Lake Kayaking

Karen starts her Lac Tremblant kayak voyage

Late last summer, my wife and I bought kayaks.  We had a couple kayaks before, but they seem to have taken permanent residence at my sister's cottage in the Muskokas...they seem happy there.  So with the end of summer sales on, we got a good deal on a pair of kayaks for our adventures in the Laurentians.  Not that we're expert kayakers or anything like that...but we have taken them out for a couple of excursions and totally enjoyed it.

Our first venture was on Lac Tremblant, and the hardest part was finding a place to access the lake.  We got booted off the beach club...even though they had a dozen kayaks available for rental, you can't launch there with your own kayak, even for a fee.  So we packed up and launched from the nearby marina.  We found a shallow beach-like spot near the side of the road and embarked from there.

Fall colours just starting in early September

Even as a big lake, the water was relatively smooth for kayaking.  Warm too, considering it was September.  The fall colours were just starting, affording beautiful views all along the way.  It was fun checking out the various multi-million dollar homes that dot the shoreline.  And in the distance, there are a couple of great mountain peaks that keep the view interesting.

Our goal was to kayak up the riviere cachee, or hidden river.  It's at the top of the lake, and considering Lac Tremblant is about 10 km  long, it was a lengthy return trip.  But it was a gorgeous day, and we had a great time exploring the lake and paddling in and around the islands further up the lake.  Some questionable navigation on my part had us take a longer than necessary route, but we eventually found the river.  By then, storm clouds threatened so we hightailed it out of there and paddled home.  We'll try again this summer, but make it an earlier start time.  Apparently there's an amazing waterfall along the river so it's a must-see.

Lac Ouimet, Mont Tremblant in the distance

Our second excursion was on Lac Ouimet.  Our entry point here was off of Rue Labelle, just south of the now shuttered Gray Rocks resort.  There's a blocked roadway entrance off Labelle with enough room for a few parked cars...we parked there and eased our kayaks over the guard rail, down the slope and into the water.  This trip was later in September, with the fall colours even more glorious, and twenty degrees Celsius under sunny skies.

Ouimet is a much smaller lake, but just as interesting as Lac Tremblant with its islands and cliffs.  The deserted Gray Rocks resort dominates the southern shore.  We hopped out and wandered about the grounds, imagining what this place was like when it was a premiere destination for its tennis playing, horseback riding, fine dining clients back in the seventies.  The Grand Lodge occupies the western shore, and by all accounts is a thriving resort with a beautiful beach front on the lake.  Even late in September there were a couple of brave bathers in the water.

Our next kayaking excursion?  Rivers!  Both the Diable river and the Rouge snake their way through the Tremblant region.  Once we accomplish this feat we'll write it up on this page!  Until then...

November 2014 Update
We have now done a ton of river kayaking.  So much in fact that we dedicated a couple of separate articles to it.  Read on!