Taylor lake is the sister lake to the better known Clayton Lake in Mississippi Mills, Lanark County. Taylor Lake is less developed (i.e. cottages, etc.) than Clayton due to its many marshes along its shoreline. I was on Taylor Lake many years ago for some bass fishing but have never explored the shoreline, bays, and islands on the lake. The lake is only 3 km long, so I thought it would be easy to explore the lake in an afternoon paddle. I was wrong; it took two outings and 17 km of paddling to explore all the bays, marshes, and islands.
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Taylor Lake (East 8.2km & West 8.7km)
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On May 16th, I went for the first paddle and explored the lake’s east shoreline. There’s great access to the lake at the end of Lanark Concession 12. It’s a popular place for guys to launch their small powerboats for fishing on Taylor or Clayton Lakes. Taylor and Clayton Lakes are connected via a narrow navigable 2 km channel.
For my first outing (May 16), I headed to the lake’s southern end, where most bays, marshes, and islands are located. The SE corner of the lake has a large marshy bay with not much development. The marsh looks in good shape -- although it gets close to CR16 (200m). On the paddle back towards the launch site, I made a pit stop at the north end of a small island (marked as “Rest stop” on GPS) for a snack and a break from the kayak seat.
A week later (May 25), I was back on the lake to explore the lake’s west side. The west side is a bit more developed with cottages and even a few permanent homes. I did enjoy the marsh and narrow channel in W2 bay. Also, the SW middle bay at the bottom of the lake is lovely (i.e. no development). I stopped on another island for a break on this outing, and it was a good find (Lunch sand I. on GPS). Lunch Sand Island has a lovely sandy beach and has been used as a camping site in the past. It’s a great place to stop for a shore lunch – if not already occupied.
Nature sightings were not numerous, but there were a few – C. geese, blue heron, common tern, couple of loons, and lots of red-winged blackbirds. It’s always a treat to see and hear loons on a lake.
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We are not talking!
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Common tern
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| Common Loon |
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Wood duck box
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Lunch Sand Island
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07Apr2021 dg kayak
ReplyDeleteOn a calm day, a repeated last year's paddle down the east side of Taylor Lake. It's an enjoyable paddle and as was the case last year, there were some ducks (3 species), C. geese, and even some turtles on the lake. I had lunch on the east island, where I found some Canada Yew.
23Apr2023 canoe paddle (PHC).
ReplyDeleteFirst canoe paddle of 2023 on a nice calm day. I paddled the east shore of Taylor Lake checking all the bays as I went along. This outing probably had the most nature-sightings that I've ever had on a spring paddle. The highlights were Trumpeter Swans, C. Loons, and an American Coot duck.
Check the following iNaturalist link:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2023-04-23&place_id=any&user_id=denisag2&verifiable=any
01May2025, Bill Pratt's canoe trial
ReplyDeleteI launched at the usual location (end of Lanark C12 Rd). There's no change. The outing was to try out Bill's canoe - which I have renovated over the last two years. There was a bit of easterly wind, so I stayed on the east of the lake and made it all the way to the last/large SE bay. Nature sightings were not numerous but I did see my first Loon of 2025. Taylor Lake is fairly natural and always makes a great local spot for a lake paddle outing.
16Jun2025, Taylor Lake west side, PHC canoe
ReplyDeleteIn the spring of 2025, I did a second paddle on Taylor Lake. I wanted to check out the SW wetland for nature sightings. The water level was still just high enough to paddle through in the back marsh. I did not get very many nature sightings to post (iNaturalist). The highlights were an Osprey carrying a fish (I think) and a Pumpkinseed fish.