On a beautiful Wednesday morning in mid-April, eight Arizona Trailblazers start gathering at the Castle Creek Boat Ramp for a morning of kayaking. On our January trip to the lake, we estimated the lake level was down at least 25 feet. But today the lake is once again almost full, with the influx of millions of gallons of water, delivered via the Central Arizona Project canal network. The sky is a clear sapphire blue this morning, with a calm breeze and a temperature of about 60 degrees. Perfect weather for kayaking.

We begin to prep our kayaks for launch from the Castle Creek Ramp, a wide five-lane concrete ramp that was almost out of the water back in January. By 8:30 AM we begin to slide our kayaks into the water and climb aboard for a day of exploration on Lake Pleasant. Today’s goal will be to check out Fireman’s Cove, Cottonwood Cove, and Pipeline Cove, all to the south of the Castle Creek area.

But before we can even clear the launch ramp area, disaster strikes in the form of a broken kayak paddle. Mine.

After just one or two strokes in the water, my kayak paddle breaks cleanly in half near the junction point where the two paddle halves join. I am now out of commission and literally up the creek without a paddle. What to do next? I jokingly ask if anyone in the group has any duct tape handy, and, much to my surprise, Kelley says that she has some. But will duct tape actually stand up to the stress of several hours of serious paddling on the lake? Then Lynne announces that she just happens to have a spare paddle in her truck. She doesn’t normally carry a spare but, luckily for me, has one today. In minutes she’s back with her spare paddle, and we’re on our way once again. You saved the day for me, Lynne. Without your spare paddle, about all I could have done is put someone else in charge of the group, pack up, and drive back home with my busted paddle.

As soon as we begin paddling out into deeper water to clear the boat dock, we’re both surprised and amazed to see how clear the water is today. On our last couple of kayaking trips to Lake Pleasant the water was always a little murky and you couldn’t see more than a few feet deep, typical of most lakes. But today we can clearly see the rocky lake bottom to a depth of 15 feet or more.

It’s only when the water depth drops to 25 feet or deeper that the lake bottom literally drops away, out of sight. The last time I saw lake water this crystal clear was on a glass-bottom boat, cruising around Crystal Springs in west-central Florida, east of the Gulf of Mexico.

Kayaks need a rest too. [photo by Kelley]

After taking a short break from paddling, we slowly start working our way around Yavapai Point, a scenic lookout point for hikers on the Yavapai Point Trail, and eventually find ourselves at the mouth of Pipeline Cove.

In the distance, on the far opposite side of the lake, we can see Pleasant Harbor Marina and the tall masts of hundreds of sailboats and other large watercraft docked there. As we paddle deeper into Pipeline Cove and admire all the surrounding scenery, we decide to follow Lynne’s lead and head for an area where we can beach our kayaks on the lake shore and get out for a well deserved rest and snack break. The time is 10:30 AM, and we’re all starting to get a little hungry and tired from two hours of paddling.

This large Muscovy Duck should probably
go on a diet. [photo by Kelley]

I even joke with Debi at one point that if this wind gets much stronger we can break out our surfboards and just surf our way back to the boat ramp.

It’s both amazing and a little scary just how quickly conditions can change on the water. When you’re on a large lake like Pleasant, you have to be prepared for almost anything. At least the skies remain clear and cloud-free, so there’s no danger of any storms suddenly sneaking up on us. But we have to paddle even harder in these winds to keep making headway, as we slowly work our way northward past Yavapai Point, Cottonwood Cove, Helm’s Island, and Fireman’s Cove. Eventually the boat ramp finally comes into view and we begin paddling even harder until we’re all back at the ramp once again. By about 12:15 we’re all back, safe and sound and no worse for wear.

After we secure our kayaks on top of or inside our vehicles, six of us decide to stop at the marina and have lunch at the Scorpion Bay Restaurant on their large outside patio overlooking the lake. One of the best views around for outside patio dining. This has been a perfect day for kayaking and the perfect way to end yet another kayaking adventure on Arizona’s scenic desert lakes.