Wildlife Kayaking Tour

Utah Lake is full of wildlife and the estuaries of the lake provide excellent habitat for birds of prey, waterfowl, amphibians, aquatic mammals and other mammals just seeking rest with the cool of the river's enviting breeze or a refreshing drink.

I imagine a human on a kayak looks like a duck out of water to a Mule Deer. (Picture taken from the Spanish Fork River) Every once in a while I will get a suprise, like the mountain lion and cub that payed me a visit while I was kayaking near the shores of Provo Bay or the elusive otters hunting the fish spawns. One of the big keys to wildlife kayaking is the soft and quiet appoach if you really want a good look or a great picture move quietly and aproach slow.

There are many places on the lake to go and see wildlife. The three tours I will mention here will be The Spanish Fork River, The Provo River Delta and Provo Bay following he path of Mill Race. Each of these tours offers a unique experience.

The Spanish Fork River

The Mouth of the Spanish Fork River is at a place called Sandy Beach. If you are expecting a white sandy beach with palm trees you may be disapointed. However, it's namesake is because of the hard bottom shallow shoreline that allows people to walk far out into the lake for recreation. The State has been spending a lot of money over the last few years in an effort to create more recreation opportunities there. The beach resembles tidal change because of water levels make drastic changes to the apearence of the beach and it provides amazing habitat for wading birds looking for an easy meal ticket.

You can launch from Sandy Beach or right into the river depending on water levels. I may mention water levels often. It is the changing water levels that make this such a great tour by providing habitat for over 200 species of birds that reside at the lake.

At the mouth of the river is a slow moving curent that you will be paddling against. Don't fret to much about it. In a kayak it is mostly like a flat water paddle. A few miles up the curant could get a little swifter depending on the water levels. On occasion I have ended my upsteam journey and turned around to complete the rest of the tour because of upstream battle. Most of the time I can reach the first irrigation dam without to much difficulty. On the upstream journey there are many wildlife opportunities. To get the most out of your trip you will need to watch at the banks and the trees as well as listen for different animals. There are Great horned owls and other birds of prey that frequent this river. This may supprise you, when it comes to birds, the Great Horned Owl (Also called the Tiger Owl) is number 5 on the man killer list.

The Provo River Delta

I am very excited for all the future adventures that I will have at the delta. This was essentially the first year (2025) that the delta has been opened to the public. Invasive plants were removed and local plants have been seeded and have had several years to grow and compete before the public was allowed in. I always tell people that it is like kayaking at Utah Lake 300 plus years ago. Ofcourse this is not completely true. Many of the fish species that existed centuries ago are no longer there. One of the reasons for the making of the delta is to replace the old delta that was removed through farming development and the building of an Airport starting back in the 1930's. It is a place where a certain species of fish that has now come off the indangered species list can revitalize. The delta is basicly a replacement delta that now exists on the north side of the Provo Marina. the local wildlife have taken right to it.

There is a boat ramp just north from the parking lot where you can enter the Delta. At the mouth of the canal entrance are two domestic ducks that will greet you. At least they were there in 2025 just about all year. I usually bring them a little chicken scratch as a strange payment to enter the delta. I don't know were they escaped from but they just moved in like they own the place.

This is a different tour at different times of the year. The animals seem to trade off dominated certain areas and it is fun to watch and see how they interact with each other.

Provo Bay via Mill Race

Mill Race is a fun tour. The entrance is right next to the I15 freeway so it is easy to get too. You will want to pick the season you go here. The duck hunters love this little get away place. I advise not to go during duck hunting season. Other than that this is an amazing kayak tour. This is the place that I have seen some of the lesser seen animals on Utah Lake, such as night herons and otters. The coots are plentiful here and it is fun to watch then run on water when they are taking off or escaping. Provo bay is a large area so you will see many different species flying over head as you are kayaking.

One of my favorite optional experiences on Mill Race is the tunnel followed by a small rapid after exiting the tunnel. It is a great way to start your journey. Kayaking in a tunnel is not everybodys thing, especially when it is filled with harmless orb weaver spiders that create beatiful wall coverings that line the tunnel. It is somewhat more exiting in the fall when the bats are hunting in the tunnels at dusk.

As you make a few turns on this meandering river the noise of the freeway disapates and the chatter of water fowl begins to bring a serenity to the paddling exerience. The Yellow Headed Black Birds and the Red Winged Black Birds are all over. This is there nesting grounds. You will here them and see them throughout the trip. If you are lucky you will also see pockets of pelicans in you paddling experience.