Mississippi River (Below Dalhousie Lake)

On a beautiful Sunday morning (June 10th), I decided to go for some paddling exercise and selected one of the MVFN canoe routes (#8 Dalhousie Lake and Mississippi River downstream). From Almonte, it’s a 40-minute drive to Dalhousie Lake. I tried launching at the bridge, but the only access was a private launch with a $10 fee. But just east of the bridge on Hwy 8, there’s a fire truck re-filing station on the Mississippi River. A good place to put-in – just be careful where you park.

Note: The fire truck access is now off-limits (check the signage).

Mississippi River, below Dalhousie Lake

I was a little worried about going down the river too far, but the current was light, and I would have a tail breeze on the way back.  In general, it’s a relatively secluded and quiet section of the river. I paddled just over 4km to reach the entrance channel to McCullochs Mud Lake and the Byrne Big Creek Nature Preserve.  The nature preserve contains a fen (floating mat of vegetation).

The first wildlife I saw going down the Mississippi was a curious pair of loons. Further along, I observed a muskrat, a swimming chipmunk, a few blue herons, birds (red wings, swallow, etc.), and lots of dragonflies.  In McCollochs Mud Lake, an osprey was flying about, and on the return trip upriver, a bald eagle made a brief appearance.

I did make a pit stop at a lovely little sandy beach on the north side of the river, where the owners have provided a couple of benches in the shade of a large tree.

There are lots of deciduous trees along the river, so a fall paddle would be great!

Update: Kayak paddle, Nov 6th, 2020.

I did take a paddle on this section of the river during a nice warm November day (2020). My launch point was at the Sylvania restaurant/lodge ramp this time. Below are my track and a few pics from the day. Next time, I will get all the way to the Sheridan Rapids and maybe more exploration of the large McCullochs Mud Lake.

My GPS track for Nov 6, 2020 (15 km)

	Mallard Ducks