Many sections of the Clyde River above and below the town of Lanark are not navigable due to rocky riverbeds and rapids. But the 6 km section from Lanark to Kerr Lake is all flat water and a nice paddle. I had paddle upriver from Lanark a few years ago but not as far as Kerr Lake. After getting some details from Cliff Bennett on public access to Kerr Lake at Clydesville, I headed out with my 14ft Widgeon kayak to explore that area of the Clyde River system. Cliff was right, there’s an access road just south of the Clydesville bridge that takes you to the lake and a small parking lot. Perfect!
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 | Kerr Lake, Clyde river (7 km track)
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 | | Google Earth view |
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When I got on the water, I decided to paddle up the Clyde River to see how far I would get. The flat water ends at about 750m up the river from Kerr Lake. But, it was worth the paddle to see the artwork on the side walls under the bridge. Also, a Merganser Duck was hanging around the rocks below the rapids.
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 | Bob Marley lives on in Clydesville, Ontario
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 | | TBD |
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Back in Kerr Lake, I followed the northern and eastern shoreline around the lake and down the river a bit. Kerr Lake is not developed as much as I had thought due to wetlands along most of the shoreline. The wetlands make suitable habitat for birds, and I did observe a few species – Merganser Duck, Black Tern, Kingfisher, Eastern Kingbird, and several Red-winged Blackbirds. The Black Tern is not so common in Lanark County, but Kerr Lake is a known place where it has been seen in the past (Cliff Bennett). iNaturalist has the Black Tern listed as “Conservation status: vulnerable (SB3) in Ontario”.
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| Black Tern (rare in Ontario) |
Next time, it would be good to start in Lanark and paddle to Kerr Lake (6 km), a good lunch at the Kerr boat ramp, and then back downriver to Lanark (12-14 km or so).
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 | Merganser, Common
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 | | Kingfisher, Belted |
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 | | Kingbird, Eastern |
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 | Red-winged Blackbird (male)
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For more details on the nature sightings, click HERE.
28Mar2024 dg, PHC canoe
ReplyDeleteOn a beautiful day (light westerly breeze), I made my first canoe paddle outing. The MNRF launch road off CR511 wasn't flooded. I paddled the full eastern/lee shore of Kerr Lake and then went up the Clyde River to the rapids. Bob Marley is still under the bridge. I did observe some ducks (C. Merganser, Ring-necked, & Mallard) and a couple of T. Swans.
2025-10-29, Kerr Lake to almost Lanark village, kayak (6.5 km each way)
ReplyDeleteThis was a great late fall paddle in calm weather and lots of sunshine. The water level was low, especially in Kerr Lake. Muskrat lodges were all over Kerr Lake, and a few beaver lodges as well. I only saw one Muskrat on the trip, and it was in the river section above Lanark village. The other two interesting nature sightings on the trip were a Red-shouldered Hawk and some Autumn Meadowhawks. The main shore stop was the camp below Kerr Lake (east of the ninety-degree
turn). I had lunch near Lanark village on the east shore by a dock, which I thought was a camp but it turns out to be a private property/home!