E.Sierra Kayak Club

(please check back frequently for any additional events and last minute changes, following is the partial list, without some summer, fall, and winter events and paddles)

Details on meeting locations/put in spots will be added as we get closer to each paddle event. Green print used for events already completed.

May 25th date is postponed due to snow and thunderstorms in forecast for Sunday! Plus about 30 knots of wind, so....will post new date next week. FYI we have had a late storm come in and there is quite a bit of new snow on our local mountains. Snow also fell at June Lake on Thursday May 22. May 25 (Sunday) - Silver Lake and Rush Creek Paddle (June Lake Loop). We will meet at the parking lot at the southwest corner of Silver Lake, NOT at the marina on the northwest end. 11am launch.

July 8 (Tuesday) - South Lake (off Hwy 168, 23 miles southwest of Bishop). 10:30 am from Launch ramp area.

July 11, 12, 13 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) IMPORTANT - Check this site or call for potential changes if smoke from fires, etc becomes an issue - Slab Creek Resv., Loon Lake area (ie lakes off US Hwy 50 between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe). Postponed - Here is one of the NWS warnings posted on Thursday, July 10 -

Owens River paddle, Elna Road put in to Aberdeen Station take out. 11am launch.

June 28 (Saturday) is postponed due to fires - Lake Isabella/Kern River/Kernville - Subject to change - put in and paddling "area" TBA. Postponed due to heavy smoke in the area with authorities stating unheathy air, don't exercise, etc, causing many members to cancel before club decided to postpone the paddle. Plus, it just is not pretty in heavy smoke. Quoting an email from one of our members - "Smoke at Isabella is probably as bad as here: 10 mile visibility. The Clover Fire just north of Kennedy Meadows might even make it worse. One of our planes went up a couple of hours ago and I asked them to try to get a view of the dispersion of the smoke. They said that they climbed out of it at 13.500 and once they got up to altitude it appeared to be evenly distributed in all directions as far as they could see. I don't expect much change by saturday either. Oh, the Clover Fire grew by 9,000 acres in just the last 24 hours"

SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED SMOKE OUTPUT FROM FIRES OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COMBINED WITH LIGHT WESTERLY WIND FLOW WILL KEEP DENSE SMOKE IN THE SIERRA NEVADA AND FAR WESTERN NEVADA THROUGH FRIDAY.

THE TAHOE BASIN AND LASSEN COUNTY WILL EXPERIENCE DENSE SMOKE AND PERIODS OF FALLING ASH...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. VISIBILITIES WILL DROP TO BELOW A MILE IN THE SIERRA AT TIMES AND BELOW THREE MILES IN THE WESTERN VALLEYS. LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE LAKE TAHOE...TRUCKEE...SUSANVILLE... RENO... PYRAMID LAKE... CARSON CITY... BRIDGEPORT...AND MAMMOTH LAKES.

July 29 & July 30 (Tuesday, Wednesday) - Owens River. Change of put-in and take out site - On Tuesday July 29 from Elna Road (north of Independence, right where Hwy 395 goes from 2 lanes to 4 lanes) to Aberdeen Station Road Bridge take out. On Wednesday lower Owens south of Lone Pine at put-in 1 mile south of Hwy 136. 11am launch on both days. Shuttle required for the Elna/Aberdeen run, no shuttle required for the lower Owens at Lone Pine run (ie not much current at south end of river).

August 2 (Saturday) - Theme = Pirates of the Carib, annual club party at Diaz Lake, Lone Pine. Paddling during morning if desired. Kayaks propelled by kites race 1pm. Dinner/party 4pm to 10pm. There will be camping spots available (ie don't drink and drive, have fun instead). Semi potluck with Caribbean theme.

August 10 (Sunday) - Lake Sabrina (19 miles SW of Bishop on Line St aka drive to end of Hwy 168). Update August 6 - We may have to change this one. New fire reported on Wednesday, closing the road reaching into both Sabrina and South Lake. Alternate might be Convict, but there is a fire near there as well - check back on Friday for changes - if none listed we will continue with the Lake Sabrina paddle.

August 22, 23, 24 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) - Twin Lakes (Mammoth Lake Loop). Camping at lake is hit or miss during summer due to high occupancy rates, but alternatives available, AND location allows paddling multiple Sierra lakes in a day if desired. If we can't obtain reservations, we may stay a few miles away, and cartop and shuttle boats to the various lakes. (see posted photos below from our August 22, 23, 25, 2008 paddle of this area)

September 12, 13, 14 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) - Lake Tahoe paddle, from South Lake Tahoe area to Emerald Bay Boat Camping site. Camp at Emerald Bay, with short paddles around and north of the bay during our stay. Night of the 13th will be the actual day we camp at Emerald Bay. PLEASE RSVP BY September 9, as this may be shifted over to a more local area due to input from other members as we have few interested in Tahoe this year (gas prices getting to everyone, it seems). Call 760-920-8450 to RSVP.

October 21, 22 (Tuesday, Wednesday) - Convict Lake with overnight camping at the lake. Bar-b-q at the campground Tuesday night.

November 1 (Saturday) - HIgh Sierra Fall Finale - Paddle South Lake (near Bishop) before she freezes for the season. Elevation is 9,760 Ft, so can be a tad chilly in November, but beautiful. And time frequently coincides with fall foliage display along the Bishop Creek area. 11am launch.

A reminder to be careful out there, especially on larger lakes with greater wind and fetch, create dangers. While we don't know the details, this is one event that says if you are paddling on an isolated body of water, with no one else around, it is best to paddle with a buddy. Link to news article:

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Twin Lakes club camping trip in August 2008, included Twin Lakes (Mammoth Lakes area) along with Lake Mary and Sotcher Lake.

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February 2008 - Paddling the lower Owens near Lone Pine Pond. Yep, the tules blocked us off from going north, etc. But, the beer still tasted pretty good! Mt. Whitney can be seen directly above Al, aka the guy with the white hair. Rhoda is holding a diet Pepsi :)

Welcome to the Eastern Sierra Kayak and Canoe Club! While we are based in Lone Pine, California - right under Mt Whitney - our club is a loose-knit group of kayakers and canoe-lovers who enjoy paddling the Eastern Sierra. We have few rules (actually, next to none), no requirements, etc - translation - the club is designed for fun and paddlers getting together. Want a kayaking country club? - we are not it! What we ARE is a club that meets frequently at various Sierra Lakes, and, when the Sierra lakes are frozen, we meet at Lake Mead, etc. Bring your RV (or tent), and join us for a day or two, relaxing, kayaking or doing nothing else except discussing boats with other paddlers.

Above is our club burgee. Light blue represents the clear air and skies of the Eastern Sierra (except for the dust storms off Owens Lake!), yellow-gold represents the Eastern Sierra, with the third peak to the right a VERY rough version of Mt Whitney, and finally the deep blue below the the mountains represents the crystal blue waters of the lakes of the High Sierra.

Eastern Sierra Kayak & Canoe Club, PO Box 125, Lone Pine, CA 93545. For all US mail, ONLY use the PO box, for all other contacts (UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc), use our office address i.e. Eastern Sierra Kayak & Canoe Club, c/o Cruise Planners, 120 N. Main St, Lone Pine, CA 93545. US Post Office in Lone Pine does NOT deliver to street addresses in Lone Pine. Telephone for information is 760-920-8450 cell, or Keith's office at 760-876-5605. Fax is 760-876-5473. Email is westernpaddling@gmail.com

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We are in the process of figuring out our 2008 events, including a winter paddle somewhere along the Colorado River - Black Canyon has been mentioned. With winter pretty much here and lakes in the Eastern Sierra getting colder and colder, they will soon ice up and not be usable until spring. The Colorado River trip will give us a bit of warmth :)

For 2008 we are looking at club events paddling Lake Sabrina, Mammoth Lakes, and Caples. At least 2 bar-b-que's at Diaz Lake. And perhaps a trip by ferry to Catalina for a paddling around Avalon or Twin Harbors.

Another item we are checking is cost and availability of packers into some of the lakes of the High Sierra, Thousand Island and Gem Lake being two we have our eye on (these are to the west of Silver Lake in the June Lake area). If the cost of horses/mules to carry the inflatable kayaks up and down the mountain is within reason, it will make for a rather memorable summer.

Finally, if you happen to be at the north end of Lake Tahoe on Saturday, November 10, 2007, we will be spending a couple of hours paddling from Kings Beach. We will park at the Coon St Boat Ramp and Picnic Area, on the east side of the community of Kings Beach, and right before you reach the California/Nevada border. There are some boulder formations about 3/4 mile away at the state line I want to look at :) There from about 1:30pm - 3pm or so

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We have a club paddle for Convict Lake on October 7. We were originally thinking of Lake Sabrina, but at 9,000 ft+ and the early snowfall we have had in the Sierra, we decided to go back to Convict, since elevation is very roughly 2,000 ft less, and therefore we should not have snow issues :)

We are looking for a Lake Mead or Catalina/San Diego paddle for winter - more will be posted in a week or two.

While it is not a club event, FYI we will be paddling on Lake Natoma (Folsom, CA) on October 14 & 15 2007 as part of a demo event for Aibonito (the kayak/quilt/pottery/travel store in Lone Pine). However, if you are a club member in the area, drop by and enjoy a paddle (and perhaps a brew). Plan is to use the Willow Creek launch area. Call ahead to make sure we are there if you wish to join us - the demo part is appointment, so if no one calls to confirm their demo paddle, we might decide to try a different nearby lake.

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New photos of paddling the Owens River from HWY 6 (north of Bishop) to Warm Springs Road (south of Bishop, beyond the golf course), are now up on the Owens River page of this site. Thanks to Ron, Greg, John and Dan for a great paddle.

Remember to join the club for our South Lake paddle, on Sunday 12 August 2007. No currents, and usually light breezes :)

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Water level on this lake, unlike our most recent paddles, is reported to be lower than normal. Launch ramp for regular boat trailers may not be usable, but for kayaks being carried down, this should not be an issue.

Parking is at the area marked "End of Road" just past the ramp. There is parking and a USFS restroom. We do have carts to move boats down to the launch ramp area if needed - it will only be required if parking is tight and you do not want to lose your spot just to move the boat closer to the put-in.

Paddle departure time at 10:30 am from the launch ramp. This is a very pretty lake, easy to paddle as it is not too big. Roughly 23 miles or so southwest of Bishop, but road is very good most of the way. After the South Lake paddle, for those who wish, there is ample time to also paddle nearby Lake Sabrina.

From Bishop, turn west towards Sierra on Line St (aka HWY 168). If driving from the south (from LA, Lone Pine, etc), Line Street will have the very first traffic light as you enter Bishop.

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22 July 2007 - Quick reminder - Day trip to Silver Lake in the June Lake Loop planned for Sunday 29 July - map on newsletter reprinted further down on this page. We will be in the parking lot from 10:30 on, and on the water no later than 11am. Goal is to paddle both the lake, and head as far as we can up Rush Creek which is accessed from the southeast side of the lake.

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Updated photos for our Owens River paddle, with 4 kayaks from Tinemaha Resv. to Aberdeen Station Road, with river mileage of just under 7 miles. From home page, click on "Lakes", then click on "Owens River".

Updated photos for the Mammoth Lakes area, for Twin Lakes, Horseshoe Lake, Lake Mamie, and an entirely new page for new photos of Lake George. From home page, click on "Lakes", then click on "Mammoth Lakes Loop" to access the various lake pages.

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The club now has its own website address: www.easternsierrakayak.com For now, if you go to that web address, it is pointed back to the page you are currently viewing. Eventually, down the line, it will be the club's own web address - our intent is to separate it from westernpaddling.com at a later date, so that the club is independent from westernpaddling.com, which does have a bit of advertising on it (ie Aibonito and the inflatable kayaks sold at our store, etc).

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We have added photos of our first paddle on the lower Owens River. Hopefully by next week we will have photos of the river around Independence...in the meantime, go to http://www.westernpaddling.com/owens_river.htm for photos taken just north of Lone Pine Narrow Gauge Road. This portion is a short stretch, but given that it was dry back in January, a remarkable come back!

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Today's Los Angeles Times (Sunday Edition) has a 3 page article on the restoration of the lower Owens River, well worth reading. Best of all, describes a kayak trip down a portion of the river. Starts with kayak photo on page one of the California section.

Not sure how long they will leave it up, but was current on Sunday July 8, 2007. There is also a video roughly 3 minutes long showing an inflatable sit-on-top kayak going down the lower Owens River.

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Here is a map to help everyone find the Silver Lake location for the 29 July 2007 paddle. It is in the June Lake Loop, very roughly 5 miles or so west/northwest from the town of June Lake. Drive is about 1 hr 45 to 2 hours from Lone Pine, an hour less from Bishop, and a short drive from Mammoth Lakes.

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Photos were taken just north of Lone Pine where Lone Pine Narrow Gauge Road meets the Owens River.

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Rumour has it we might even have samples of poi. Location for the party is at Lake Diaz, on the west side of the lake (ie where the campgrounds are located). Look for a black Jeep, white Wells Cargo trailer with US Flag or club burgee flying (club burgee decals are alson on the trailer sides), a bunch of kayaks, etc. We will be there all day Sunday, 3pm-ish being feed time.

26 June 2007 - The Lake Tahoe paddle mentioned in the newsletter was planned right before the June 2007 Tahoe fire - which is still ongoing as we write this. We think we will still be able to paddle to Emerald Bay, but if not, the back up will be Caples Lake, just south of Lake Tahoe, off Hwy 88. Caples is fun, with cool summer temperatures, and lots of little islands dotting the lake, great for "private" club lunch picnics. Primary concern about Tahoe will be availability of motel or hotel rooms and campsites, due to the number of Tahoe residents requiring new, temporary housing.

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