Upper Klamath Canoe Trail, Oregon

A Sunset at Rocky Point, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon

Upper Klamath Canoe Trail is a part of Upper Klamath Lake near the town of Klamath Falls. We stayed at the Rocky Point Resort. The canoe trail is popular for birding and its protected waters are a great place for fishing as we witnessed many big fish (as big as a foot long) jump out of water during our paddling excursions. The sunset was gorgeous. In the morning the marsh woke up with the sounds of water-fowl and birds nesting in the grasses along the bank. We saw a number of ducks, pelicans, storks and a few kingfishers during our morning paddle. It is a good idea to carry an insect repellent to keep the flies and bugs away during paddling in the marsh. The water was not deeper than a few feet and we felt it was safe to paddle here.

Paddling the Upper Klamath Canoe Trail

American White Pelicans

American White Pelican

White Pelicans are large (~ 1m wingspan) water birds. We saw them fishing together rounding up the fish to concentrate them in a circle and dipping their beaks in water to scoop the fish. We saw them hanging out around wocus cut and also near the Rocky Point boat ramp.

Wocus Flower

Wocus Flower

Wocus (yellow water lily) flowers look beautiful. Wocus flower was /is important to Klamath Indian tribes as its seeds were the staple diet year-round and the empty shells of the seeds were used to make dye for the woven baskets. The Klamath Indian tribes believe that these plants are important part of the life on the wetlands and they are an important part of their cultural heritage. More details can be found here.