Bloomington, IN: Griffy Lake Canoeing/Kayaking

Last week Eric's best friend Mike and his wife Kalina came to visit us on their way to Montana, where they are moving for Mike's residency. I took the day off on Thursday to spend it with them, and the weather thankfully cooperated with us all day and we had a really nice day. In the morning we headed up to Griffy Lake to spend some time in nature.

(PS. I only had the GoPro with me, so some of the photos look a little funny thanks to the fisheye lens.)


Griffy Lake Nature Preserve is right in Bloomington. A lot of people don't know there's a great lake and hiking area just a couple of miles north of campus. The road to get to the lake is right across the street from the stadium; almost as soon as your turn off 46, you get into the woods and feel a thousand miles away from civilization.


The boathouse at the lake rents out canoes, kayaks, and rowboats for just $7/hour (cash and check only). You can also bring your own self-powered watercraft and launch it from the boat ramp yourself for $6. We rented one canoe (that Mike, Kalina, and I sat in) and one kayak (for Eric).



The boat launch area is really easy to get in and out, thanks to the rollers. The lady who was working Thursday morning helped us get in the canoe and helped push us out (and pull us in when we got back).




We spent about an hour and a half out on the water. It was pretty hot and we covered the majority of the lake, as well as just relaxed and floated around for a little while. There are several little coves to explore, which I recommend because we saw a lot of animals (mostly birds) back there. (By the way, there's no swimming allowed.)


There is also a dam, which signals the farthest west you can go on the lake (don't get too close to it). Griffy Lake just reopened this year, actually, after being closed for a couple of years to repair the dam.



Griffy Lake also has a lot of hiking available and hosts nature programs. It's nice to have a lake so nearby (Lake Monroe is bigger but farther away) with inexpensive boat rental if we want to take advantage of it. We had a really enjoyable time out on the lake and I would definitely recommend it for nature watching and relaxing on the water. (Also, I am glad I put on bug spray before heading out.)
Bloomington, IN: Griffy Lake Canoeing/Kayaking Bloomington, IN: Griffy Lake Canoeing/Kayaking Reviewed by Maria on 10:00:00 AM Rating: 5

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