Annual Lake Pleasant Eagle Watch Paddle & 2-night camp. Fri/Sat. Dec. 6-7, 2024.

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Arrive Friday, leave Sunday. Camping spots will be reserved for two nights by trip organizer at the Desert Tortoise CG ahead of departure. Please register for this trip with Norma Miller ASAP to commit and have a camp spot saved for you (if you have not already done so).

We will share cost of daily reservation fee per site. ($22 per night). Each site can host up to two tents and two cars per site with a total capacity of eight in each. Norma will have a small trailer that can sleep two, at her site, including tents. There are presently two drive-in sites & one walk-in site reserved (people can sleep in their van or car).

At this time I have eight participants signed up for this paddle/camp. If you were not at the club meeting to sign-up, please do so now to have a nearby site reserved for you.  Norma –  tucsonpaddler@gmail.com  or 520-235-8927.

Lake Pleasant Regional Park entrance fee is $7 per vehicle & $2 per non-motorized watercraft.  Plan to drive or carpool to Lake Pleasant (map) early Fri. AM (08:00) to arrive at lake before noon to launch boats from the end of Desert Tortoise Rd. where the road ends at the lake & cars park to unload (no ramp).

The plan is to arrive and launch on Fri. AM before checking into the Desert Tortoise CG to our sites.  Check-in is only after 1 PM.  So, we have opportunity to get in a 2-3 hr. paddle exploring the nearby bays N & S of our campsites. The map shows that our individual reserved campsites are very close to the shore line nearby where we first launched our boats from the cars.

The idea is to return to the shoreline by our campsites after our float, park our boats there, then walk the short distance back to our parked cars along the end of the roadway (saving need to load boat back on car or ?).  We, later, enter the DT CG, that requires a gate code (you will get), & drive/park at our designated sites (see map). From there we can unload for camping. Our boats can be secured below our sites along the waterline safely.

Early next AM after BF, the plan is to paddle close to 5+ miles out east to the Agua Fria River (all flat water) to look for Bald Eagles along the cliffs & explore, enjoy the sights & other wildlife. It may be a 10+ mi. r/t from our camp sites, an all day paddle (bring a lunch/water). A kayak (no inflatables) 8+ ft. is recommended since there is always some wind & chop. If too windy we can choose to return at any time. Bring protective clothing & spray skirts. Good to kayak with friends.

What to bring: binoculars, warm paddling/camping gear, PFDs, etc. We bring enough food/water, etc. for all three days including while on water. There are fire pits if anyone chooses to bring wood for campfires to share. Checkout time is noon on Sunday from the campsite. You have the options to leave at anytime earlier. I’d like to enjoy the lake experience as a group, if possible.

Contact me with questions, etc.  Thanks.  520-235-8927 or email tucsonpaddler@gmail.com