Moose Creek Reservoir is about an hour away, a fifty minute drive east from Moscow, Idaho. My heart sank as we initially drove into the recreation area–a small lake surrounded by campgrounds and fishing docks, where people set up for the day with coolers of beer, dogs, and (unfortunately) dirt bikes and ATV’s. I’m a grump about noisy vehicles in the wilderness that spew diesel fumes and scare off the wildlife. Nevertheless, we saw several osprey and nesting geese. I suppose they grow used to us.
But paddle to the end of the lake and a stream winds into a quiet, beautiful area which, both weekend days we went, we had to ourselves. I ended up loving it. I wanted to stop in the middle and simply savor the quiet and the beauty, and in fact I did just that, driving my kayak into a grassy bank to gaze in front of, behind, and all around me, and breathe in the fragrance of pine and fir.
I’m not sure how far you could paddle in the summer. There was a decent current in late April–not too difficult to forge upstream, but you have to maneuver quick around some tight corners, and watch for shallow spots. The flow would probably be much less in summer. We eventually turned around where a log snag had fallen across the water. A dirt road goes about a mile into the quiet area as well if you have to take turns with the kayaks and want a nice walk. Like so many places near me, this is a good place to visit in Spring.
A. M. Nelson 