Lake Merwin, Lewis River & Canyon Creek

Oh, YES! We did all three in one setting and in one day! And let me tell you, it was absolutely fabulous! It was easily the most forested, most beautiful and had the clearest waters of anywhere I’ve kayaked!

Let’s look at a map so you can see how everything intersects!

Lake Merwin is located in the state of Washington. From my residence in Albany, Oregon it was a 2-hour drive. So, this is a relatively close location for most who read my blog. You’ll travel north on I-5 to the Woodland, Washington exit and then you travel along the country roads filled with absolutely beautiful (and large) homes with ranches and farms. It was a very scenic and enjoyable ride.

We decided ahead of time to enter the lake at the Cresap Bay recreation area, as we knew ahead of time that we wanted to kayak up the Lewis River. An FYI, there is no charge to park there Monday-Thursday, otherwise it is only $4.

The boat ramp was absolutely wonderful. It is officially a 2-lane ramp, but you can easily fit three vehicles side by side. So, when we were finished for the day, the boat ramp was much busier and so we loaded up our kayaks from the middle of the boat ramp with boats on both sides of us. No problem!

This is the view from the Cresap Bay Recreation boat ramp. We had decided to arrive early and we were therefore blessed with completely flat water. It made for a very picturesque adventure! The mountains shown in the photo are known as Davis Peak. The only thing missing from our day was sunshine. However, it kept the temperatures cooler and therefore allowed us to kayak quite a distance.

The absolute first thing you’ll notice as you begin your journey is the absolutely crystal clear water!

The water stayed this clear in all three areas we kayaked! I’ve been to Clear Lake in Oregon and have been enchanted by their water. However, this is even better. Clear Lake covers about 148 acres, Lake Merwin is just short of 4,000 acres. So, you see what I mean. It was so enjoyable to kayak along the lake’s edge and to see absolutely everything underwater!

But, it was more than just the clear water. The scenery all along the lake was gorgeous! Everything looked a bit greener than anywhere I’ve kayaked in Oregon.

We kayaked straight out from the boat ramp along the lake’s edge, admiring everything we encountered! It was just perfect and I felt my relaxation level increase tenfold along the way. There were so many beautiful pictures to be taken, it was hard not to snap pictures the entire journey. Just like all of my other kayaking adventures, I’m always amazed at how things grow, where specifically and what their living upon.

These two pictures are kind of like opposites. On the left, somehow those trees are still growing and are as green as ever. However, they have no base to speak of. And then, on the right, the greenery that emerges from atop or inside of a dead log out in the middle of the water. It’s just amazing!

We continued our adventure traveling straight out from the boat ramp for quite awhile. We were hoping to get to one of the other boat ramps (Speelyai Bay Park), but just couldn’t tell how much further we needed to go and we were more interested in turning around and kayaking up Lewis River. So, we kayaked across the lake to the other side to paddle back in the direction we came.

Directly across from where we had been was a private camping area called Lake Merwin Campers Hideaway. From their website: “Lake Merwin Campers Hideaway is a family friendly private, gated membership camping organization that offers an on-site indoor pool, hot tub and sauna, outdoor movie theater, putt-putt golf, a chapel and a stunning view of Lake Merwin. Unfortunately, we do not offer access to the general public.” However, the local Seagull was happy to greet us! Ha!

We continued our journey and finally entered Lewis River. It was absolutely spectacular! The entire area is a No Wake zone. While the water depth allows boaters to access the area, they have to putt-putt along!

This part of our journey was really something else! I just couldn’t believe how clear the water continued to be and just how green everything was around us! It was spectacular. We didn’t kayak very long before we came upon Yale Bridge, which is what you travel across to get to the boat ramp.

One of the most interesting things we saw were these “webs” located in the tree branches above the water. I took a hold of one because I wanted to see what it was like. It was strong. I took a hold of a piece and could pull it out a long way and it wouldn’t break. It was a little sticky, but mostly they were all completely encasing. I’ve never seen these before. I looked it up!

The Fall Webworm is a moth known principally for its larval stage, which creates the characteristic webbed nests on the tree limbs of a wide variety of hardwoods in the late summer and fall. Apparently, they don’t damage or cause any harm to the tree, but they sure are interesting! They were everywhere!

Learn something new every single time I embark on a kayaking adventure!!

We continued our journey until we reached the “end.” We were hoping to take the river all the way up to the dam, but they had it blocked off with a warning.

However, as we sat there, we could hear a lot of running water. I said, “let’s go.” It was only a few hundred feet up to the left. We came upon this beautiful waterfall. (I’m hoping one of my readers knows the name of this water channel.) It smelled so clean and fresh. I’m so glad we kayaked up to see it!

And now, we entered our 3rd waterway of the day (in the same trip). Directly to the right of the marked off area I showed you above is another route to take. This is Canyon Creek. It was absolutely beautiful and so dang peaceful. It wasn’t a lengthy paddle before we came as far as we could paddle.

It was so peaceful and wonderful. I could have just sat there in my kayak for hours just watching and listening to the sounds! We wanted to get out and see what it looked like above the falls shown, but there were others doing the same and their paddle boards were waiting at the only viable place to stop (unless we wanted to take a chance walking on the wet slimy rocks – not). I’m so glad we decided to kayak all the way down! It truly was magnificent.

We then turned around and began our return to the boat dock. It was then that we knew exactly why we had arrived much earlier in the morning – the wind. Wouldn’t you know it, the wind was blowing against us the entire route back. Oh well, I’m a strong paddler and it wasn’t a huge deal, for now.

One of the things I always take interest in when kayaking is the scenery, specifically the vegetation. I always come across flowers and greenery that I haven’t seen before and today was no different.

I’m telling you what – it was just so beautiful throughout our journey! I was especially intrigued by this plant.

After doing a google image search, I discovered this plant is called Devil’s Club. The red “fruit” is called shiny red drupes. Kind of interesting!

As I mentioned earlier, it was hard not to stop everywhere to take photos. It was just so gorgeous throughout. It was also during this trip that I had my very first encounter with Vultures. They allowed me to get so close to them. When I first spotted them at a distance, they were sitting with their wings completely spread out – drying out, I suppose.

I have always thought they’re kind of “creepy” looking. But, it was fun to sit there and watch them.

On our return journey along the river, we both needed to use the bushes and stretch our legs. Because the water level was so high, there weren’t very many options of places to exit. But, we finally found a great spot and you won’t believe what we found:

It is an old port-a-potty. We looked inside and their is still a toilet seat, but nothing underneath. But, it’s obviously been used as someone left an entire roll of toilet paper. Funny! We chose to use the bushes. The view from our stopping point was very picturesque!

It wasn’t much further before we returned to Lake Merwin. Let me tell you something – it was so windy that the current on the water was like being on the ocean. I’m not kidding. I got splashed I don’t know how many times! But, it was kind of fun. We were both laughing as we endured each raising “wave” we encountered!

So, that brings me to my final thought: If you’re in a 10-foot kayak or on a paddle board and/or you are fairly new to kayaking – beware. The wind kicks up everyday in the afternoon and that bring the waves to the lake. Just stay calm and keep paddling. Those small waves aren’t going to sink you and your kayak. Just stay focused and you will do just fine!

Next time though, I think we’ll arrive an hour or two earlier! However, this was, by far, the best kayaking adventure I’ve ever taken and the most miles I’ve ever paddled on “flat” water! I highly recommend you go check it out yourself!

2024 – Kayak Trip #35