Trailblazers with Canyon Lake in the background. [photo by Eva]

Randall, Chuck, Eva, Ron, Norma, and Keith.

The time is 9:30 a.m. on a beautiful late October morning, under clear blue skies with a temperature of 78 degrees, as six Trailblazing kayakers push off from the Acacia Picnic Site beach on the south side of Canyon Lake. On almost all our previous Canyon Lake kayaking trips over the past three years we’ve always kayaked north across the main body of the lake before entering the Salt River Channel and continued paddling northeast to the Point Campground. But the unusually windy conditions this morning, with a choppy water surface, compel us to go to Plan B.

Norma and Chuck departing from the Acacia launch area. [photo by Keith]

Approaching the Canyon Lake Marina. [photo by Eva]

Keith, Ron, and Chuck paddle through the marina. [photo by Eva]

Plan B was what we used on last February’s Canyon Lake kayaking trip, more as a change of pace and a change of scenery than anything else. But with these windy conditions this morning, it’s a change born out of necessity and sound judgement. So, instead of paddling north across the main body of the lake, we’ll once again explore three long and scenic coves, more like side canyons, all at the south end of the lake, exploring and taking pictures at a leisurely pace along the way and staying close to the shore. We’ll paddle first to Labarge Cove in the middle and adjacent to the Canyon Lake Marina, then Tortilla Cove at the far southeast end of the lake near Tortilla Campground. Finally, time and energy levels permitting, we may also check out First Water Cove at the far southwest end of the lake. Let’s move out Trailblazers and start paddling.

Wind and water carved this interesting formation. [photo by Keith]

Approaching the Highway 88/Apache Trail bridge. [photo by Keith]

Labarge Cove. [photo by Ron]

Even though we’re sticking to the far south end of the lake and staying close to the shoreline as we paddle east, we’re still facing stiff 10 to 12 mph winds all the way. On almost all of our previous kayaking trips to both desert and Rim area lakes, it’s usually relatively calm in the morning and the winds don’t start kicking up until sometime after Noon. But not today. After a good 30 minutes or more of steady paddling into the wind, we approach the Canyon Lake Marina at the head of Labarge Cove. After taking a short shade break alongside the north end of the marina, we start paddling through the main marina area. We’re finally out of the winds and into much calmer waters due to the protection of this very large marina structure.

Norma and her new 15.5-foot eddyline Fathom-LV kayak. [photo by Eva]

Randall and his new 12-foot eddyline Skylark kayak. [photo by Eva]

Trailblazers are paddling deep into Labarge Cove. [photo by Ron]

And deeper still. [photo by Norma]

Once past the marina and an interesting rock formation at the edge of the water that Randall points out, we start paddling beneath the Highway 88/Apache Trail bridge over Labarge Cove. We still have light breezy conditions in the cove, but far less than what we’ve been experiencing up to this point. As an added bonus, the breeze is also helping to keep us cool as the day is starting to gradually warm up, especially under the full sun. Today’s weather forecast is calling for a high of 94 degrees, but that’s for the Phoenix metro area and won’t be until late afternoon.

Norma poses by her dragon boat. [photo by Eva]

Departing from Labarge Cove. [photo by Eva]

Parting shot of the carved rock formation. [photo by Eva]

One major advantage of kayaking over hiking in warmer and especially hot weather is easy access to an unlimited water supply to cool yourself off. We can soak our hats in the lake, wrap a wet bandana or small towel around our necks, splash cool lake water onto our T-shirts and pants and even, as a last resort, jump into the lake to get completely soaked and really cooled off. I’ve never actually done that before, but just soaking your hat from time to time makes a huge difference in staying cool on a hot day.

Tortilla Cove. [photo by Ron]

Paddling deeper into Tortilla Cove. [photo by Norma]

Norma is having a great time in her new kayak. [photo by Ron]

We continue paddling deeper into the cove. At 0.7 miles in length, Labarge Cove is not quite as long as Tortilla Cove, but certainly just as scenic. Soon, we’re paddling in the welcoming shade of the cove provided by its high canyon walls. We’ve been kayaking under full sun since we started earlier this morning, and the day is warming up rapidly. As we paddle even deeper into this cove, it also becomes increasingly shallower, and we have to carefully watch for rocks and boulders just beneath the surface, as well as the water depth to keep from running aground. On our February trip we were treated to a small waterfall at the very end of the cove, but not today as we near the end of a long and hot record-breaking summer with very little rainfall. But at least we have cooling shade provided by the high canyon walls and some of the taller trees around us. After more exploring and picture taking, we start paddling back and then decide to make a lunch stop at the Boulder Picnic Site at the southwest end of the cove.

Ron, Norma, Chuck, Keith, and Randall line up for a group picture. [photo by Eva]

Playing bumper kayaks. [photo by Eva ]

Randall maneuvers through a tight spot in the reeds. [photo by Eva ]

After a long rest and lunch break, we paddle back toward the marina and then back out into the main lake, before setting course for Tortilla Cove at the far southeast end of the lake. As we make our way east toward the cove, we start detecting a peculiar odor in the air that becomes increasingly stronger the further we go. If I didn’t know any better, I would suspect a nearby sewage treatment facility. But that not being the case, we become suspicious of several vault toilets in the nearby Tortilla Campground that apparently haven’t been pumped out in quite some time. Phew! Time to break out the gas masks, kayakers! Thankfully, once we enter Tortilla Cove the foul smell quickly begins to dissipate. And, once again, the colorful high canyon walls on both sides of the cove provide protection from the wind and welcoming shade relief from the sun.

Departing from Tortilla Cove. [photo by Ron]

We paddle back to the Acacia launch area. [photo by Eva]

The Dolly paddle-wheeler is departing for a morning tour of the lake. [photo by Keith]

After paddling to the far end of this 0.8-mile-long cove, we take a short break and get a few more pictures before heading back out into the main lake. We make good time on the paddle back, with the wind mostly at our backs, and decide to save First Water Cove for another trip. By 1:30 we’re all back at Acacia and packing away our gear and kayaks. Three of us make the short drive to Tortilla Flats for a late lunch, while the rest of the group heads for home. It’s been yet another picture-perfect day for kayaking Canyon Lake.

Second view of the Dolly. [photo by Eva]