We rode past the tiny town of Kelly and into the Bridger Teton National Forest and Gros Ventre wilderness area. As we neared the lake, there were towering red rock and "regular" rock cliffs. Every now and then, we would round a bend and see a lone tree that had turned golden.... harbingers of Fall!
We continued along the narrow winding roads and then, there was the lake. Slide Lake is about 2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide. It is a natural lake, created on June 23, 1925 when the Gros Ventre landslide dammed the Gros Ventre River. The lake was once much larger, however part of the rock dam failed on May 18, 1927, causing deadly flooding downstream and nearly washing away the little town of Kelly.
The lake is very different from one side to the other, with tall cliffs in one direction and a lush green ranch and hills of pine forest in the other.
The lake has a rocky shore and cool, clean turquoise water. We inflated the paddle board, set up our chairs and spent a few hours just relaxing...
Slide Lake has campsites and a small boat ramp. It is also home to natural and stocked fish including lake and Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish.
My friend accidentally brought the lightweight kayak paddle (thin, curved blades on both ends) instead of the paddle board paddle (handle on one end, firm, flat blade on the other) so we mostly just took turns sitting, kneeling and standing on the board. It was a little windy and choppy, but still fun to be on the water. After years pf paddling in the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean in NC and FL, and even once on the TN River... now I can finally say I paddled on a fresh water lake in Wyoming! ;)
Yes, I do "work" on a ranch, but I seem to be finding plenty of time to enjoy the surrounding area and meet fun, new people!
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