I had tried to explore the Little Clyde River last fall but couldn't find the entrance from Riven Lake. It was just as well since it's probably a much better paddle in the spring when the water levels are higher for easy upriver navigation. By looking at Google Earth, I could see that the L. Clyde River would be much like the zig-zagging Indian River, and I would encounter multiple beaver dams. So on May 22, I decided to bring my PHC canoe to facilitate getting over dams and for paddling a twisting narrow river. The canoe launch site for exploring the lower section of the L. Clyde is at the Lammermoor Road bridge – not far off highway 511. Note: This trip is #11 in MVFN's canoeing/kayaking brochure.
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Little Clyde River, day track 9.5 km
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From the bridge launch site, it's about 1 km to Riven Lake and another 500m to the L. Clyde River's mouth. In this first river section, there are two beaver dams to overcome. Today, the water was sufficiently high to paddle right over! As I started paddling, my first nature sighting was a large Northern Watersnake swimming to shore. Further up the river, I saw a second Watersnake in the water.
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Northern Watersnake
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From Riven Lake, I paddled my canoe 3.5 km up the L. Clyde. The current was minimal except at the 2 - 3 dams I had to power through (i.e. able to stay in the canoe). The river winds SW towards Lavant Road (CR16). It's pretty quiet and isolated for the first 2 km, but further upriver, there are a few cabins, and you can start hearing the traffic on CR16. As the Indian River, the riverbanks are mostly wet and swampy, so not too many great places to stop for breaks or lunch. On this trip, I had my lunch on top of a beaver dam (Dam 423).
Besides the two Watersnakes, I didn't see too much wildlife on this river outing. I did observe a few birds (G. Blue Heron, Eastern Kingbird, and lots of red-winged Blackbirds). I did see a few turtles, but they were too quick or far for my camera. The pond-lilies were abundant and are almost in bloom. One sighting that wasn't exactly natural – a sunken boat in the middle of the river!
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Ship wreck on the L. Clyde River
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The best part of the trip was the return paddle going downriver with a light breeze on my back – very relax canoeing. The Little Clyde River is definitely a keeper on the early spring canoeing list!
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 | | PHC at Lammermoor launch site |
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 | | PHC on Riven Lake |
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| Pond-Lily |
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| Track, 13Apr2023 |
For nature sightings (iNaturalist) on 13Apr2023,
click HERE.
13Apr2023 dg
ReplyDeleteI had a great kayak paddle on the Little Clyde River today. The weather was great - light breeze and 28C! The river was ice-free but not Riven Lake. I managed to paddle the Widgeon kayak 5.5 km upriver with no obstructions! All the beaver dams (except one) were underwater. Almost made it to the 2nd Concession Dalhousie. I turned around at the large rock cliff. The nature highlight was a pair of Trumpeter Swans.
April 25, 2025 - 9.5 km, canoe, calm overcast day
ReplyDeleteRiven Lake and the Little Clyde River always make a great paddle outing - especially in the spring when the beaver dams are underwater. On this trip, I did a full counterclockwise tour of Riven Lake and then went up the L. Clyde River up to the first cabin. I added a few more shore access and dam waypoints along the way. The wildlife wasn't numerous - mostly ducks, C. Geese, one T. Vulture, and lots of beaver lodges. I heard lots of frogs, but no turtles came out.
This should be on the list as an annual outing at ice-out!