What to do on a nice sunny weekend? If you are looking for a new adventure you should go kayaking Grand Lake in Newfoundland, Canada. With tons of inlets, islands and sandy beaches it’s the perfect getaway location for a kayak trip.
With an area covering 534km2 kayaking Grand Lake has a lot to offer. Deer Lake’s main dam was built in 1924 which flooded Grand Lake connecting it to both Sandy and Birchy Lakes. Barrens make up the surrounding landscape in which many caribous can be found . One would be happy to hear that there are many sandy beaches along the lake to camp onto. Kilometers of shore and islands to be explored will keep you entertained for a few days or weeks. Did you know that within Grand Lake is located Glover Island which also contains a lake? It makes this island the 18th largest lake-island in the world.
When kayaking Grand Lake a sea kayak works great as the skirt will prevent water from entering the cockpit. They also allow one to pack all the gear and tent inside, keeping them dry for an epic camping adventure.
Access Point for Kayaking Grand Lake
Grand Lake can be accessed via a few different locations. However if you are driving a car, the best one would be through route 401 heading towards Howley, just East of Deer Lake. We turned on Boot Brook Road before Howley and parked at a little sandy beach. You can also head to Grand Lake Tourist Park. [su_gmap address=”Grand Lake, Newfoundland”] If driving a quad there are a few more options such as; West end of Grand Lake close to Gallants, behind Pynn’s Brook and Deer Lake to name a few.
WARNING – Grand Lake is the largest lake in Newfoundland and can be affected by wind. If kayaking Grand Lake keep in mind that when wind picks up you may have trouble paddling and waves can also build in size. When we went kayaking we stayed in sheltered areas and were surfing 2 feet high waves.
Alex
Live Wildly Intrepid!
Carpe Diem
2 thoughts on “Kayaking Grand Lake”
Birchy Lake was a River back in the day before the Dam caused flooding. The old maps show this. If the Dam was opened up long enough, the water levels at Birch Lake would dramatically drop. Ironically cabin owners that have lake frontage would have to walk hundreds of feet to get to their beach area as opposed to 20-30 feet. On the north end of Birch Lake there is a dyke, there is a cabin development area there now. Some interesting history on the dam and this area.
Thank you for this piece of history. I had no idea it used to be a river. Crazy what humans do with nature!