Lonetree Reservoir southwest of Loveland belongs to my favorite paddling waters in northern Colorado. You can always enjoy a nice view of Rocky Mountains Front Range. It is a great spot to shoot sunsets over mountains:
A Peaceful Sunset after a Heavy Gun Fire on the Lonetree Reservoir
5 Pictures in 1: HDR Image of Sea Wind Canoe and Colorado Sunset
Sunset Is Not Always Spectacular over the Front Range of Rocky Mountains
3 Pictures from Sunset Paddling in Northern Colorado

However, in springtime when reservoir is full it’s time to explore some hidden treasures – submerged cottonwood forest in different lake corners. Please note that the heron rookery is a restricted area.

During last few weeks I paddled different boats on the Lonetree Reservoir: Surfrigger (outrigger canoe), Thunderbolt-X kayak, and Sea Wind Canoe. I cannot take Surgrigger into tight passages between cottonwood trees.

There is a lot of floating debris after recent heavy rains. So, Sea Wind is the best choice for my exploration.

7 years ago I was training here with Spencer X-treme canoe for my first Texas Water Safari. I couldn’t find any other place in my vicinity to practice portaging over fallen trees and log jams.

At this high water level you can even escape the lake and explore some irrigation channels.

You can easily find the inlet of a supporting channel to the lake. It is a little water cascade over headgates when the lake is low, but at this time it was the same water level in the reservoir and channel. However, there is also another entry to that channel hidden in woods which I discovered this year. No portage.

Paddling away from the lake across farmland. Deep water, big fish, water foul.

How far can I go? County road 14 bridge.

About 0.5 mile from the lake – another headgate and my turning point

All pictures from a boat were shot with Pentax Optio W30 camera. They turned pretty good, especially, during the last paddling with overcast and a drizzle or rain. Paddling selfportraits were shot with Canon EOS D40 DSLR camera on a tripod with aid of the programmable self timer.

Returning back to the lake.