Glen Isle is a sizeable island (200
hectares) on the Mississippi River between Appleton and Carleton Place. After
Morris Island, Glen Isle is probably the largest island on the Mississippi
River. The best access to Glen Isle is at the end of Cram Road on the Mississippi
River’s eastern side.
 | | Glen Isle, 8.8 km track (kayak) |
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 | | GE view |
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The eastern channel of the river around Glen Isle is much wider
and navigable than the narrow and rocky western channel. There are rapids at
the north end of Glen Isle, which prevents you from reaching the village of
Appleton downriver. Arklan Island and rapids block the paddling above Glen Isle
towards Carleton Place. There’s about 4 km of paddling between Arklan Island
and the northern rapids of Glen Isle. You can paddle about 1 km down the
western side of Glen Isle from the SW tip – before getting block by
rocks/rapids.
The east side of Glen Isle is a lovely paddle without too much
development on the island or the eastern shore of the river. The east and south
sides of Glen Isle are one significant wetland. This wetland area is a popular
place for duck and geese hunters. Just 0.5 km south of the Cram Road launch is
the small Isle of Patmos, and there was an elaborate duck blind setup at its
northern tip.
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| Duck blind (Patmos Isle) |
After launching my kayak, I went north to check out the rocky
channels towards Appleton. I ventured a bit too close to the first
one and took some bottom paint off my kayak in making my retreat. I approached
the second channel more strategically and went ashore on the dry flat river
rock bed. It’s an excellent spot for a break and a few pics.
 | | North channel rocks & rapids |
|  | | North channel dry river bed |
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Internet drone video of Glen Isle's north channel, click Here.
From there, I paddled to the
SW tip of Glen Isle and down the west side a bit before returning to the Cram
Road access. The only wildlife I managed to photograph (besides
flocks of Canada Geese) on the trip was a Merganser duck.
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| Merganser Duck |
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 | | Pothole carved by the river sediments & currents |
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 | | European Barberry |
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05Apr2021, Kayak paddle from Cram Road.
ReplyDeleteThe water was high but not extremely. Current wasn't very noticeable except at the north end. Definitely need to be careful of the currents and rapids at the north end!
Wildlife seen - C. Geese, ducks, and red-winged Blackbirds. Good paddle for April.
10Apr2023 dg
ReplyDeleteThis was my 2nd spring paddle for 2023. The weather was warm enough with a moderate breeze. I paddled (Widgeon 14 kayak) upriver only. The current was pretty mild. The wind was more of a factor. I checked out the inlet bay on Glen Isle and the creek on the east side of the main island. The inlet bay still had ice and it was still ice-covered under the trees. A nice short/safe paddle for early April (as long as you don't go downriver).
08Mar2024 dg
ReplyDeleteMy first paddle of 2024, March 8th, amazing!
I did a short kayak outing at Glen Isle (Cram Rd) this afternoon in calm sunny weather (10C). I paddled at Glen Isle last year on April 10th, and the crazy thing is that there was less ice around today (March 8th)! The only birds I saw today at Glen Isle were C. Geese, Mallards, & Grackles.
The first boating outing with the new used Jeep Renegade (a bit high but all good).
12Apr2025, Widgeon kayak paddle
ReplyDeleteI did a 6 km paddle upriver from Cram Road on a fairly nice day (some sun, 10C, and low winds). This was my second paddle of 2025. The water level was high - allowing paddling up the side inlets and amongst the trees. Nature sightings were limited to mostly Canada Geese and a few ducks (Goldeneyes). The Red Maples and Red Oiseir Dogwood are always impressive at this time of year.