Echo Lake: The Kayaking Adventure

Echo Lake is located at Moose Lake State Park, so if you’d like to know more about the park in general check that one out too. This post will be talking about my kayaking experience.

How to get there and where to park

You get to the boat landing by following the road into the park and to the left, past the parking lot. It does go from paved to dirt, so don’t worry, you are still going the right way. There will be an area to park on the right that is on a dirt lot with trees. I pulled right up to the boat launch and unloaded my gear then parked the car. Hauling my boat and gear on the gravel across the parking area is not something I’m going to do, plus, energy conservation.

Bathrooms and the park office

There are no bathrooms in this area (if memory and the map serves), so make sure to use the facilities at the park office before you go if that’s going to be an issue. You can also rent equipment at the park office if you don’t have your own. I don’t remember the exact cost, but I know it is fairly reasonable.

About the paddle

Echo Lake is a small lake and is fairly quiet. It is near the campground and there is a fishing pier and swimming area, however, you don’t necessarily have to encounter others if you aren’t feeling it. While I was there, I chatted with a few people who were fishing. They had some luck and caught a few panfish. Other than that, I saw one person on shore while out on the lake and they were from the campground. There is a hiking trail near the boat landing, so you may see people wandering around as you paddle.

The paddle was nice and calm overall. I found a nice patch of lily pads to hang out in for a bit to rest, bask in the sunlight, and watch the loons. There was some wind, which affected currents, but it wasn’t anything I was really concerned about. For the most part, I tend to follow the shoreline and skip the open water, so I don’t have to fight currents. Energy conservation, yo. It comes in more than one form.

Energy Conservation

Speaking of energy conservation, for me, kayaking is a gentle way to move my body. I am sitting down, floating, and using my core and shoulders to slowly get myself around. Using proper form is important, so make sure to look into it if you aren’t sure what to do. I went the trial by error route when I first started (as I tend to do) and it results in sore muscles and blisters from holding the paddle incorrectly. The most strenuous part of it all is transporting the boat–getting it up and down from the roof rack, strapping it down, etc. If you have someone to help you, I’d recommend that.

I have a set of wheels that I bought (the ones I have talked about in previous posts) and those helped me get it from my door to the car, so less energy was used. It is a struggle when there’s no one around to help, but most of the time I can ask someone in my support circle, and they are willing to assist.

My goal is to get an EZ Rack set up for my vehicle to make transport so much easier; it will just take some saving. If you want to see my current set up and check out the EZ Rack, you can do so here. Want to help me reach the EZ Rack goal? You can do that below.