July 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Fort St. John, Kayaking & Canoeing
View a larger image on flickr.com
Now I won’t try to claim that Charlie Lake is a beautiful swimming lake; it’s not. The water is green with algae and swimmer’s itch is more common than not but the shoreline is beautiful and when the sun’s on the water, a kayaker couldn’t be happier.
I’ve been kayaking on the lake for years now and just the other day I finally made time to take my first paddle of the season. The weather was obliging and I had the lake almost entirely to myself. When I finally found my way back to the dock I was relaxed, refreshed, and pretty darn tired (I was on the water for over 2 hours).
Charlie Lake is a relatively small lake, the south end is heavily developed and offers views of both quaint and imposing lake houses, while the north end is largely untouched and offers glimpses of wildlife in and amongst the dense forests and ragged limestone cliffs.
For a kayaker Charlie Lake offers a great afternoon paddle (it’s big enough to go somewhere on but not so large as to whip up dangerous storms) and fishermen will be pleased to note that it is full of a variety of different types of fish. A local fellow offers boat rentals at the south end of the lake on nice days for very reasonable rates or if you happen to meet a local paddler you may just be able to join them on a leisurely (or workout oriented if you prefer) trip on, the fondly nicknamed, Chuck’s Puddle.