In Dunrobin, my first paddle was usually on Constance Creek around the middle of April. Now that we have moved to Almonte, I needed to find another small creek and wetland to explore in early spring. I prefer a small, well-protected shallow body of water to paddle with the ice-cold water in April. The Mississippi River is not ideal. The other water nearby is the Indian River, but it’s not known as a paddling river except for a section above Clayton Lake. After inspecting Google Earth and with confirmation from Cliff Bennett, it seems possible to paddle a section of the Indian River in the spring by launching at the Ramsay Concession 7B bridge.
 |
| Indian River track for April 25th (5 km) |
This spring, with the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been hard to justify going out on the water in case I had some mishap or accident. But, on April 25th, I decided that it would be safe enough for a short paddle. The pandemic in Ontario peaked a week ago. A few days ago, Mayor Lowry declared all boat launches in Mississippi Mills to be open to the public for recreational use.
|
|
The best put-in for going up or down the river is just north of the Conc. 7 bridge. Today, I went down-river first for a leisurely 1 km paddle until encountering a small set of rocks/rapids. In a canoe, you could probably get out and by-pass this small set of rocks. If you did, there’s another set of rapids about 200m further down-river to maneuver around, and then you may be able to make it to the bridge at Concession 8 (1 km). It would be nice to try someday! On this 1 km downriver section, I saw a pair of Wood Ducks, a Blue Heron, and lots of Canada Geese.
After turning back up-river, I had to work a bit harder to overcome the currents (1 – 2 km/hr). There was adequate clearance to go under the Conc. 7 bridge. It was a slow paddle up-river until I got blocked again by a set of low water rapids at about 1.5 km from the Conc. 7 bridge. There’s a private bridge at about 1 km up-river from Conc. 7, but it had sufficient clearance to paddle under with my kayak.
 |
| Private bridge between Conc. 7 and 6 |
There weren’t as many bird sightings going up-river except for red-wing blackbirds. I did come across a couple of duck hunting blinds and two wire-cages on poles in the river. I’m not sure what or who the cages are for, but I’m guessing they are for bird/duck nest protection.
At 1.5 km up-river, the set of low water rapids would be hard to bypass without portaging around (100m or so). Up-river from these rapids, there could be another 300m or so of navigable waters.
 |
| First rocks/rapids from Conc. up-river (1.5 km) |
I did make one shore stop on the way back for a break and snack, and then it was a leisurely paddle down-river back to Ramsay Conc. 7. All-in-all, a pretty good first paddling outing for the 2020 season!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |
| First paddle - March 22nd, 2021 |
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |
R.Tait McKenzie paddles his birch bark canoe on the mill pond formed by the Indian River. Circa 1937 |
Indian River
(Wikipedia)
The river begins at an unnamed lake in geographic Lavant Township in the municipality of Lanark Highlands.[2] It flows east into geographic Darling Township, under Lanark County Road 511 near the settlement of White, turns southeast, passes the settlement of Halls Mills on the border of geographic Lanark Township, and reaches Clayton Lake, where it takes in the outflow from Taylor Lake. The river passes into geographic Ramsay Township in the municipality of Mississippi Mills on the lake and leaves over the Clayton Lake Dam at the settlement of Clayton. It heads northeast, takes in the right tributary Union Hall Creek, and passes through the Mill of Kintail Conservation Area, a former grist mill and a former home of medical doctor, sculptor and Ramsay Township native R. Tait McKenzie.[3] The mill is home to a museum to Mackenzie and another famous native of Ramsay Township, inventor of basketball James Naismith.[4] The river then reaches its mouth at the Mississippi River, 1.4 kilometres (0.9 mi) upstream of the settlement of Blakeney; the Mississippi flows via the Ottawa River to the Saint Lawrence River.
22Mar2021 dg
ReplyDeleteI did the same paddle as 2020. It's a nice short paddle and it all looked the same as the previous year. I did see a few colourful Wood Ducks (see above).
04Apr2022 dg
ReplyDeleteFor the 3rd year in a row, I paddled the Indian River at Ramsay Conc 7 as my first paddle. I was able to paddle the complete downriver and upriver sections without any trouble. There was some current, but not enough to block the upriver paddling.
09Apr2023 dg
ReplyDeleteAgain, I went to the Indian River at Ramsay Conc 7 for my first paddle on Easter day. The weather was very calm and 10C. This year, the Indian River was higher and I was not able to go under the Conc 7 bridge (Cochrane Bridge). I also did not paddle to the end of the downriver section due to strong currents. So, it was a short paddle among the flooded trees (maples and ashes).
26Mar2024 dg
ReplyDeleteOn a reasonably calm and warm day, I made my annual paddle on the Indian River from Ramsay C7. This year, I was able to paddle under the C7 bridge and upriver, as usual. For two years now, paddling downriver has been blocked by a large tree in the river. There wasn't much nature sightings - C. Geese and a few C. Mergansers.
April 4th, 2025 (Widgeon kayak)
ReplyDeleteThis was my first 2025 paddle. The weather was sunny and relatively calm (12C). I was pretty warm in my kayak. The water level was too high to paddle under any bridges. This year, I was able to paddle downstream up to the small rapids. A beaver was active in that section of the river. To go upriver, I had to portage the kayak across the road at the C7 bridge. Above the C7 bridge, it was a good paddle to the private bridge and back. I did manage to paddle quite far up Union Hall Creek due to extensive flooding. Nature sightings - Bald Eagle tbd, Belted Kingfisher, C. Geese, ducks, and a beaver.