Today was my third visit to Fish Lake this year and each time it has been absolutely spectacular. But, I think today was even better than the prior two times. The two biggest reasons: 1. We got there early and had the lake to ourselves for more than half of the time we were there, and 2. The vegetation was unbelievably gorgeous – all of it! I’m going to remember this trip for a long time!
I had been asked by a kayaking friend whether I would go with her and friends as she has never kayaked there before. Of course I’ll go!!! It has become one of my most favorite places.
But, a few words of advice…
- First and foremost, be sure to embark on your kayaking adventure to Fish Lake before the first of July or so. The water is a natural winter accumulation from rain and melting snowfall. Once the season changes and the weather warms up, the lake begins to slowly evaporate until later this summer it will be completely dry. Rather interesting! You can read about it here. My point is if you haven’t been this year yet, you need to go in the next week or so, otherwise, you will have to wait until next year.
- Secondly, get there early. The parking lot is very small and when it gets full, there just isn’t anywhere else to park. Personally, I have found the best time to kayak is before 10am.
- Lastly, pack a lunch. There is a bathroom and very nice picnic tables, but no running water.
On to our kayaking adventure!
Due to the needs of the others I was with, our pace was much slower than I’m typically accustomed. However, it gave me an opportunity to really look around and admire the absolutely beautiful setting we were enjoying.
All of the vegetation was so green and healthy and the water was so still that it enabled fantastic reflections onto the water’s surface. The weather for our kayaking adventure really was perfect. It was supposed to get a lot warmer as the day progressed and so I was glad we were going to be getting off the water before then.
Every little bend of the lake we traversed, it just presented more opportunities for fantastic photo taking. When I see these stunning and beautiful photos of Oregon’s wild – this is one of the biggest reasons why I love being an Oregonian!
I’ve never kayaked on Fish Lake this late in the year before and so everything looked very different to me from all of my previous visits. It’s not just that the water level was lower, but everything had grown so much. Once we continued along our path to get to the furthest NW section, that’s when it all changed for me. I had never seen it like this before!
The photo on the left are hundreds, maybe more, of the vegetation that has been waiting to get out of the water. As the water recedes an inch or more, you start to see the tips underwater reaching upwards as straight as they can. And now, they’re everywhere. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve NEVER seen it like this. The second picture shows what appears to be clumps of grass. They are – sort of. These are piles of dirt of which the grass is beginning to dry out and green up. I bet in another week or so they’ll get very green.
This whole area is at the furthest NW end and most people don’t explore this area much. Well, DO!!!!! The key here is to kayak along the deeper water. You’ll see a channel of water that is deeper than anywhere else. You just follow that along. It will wind around and around. It’s actually a very pretty journey.
However, as I’ve mentioned already, I have never been here when the water level is so low and so I’ve never seen these big banks of dry dirt. It was amazing to see. But, what was even more amazing to me is just how established the channel is – it’s very easy to find and very easy to follow along. My goal, always, is to go as far as I can go. That is to a massive wood pile that blocks ones journey. This is the photo I took when I arrived.
I couldn’t believe it! I knew this happens every year, but this is my first seeing it. A little distance back there is trickling water over rocks that prevented me from kayaking any further. So, I had to exit my kayak and walk the rest of the way. Shocking! If you’ve been here before, then you know just what I’m talking about. So, now, I’ll show my comparison shots below to give you an idea. The first photo was taken on June 5th and then the 2nd photo was taken this morning. Big difference!!
I also think it’s fun to look at those two photos and look at how much new and very green growth there is in just three weeks. Startling! My color word choice for the day is Neon Green!
Always, one of my favorite spots on my return is this beautiful waterfall. It has definitely gotten smaller, but I could just sit there and watch/listen to it all day. One of the most interesting parts was just how green and healthy the moss was all around the waterfall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it grow so well before.
When we arrived back to the parking lot, we took our kayaks out of the water and then enjoyed lunch at one of the picnic tables. And yes, the parking lot was full! As I began to pack my gear and load my kayak, I spotted these beauties while loading.
It was the perfect way to end my trip. See you at Fish Lake again next year!!! For the rest of you – GO NOW!!
2024 – Kayak Trip #28
