You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?

1/11/2016 8:28 am  #1


Clear water

Island camped Lake George NY last summer. The waters are very clear which made for fun swimming and snorkeling for the kids. My experience with other NY lakes, and Ontario lakes is the water is a bit more like weak tea. Are their lakes in Algonquin that stand out for clear water? Kids want to go back to Lake George but I'd much prefer the more wilderness experience of Algonquin.

Thank you

John

 

1/11/2016 9:14 am  #2


Re: Clear water

Tea-colored water is caused by bogs and wetlands draining into lakes which brings in humic materials... so if you see a large area of wetlands in the watershed, chances are the lake will have that tea color... eg. the Tim river drains a large area of wetlands and makes Shippagew lake downstream have dark water, and that in turn will color the lakes further downstream on the Petawawa.

 Happy Isle is a headwater lake or close to it, with clear, blue water. Also good campsites and smallmouth bass for summer fishing. 

Cradle lake may have the clearest water in the park and is small but scenic (lake trout only IIRC). 

Maybe Merchant although, fuzzy memory, and wetlands nearby on the top map, might affect clarity. 

There will be others I'm sure since Algonquin forms the highlands and headwaters of several watersheds.

 

1/11/2016 9:47 am  #3


Re: Clear water

From a thread in the old forum:

Ralph Bice Lake, noticeably greenish in colour, is a spring-fed headwater lake for the Petawawa River. This clear, greenish coloured water is also found in other Park headwater lakes such as Happy Isle (formerly Green lake), Whiskeyjack, North Sylvia and Whitebirch.

 

 

1/11/2016 9:51 am  #4


Re: Clear water

And this :

The following Algonquin Lakes are purported to be green headwater lakes: Eustache, Nadine, Happy Isle (formerly Green Lake), Loxley, North Sylvia, Opalescent, Ralph Bice, Whiskeyjack, Whitebirch.


http://www.mcelroy.ca/notes/headwater.html
 

 

1/11/2016 11:37 am  #5


Re: Clear water

Interesting reading, frozentripper. Incidentally, Ralph Bice's watershed isn't nothing -- it's certainly bigger (in proportion to the lake size), and probably marshier, than Happy Isle's, with a marshy feeder stream draining into it from beyond the park boundary:

Of course, if someone can attest to its water clarity (I've mostly seen it on rough days), it could be a good easy option for tenderfoot.

I've certainly heard of Cradle's clarity. You can get there in a day from either Smoke or Cache; from Smoke would be the easiest route, though from Cache via Hilliard is the shortest distance. Trouble is the only campsite on Cradle straddles the ground between it and Bonnechere, and is considered part of Bonnechere, so you'd have to book on Bonnechere and wouldn't be guaranteed the Cradle site.

 

1/11/2016 2:53 pm  #6


Re: Clear water

Hopefully no one yells at me too much (Barry, go ahead and delete if this is way out of bounds).

But have you considered Killarney? There are crystal clear lakes and it gives you the backcountry you're after. Although, booking on those crystal clear lakes can be hard. 

 

1/11/2016 3:29 pm  #7


Re: Clear water

Hambone has the clear 'greenish' water as well.  Greenleaf is very clear, but very difficult to reach.  Sec lake was surprisingly clear to me, we could see the canoe shadow on bottom 8-10 feet down on a calm sunny day, spooked the bass something terrible, but lots to like here for a summer trip on an "access" lake, especially with kids!  My son (6) had a blast, trip report is pending the judges decision =)

Ryan Lake might be another option, although the closure for algae bloom last summer may give cause for concern . . .

 

 

1/11/2016 8:40 pm  #8


Re: Clear water

Here's my video of Cradle Lake, clear blue.
I'll post a video of Whiskey Jack and Robinson Lakes tomorrow, also clear blue.

http://youtu.be/K9tR-D6MDGQ

 

1/12/2016 6:14 am  #9


Re: Clear water

Hambone lake for some reason is clearer than Ralph Bice. Every time I'm on that lake it amazes me (on calm days). I would say in ideal conditions you can see down 20+ feet.

 

1/12/2016 11:18 am  #10


Re: Clear water

At the risk of sacrilege on an APP-focused site, the clarity of water in Nellie Lake in Killarney PP's backcountry is spectacular.

 

Last edited by John McClane (1/12/2016 12:12 pm)

 

1/12/2016 11:39 am  #11


Re: Clear water

Killarney was affected by acid rain and local ore smelting . That killed off a lot of plant life and also fish life. Its slow to recover. Clarity is not always a sign of water health
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12839193

Same for Lake George. Its got invasive species such as the zebra mussel that filters out plankton and reporoduces quickly.

 

1/12/2016 12:13 pm  #12


Re: Clear water

kayamedic wrote:

Killarney was affected by acid rain and local ore smelting . That killed off a lot of plant life and also fish life. Its slow to recover. Clarity is not always a sign of water health
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12839193

Same for Lake George. Its got invasive species such as the zebra mussel that filters out plankton and reporoduces quickly.

Is that a reason not to go?
 

 

1/12/2016 12:45 pm  #13


Re: Clear water

Not Canoeing but Guskeva's waters are crystal clear one of my favourite swimming holes.


A mans gotta do, what a man's gotta do.
 

1/12/2016 12:48 pm  #14


Re: Clear water

John McClane wrote:

kayamedic wrote:

Killarney was affected by acid rain and local ore smelting . That killed off a lot of plant life and also fish life. Its slow to recover. Clarity is not always a sign of water health
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12839193

Same for Lake George. Its got invasive species such as the zebra mussel that filters out plankton and reporoduces quickly.

Is that a reason not to go?
 

Could be, I like underwater plant life and fish. OTOH if the OP is happy in Lake George its not a reason not to go.. I just wanted to point out that sometimes clear water is not from as healthy a background as it seems.  For sure he will not dissolve his family. I canoed Killarney and am still mostly here.

However you can see nothing at a farther distance in clear lakes. We have a clear lake here at home thanks to China Snails.
 

Last edited by kayamedic (1/12/2016 12:51 pm)

 

1/12/2016 2:40 pm  #15


Re: Clear water

kayamedic wrote:

Could be, I like underwater plant life and fish. OTOH if the OP is happy in Lake George its not a reason not to go.. I just wanted to point out that sometimes clear water is not from as healthy a background as it seems.  For sure he will not dissolve his family. I canoed Killarney and am still mostly here.

However you can see nothing at a farther distance in clear lakes. We have a clear lake here at home thanks to China Snails.
 

I like underwater plant life and fish, too. I thought OP was looking for intell on clear lakes. Sorry, OP.
 

 

1/12/2016 4:55 pm  #16


Re: Clear water

I thought the OP might have the impression that Algonquin lakes are not safe for swimming.. They are of course, though sinking in decaying leaves is sometimes not pleasant.. It's been an interesting thread learning about the color of some of the lakes.

I do like Killarney. Lake George well sometimes ( not in high summer due to powerboats)

 

1/13/2016 10:08 am  #17


Re: Clear water


Take everything as it comes; the wave passes, deal with the next one.

Tom Thomson, 1877-1917
 

Board footera

LNT Canada is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships.