This spring (May 25), I finally paddled the last stretch of the lower Mississippi River. Pakenham beach is the only public access to this long section of the river. The paddle from Pakenham to the Blakeney rapids and back is about 17km. So, at a leisurely pace, that’s about a 4-hour paddle plus time for breaks & lunch. The Pakenham beach is at the end of Margaret Street and is a great canoe/kayak launching spot with lots of parking.
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| Paddling track (17 km) |
The paddle upriver from Pakenham is boring until you pass the trailer camper park (about 2km). Soon after the trailer park, you come to the mouth of Glen Creek (west side). I failed to find an entry on May 25; maybe I’d have better luck earlier in the spring. On Google Earth, a creek also appears to enter the Mississippi on the east side across from Glenn Creek?
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Just 0.5km upriver from Glen Creek is the larger Indian Creek (west side). Indian Creek comes into the Mississippi River through a massive culvert under Highway 29. It’s fun to paddle under highway 29 and play around with the culvert’s echo effects! Indian Creek wasn’t navigable past the culvert. Again, maybe it would be better earlier in the spring. Near the mouth of Indian Creek, I observed (and photographed) my first Musk Turtle. The Eastern Musk Turtle is probably the least common in Mississippi Mills.
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About halfway between Indian Creek and the Blakeney rapids, I made one brief stop on a small rocky island close to the west shore of the Mississippi River. I didn’t stay long – my visit disturbed a pair of Spotted Sandpipers in the area. The last 2km to Blakeney rapids is more isolated and feels somewhat remote. After checking out the various channels (rapids), I landed at the white-water kayak put-out for my lunch break. The 8km paddle back to Pakenham was good with one or two brief stops.
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When you want a long paddle or have a full day exploring the river, this route is a pretty good choice close to home (Almonte).
For all my iNaturalist postings for this paddle, click HERE.
28Apr2025, Widgron kayak
ReplyDeleteI did a short paddle from Pakenham beach to Indian Creek. There was some wind and the current was running a bit strong in some areas. Most of the nature I saw on the outing was while going up Indian Creek. With the high water level, I was able to paddle 0.75 km up the creek to a set of rapids/rocks. All nature sightings were posted to iNaturalist (denisag2). A Spotted Sandpiper was a highlight.