clear Lake year round. This is called Great Spring. In year’s past, I have tried to paddle upstream to see how far back it goes and I’ve always been unsuccessful. Today, however, perseverance paid off! It’s a short paddle to the end, but it’s spectacular.
It’s a very secluded spot with no other means to access. However, hikers along the water’s trail will scale down the steep rocks to check it out. Otherwise, you would have to be in a kayak to make access. The water here is absolutely gorgeous. The water is quite deep here and so clear you can see to the bottom. It was really spectacular. If you’re a strong paddler, you wont have any problems getting to this spot.
I turned around and headed back, but not before a “small” whitewater travel. Ha!
At this point in my journey, I’ve seen everything along the water’s edge during my previous adventures and so my focus was to get to the furthest south point where the water exits the lake. It is the beginning of the McKenzie River. So, off I went. I stayed along the left side just because all of the snow was so incredibly fun to see!
I just couldn’t take enough pictures of the beautiful snow laden scenery. But, I loved the second photo showing the sun shining brightly. It was so PERFECT!
I made it to to the furthest southern point and rounded the corner. This is the sign that greets you!
I’m going to admit that every single time I’ve gone to Clear Lake, I’ve paddled under the sign, and kept going. So, let me put this in perspective for you. We each know our own strengths (and weaknesses). We bring our own experiences and knowledge. If you’re not comfortable being in a potentially stressful encounter, then don’t go any further than the foot bridge. If like me, you’re not concerned (even though I probably should be), then you can paddle forward a bit further. But, please be aware that the water leaving Clear Lake is running fast and it immediately drops down into a very rocky riverbed. OK, with all of that said…
As I began to paddle further, I captured this photo of the footbridge. Absolute perfect picture!
I ventured a bit closer to see and listen to the water crashing upon the rocks. I couldn’t get that great of a video because the water was just moving too quickly. But, you can hear it all, nonetheless.
To be perfectly honest with you, I got a bit closer than I should have because I had to turn my kayak around and paddle really strongly for about 10-20 feet before my heart rate returned to normal. Just words for the wise!
On my return, I ventured into another, much thinner area of snow/ice. This time I decided to try and lift it up on my paddle and take a photo. I think I had around six unsuccessful attempts before I was finally successful.
Yes, that is me playing in the snow as any kayaker would do!
Well, what I have shared with you are the highlights of Clear Lake, for sure! At this point, I continued along the shoreline and headed back. However, I had to take a couple more photos of the beautiful scenery!
Once I returned, unloaded my gear, loaded up my kayak, changed my clothes and began my drive home, it started to rain! Perfect timing! It was meant to be!!!
If you have a dry suit and experience – GO! It was, by far, one of my most memorable kayaking adventures to date!!!
2025 – Kayak Trip #8
