After our awesome kayaking experience at Crane Prairie Reservoir, we ate lunch and then set off for our 2nd trip of the day to Hosmer Lake.
“Hosmer Lake is a natural body of water in the central Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon. Nearly 5,000 feet above sea level, the lake is part of a volcanic landscape about 20 miles west-southwest of Bend along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway.” It is a non-motorized, electric boats only, which is ideal for kayaks, paddle boards and canoes.
Once again, on the same day as our trip to Crane Prairie Reservoir, the wind still hadn’t picked up and Hosmer Lake was smooth as glass! It was amazingly beautiful.
All of the reflections upon the water were absolutely gorgeous! As we began our journey, from the boat dock, we journeyed close to shore along the west side. We had to be mindful of where we were paddling because the water level was quite low and there were rocks, sticks, and logs sticking out everywhere.
From the boat dock, the water was very gross looking and the shallow water was very green. However, it wasn’t like that on the entire lake. In fact, the further we traveled away from the boat dock area, the cleaner the water appeared.
Hosmer Lake is quite big. The shore length is 5 miles, with a surface area of 198 acres. However, it’s not very deep. The average depth is just 3 feet and at it’s deepest point it is only 12 feet. So, as I already mentioned, if you kayak Hosmer, just be aware of what’s underneath your kayak.
Just like the two other lakes we had kayaked during this kayaking expedition (Waldo Lake and Crane Prairie Reservoir), the shoreline was absolutely beautiful. The trees are so green and the scenery is just downright beautiful.
I was amazed at how many very dead logs were laying around the lake. It was easy to see that those logs had been on the sidelines for a long time. But, at the same time, they added to the awesome landscape.
At one point, fairly close to our starting position, we came across this tree that had a sign placed on it. From a distance I couldn’t see what it said. But, as I got closer it was easy to read.
Someone had hung the sign there and it was appropriate and cute. There is a small metal piece under the wording, but I couldn’t get close enough to read what it said. I was thinking that maybe it was in remembrance of someone who loved to fish there and had passed. I don’t know, but it was cute! Many thanks to the person who hung it up and to those who have left it alone.
As we continued to kayak up along the west side, I began to notice all of the bird houses that someone or an organization had attached to various trees facing the water. I started counting and the ones that were very noticeable and when I was paying attention – I counted six. Some of them were older (as the one pictured below), but I also saw several brand new ones that had been hung. Kudos to those who are associated with this project. The second photo is a very large tree stump in the water. Not only was it interesting to look at, but because of the clear water, it had a picture perfect reflection on the water.
As we continued to kayak along the shoreline, we suddenly came upon an osprey. I tried to capture a picture, but he was quick to leave. As we continued our path, we would see him two more times and the second time was when I was finally able to capture this video. He was beautiful!
We had kayaked for several miles before we began to think about where we wanted to go next. The water was still smooth as silk. So, we decided to cross the lake and check out the scenery on the other side.
As we began to cross the lake, I had to stop on numerous occasions to capture just how beautiful it was. AND – it was SO quiet. Go ahead, turn your volume all the way up – you still won’t hear anything.
Being out in the middle of the lake with all of the dead trees sticking out above the water, my first thought was it looked like a graveyard lake scene. Of course, there’s no such thing, but that was the feeling I had as I looked about. What was also beautiful from this spot were the mountains to the east.
We could clearly see Mount Bachelor and the Three Sisters. The sky was so clear and so blue – it was a beautiful picture to capture! Sometime after the first hour or so, I completely forgot about the condition of the water because everything else was so beautiful!
As we crossed the lake, I could see a large mass of something pink. It wasn’t just pink – it was bright pink. I couldn’t wait to see what it was. At first, I thought it was the water lilies we had seen at Crane Prairie Reservoir. But, they were something entirely different. They are called Water Smartweed. I thought they were gorgeous! Such a beautiful flower atop the large green leaves. Truly spectacular!
The purpose of crossing the lake was to see the water source which enters Hosmer Lake. It is called Quinn Creek. It wasn’t too difficult to find, and of course, I had to kayak up the creek as far as I could. Unfortunately, being so late in the summer, the creek was rather shallow and I couldn’t go any further due to logs and other debris in the water. But, it was magical to just sit and listen and breathe the fresh air!
When we first arrived at Quinn Creek, to our right there were 4 very large Pelicans. They were so majestic looking. That is the closest I have ever seen one. I couldn’t believe how big they are and their beaks are huge! I couldn’t get my phone quickly enough to record them. However, my paddling partner captured this picture of one of them. We sat there watching them fly off to another location. It was one of the coolest things I witnessed that day.
After my journey up Quinn Creek, we turned around and began our trip back to the boat ramp. The wind had started to blow, but it was blowing in the same direction we were headed. I turned around to take one last photograph.
After arriving home, I looked up Hosmer Lake and found out that there are different waterways you can kayak. That is definitely something I’ll consider for my next trip. But, for today, on our 2nd journey of the day, Hosmer Lake was pretty awesome!
It is generally open and free of snow from June through September! And lucky for us, we didn’t encounter any insects of any kind. So, I think the time to visit is either early summer or the very end of summer/beginning of September. Put this lake on your kayaking list! It was truly awesome!
2024 – Kayak Trip #38
