Sparks lake is an excellent location for canoeing because of it's convoluted shoreline, with lots of nooks and coves. It is actually 3 lakes in 1, with swampy marshes, ragged shorelines, and shallow water. It sits in the lava fields of the Cascades, at an elevation of 6,550 feet.
Just driving through this area is very spookey - the volcanoes erupted about 40 million years ago, and it has taken that long for Oregon to gain a land-mass. Long ago, about 70 million years, Oregon was covered by warm seas, with low-lying land masses. Ferns, ginkoes and conifers grew in a warm, temperatae climate. Now, it is a strange land, with folds and heaves of old lava fields, stark and black against the sky. Only a few ragged junipers manage to gain a foothold, and many of them last only until the last nutrient gave out.
We almost got a campsite here, but drove on to Hosmer Lake instead. We will definitely come back here again, when we have the time to do a 10 mile paddle.
We always enjoy the wildlife around the lakes we paddle, and this one boasts of Clark's nutcrackers, osprey, ring-necked ducks, and a variety of blackbirds. George always has his books ready to identify bird-life, and I was able to do some filming from the canoe.
