Trailblazers at Canyon Lake. [photo by Robyn]

Ron, Barbara, Chuck, Robyn, and Eva.

On the third week of April five Arizona Trailblazers converge on the Boulder Recreation Area of Canyon Lake for a day of kayaking. And a warm welcome to Robyn as our newest kayaker. Under mostly sunny skies, with a gentle breeze blowing out of the southwest, we start paddling away from the beach area at 9:30 a.m. The Boulder Recreation Area is located in Labarge Cove, less than a quarter-mile south of the sprawling Canyon Lake Marina. Our first goal of the day is to paddle to the far end of the cove and hang out in the shade for a while. With its soaring high canyon walls and lots of towering trees and other vegetation providing plenty of shade, this is one of our favorite places on the lake, especially on warmer days when shade is a premium commodity.

Eva, Robyn, and Chuck in Labarge Cove. [photo by Ron]

Four of these devices are newly installed in Labarge Cove.What are they? We at least know they measure wind velocity. [photo by Ron]

Eva is all smiles in her white Oru kayak. [photo by Ron]

Two bright shafts of sunlight dance across the lake surface. [photo by Robyn]

We eventually reach the end of the cove and take a long rest break in the shade, while soaking in the surrounding scenery. Canyon Lake is considered by many to be the most scenic and picturesque of the four lakes linked by a series of dams on the Salt River, starting with Roosevelt Lake at the top of the chain and ending with Saguaro Lake at the bottom. As tempting as it is to hang out here for much of the morning, we start paddling north until we pass beneath the Labarge Cove Bridge and slowly work around the huge Canyon Lake Marina and the nearby Dolly Steamboat, as workers begin loading up large bags of ice and other supplies for the 11:30 a.m. morning lake cruise, and finally the old Canyon Lake Restaurant, now newly repurposed as a large convenience store.

An unusual white duck paddles across the lake. [photo by Ron]

This dark band of basalt indicates volcanic activity. [photo by Ron]

The saguaros around the lake are just starting to bloom. [photo by Ron]

The backlighting in this picture really highlights these blooms. [photo by Ron]

Some of us still remember relaxing lunch breaks on the spacious outside restauran t patio overlooking the lake after long, exhausting hikes like the Boulder Canyon Trail or Hackberry Spring Trail, as well as numerous past kayaking trips on the lake. Today, hungry hikers and kayakers have to travel three miles down the Apache Trail to Tortilla Flat for the closest restaurant. As the day wears on, we see an unusually large number of both kayakers and paddleboarders on the lake, especially for a weekday. I ask Barbara if I accidently got my days mixed up. Is today Saturday or a major holiday of some kind? We’ve never seen so many people on any of our desert lakes on a weekday before. And today the paddle boarders on the lake just about outnumber the kayakers, attesting to the growing popularity of that sport.

Labarge Cove. [photo by Ron]

Barbara takes a break in the shade. [photo by Eva]

Robyn in her roll-up Tucktec kayak. [photo by Ron]

We all take a cool shade break here. [photo by Barbara]

The day is gradually warming up as the sun climbs higher in the sky, but thankfully we still have a breeze that helps keep us relatively cool as we continue paddling east toward Tortilla Cove at the far southeast end of the lake. At over a mile in length, Tortilla Cove is the longest of the three major coves on the south side of Canyon Lake. When we finally reach the cove, tall reeds line both sides, some as high as twelve feet or more. At one point passage among the reeds narrows down to just a few feet as they grow closer and closer together. These reeds are taking over increasing amounts of the shoreline on both Saguaro and Canyon lakes. Perhaps we should bring a couple of machetes with us next time to help clear a passage among the growing tangle of reeds.

End of the line in Labarge Cove. [photo by Ron]

Chuck is visited by either a giant albino dragonfly or some sort of a fairy. Neither Ron nor I noticed this creature when he took the shot. Spooky. [photo by Ron]

Ron takes a short break from paddling. [photo by Barbara]

Note the unusual formation on the left side of this picture. [photo by Barbara]

We paddle to the far end of the cove until the water becomes too shallow to go any further. I inadvertently run the center of my kayak’s hull onto a submerged boulder, inches beneath the surface and well camouflaged with thick dark algae, and become stuck, unable to move in any direction no matter how hard I paddle. Thankfully, a fellow kayaker and good Samaritan comes along and manages to help push me off the boulder. By now, the sun is high enough that there’s very little shade to seek shelter within the cove, so we don’t hang around too much longer before heading back out onto the main lake again. We next paddle toward the Laguna Boating and Picnic Site and beach our kayaks for a well-deserved rest and snack break at a convenient picnic table beneath the shade of a large mesquite tree.

Paddling out of Labarge Cove. [photo by Ron]

The rugged landscape around Canyon Lake. [photo by Ron]

More rugged landscape. [photo by Ron]

Eva and Robyn paddle into Tortilla Cove. [photo by Ron]

As we paddle around the Canyon Lake Marina once again on the way back to the Boulder Recreation Area, some of us discuss the scheduled lake drawdown this fall. SRP is planning to lower Canyon Lake by almost 55 feet, beginning in September and continuing thru the end of the year, for necessary dam safety inspections and equipment maintenance and repairs on both Mormon Flat and Horse Mesa Dams at opposite ends of the lake. During that time, the lake will be closed to all recreation activities, including boating, kayaking, hiking, and camping, to ensure public safety. The marina has 312 covered boat slips, and almost all are occupied with cabin cruisers, yachts, and houseboats up to 45 feet long. Our main question is what’s going to happen to all these watercrafts while the lake is being drawn down. By 1:30 p.m. we’re all back on the beach and begin the task of loading up our kayaks and gear for the drive back home. It has been yet another near-perfect day on the lake for Arizona Trailblazers kayaking adventures.

Robyn and Chuck paddle deeper into the cove. [photo by Eva]

Robyn, Chuck, Eva, and Barbara take a short rest break. [photo by Ron]

A Red-Eared Slider is warming itself in the sun. [photo by Ron]

This Great Blue Heron is perched high above the lake. [photo by Ron]

Cluster of crimson blooms from a lakeside Oleander. [photo by Ron]

Still more of the rugged beauty surrounding Canyon Lake. [photo by Ron]

Robyn is picking up trash along the shore. [photo by Eva]

Trailblazers take a lunch break in the shade of a mesquite tree. [photo by Barbara]

If you look carefully, you can see 3 faces in this unusual rock formation. [photo by Ron]