Kayaking Jackson Lake, Day 3

Sunday, July 23rd, Day 3. After taking Aspen for a quick trot to stretch her legs, we began our journey to Jackson Lake. Along our drive to Jackson Lake, a herd of Bison could be seen from the road off in the distance across the valley.  An AIS and launch permit is required for all watercraft inside the park.

With all permits in hand, we headed over to the boat launch to set the “Big Mango” afloat into Jackson Lake. We paddled south from the confines of the marina along the eastern shore, the grandeur of the Tetons on full display directly to the west. Our expedition took us along the inside passage of one of the many islands dotting the lake and into Colter Bay; we are always constantly on the lookout for wildlife along the shore. At this point, we had been sheltered from the winds as we continued our journey toward open water, passing to the west of another unnamed island into Half Moon Bay.

Then, suddenly there were no islands to protect us from the moderate westerly winds as we paddled towards a peninsula across the bay to gain an advantage before paddling back to the North. Gaining the southern shore of an island directly North of the peninsula, we set our sights on Sheffield Island and began paddling back into the pesky westerly winds. Soon, we approached Little Mackinaw Bay and passed to the east of yet another island, the wind had begun to subside.

We continued our journey north and before long we were paddling parallel to the Colter Bay Lakeshore Trail, directly to the west of the marina. Paddling a bit further along the shoreline, we decided it was time to turn around and begin our journey back to the launch site. We paddled just over 6.5 miles and enjoyed every moment.