Clear as Can Be

Leaping fish, nesting birds, and what’s believed to be the oldest lake in North America. The choice is Clear Lake when it comes to an easy afternoon paddle with plenty of highlights. Your launch point is at Shady Acres on Cache Creek, where you’ll rent your kayak and get a water trail map. Cache Creek flows through the Anderson Marsh area and out to Clear Lake, so this trip visits all three areas. Paddle west from the launch point, drifting past the sun-soaked cottonwoods, weeping valley oaks, and leaping largemouth bass of Cache Creek into Anderson Marsh Natural Preserve. This lush ecological nesting ground is home to huge populations of mallards, red-shouldered hawks, and great blue herons.

Now choose your own adventure (use the map): Take a left at Garner Island and explore the expansive swamp forest of Tule Maze, home to huge populations of nesting western grebes in the spring. Or, take a right at Garner Island and paddle out a couple hundred yards to where the marsh opens up to a spine-tingling panorama of the southeast leg of Clear Lake. Soak in the solitude, bobbing with flocks of resting pelicans before looping around Indian Island up ahead and returning the way you came.

The whole trip takes about 2 hours, but you can make a full day out of it by rounding the eastern lakeshore and exploring the marinas and lake cottages before returning through Cache Creek. Shady Acres offers kayak rentals at their launch point on Cache Creek, $10/hour (minimum of 2 hours; must book one day in advance.) They also offer RV campsites and will be renting out restored vintage campers in the coming months.