One of our best paddling lakes is Lac le Jeune.   The ice comes off in the spring and we can paddle there in April, but at 4200 feet, we usually go to the lower lakes and the river first.   Later in the season it is a busy place as boaters and fishermen fill the lake.   Early in the season it is a quieter destination for a 9.5 km paddle.

We enjoy paddling both lakes, going through the water tunnel under the road.   The smaller lake to the west has extensive marshes.   Yellow and red-winged blackbirds and marsh wrens filled the reeds and bullrushes with sound.   A hatch must have also been in progress because fish were jumping all over the west lake.

South shoreline	yellow-winged blackbird
marsh wren	the water tunnel

When the winds pick up, we usually avoid the larger lakes, but Lac le Jeune is higher on the Interior Plateau so the winds are not the gusting cross-valley east-west winds found at lower altitudes.   We followed the shoreline, ducking into the lee of bays when we could.   For local paddling Lac le Jeune, Paul Lake, and Heffley Lake are our three best choices for the spring (for many return outings).