Dardanelles Lake lies in a basin in the plateau country south of Roche Lake and east of Stump Lake.   The main route is on the Dardanelles Forest Service Road which starts at the north end of Stump Lake.   It is a 21 km backroad, gradually climbing to 1260m.   The last short section is a rough road (high clearance) to the Dardanelles Lake Recreation Site.

There is a good hand launch at the edge of the lake.

The lake was quiet except for a trio of loons, busy fishing for lunch.   There is a small forested island in the lake.

There has been a fair amount of logging in the area, but the shoreline of the lake is mostly forested.

A young loon kept a low profile in the water as the parents fished nearby.

The long road in goes through several ecozones, starting in the grasslands and working up through the upper grasslands- aspen groves to the montane forest.

This is a long route in but if you choose to paddle Dardanelles Lake you may be the only one in the area.   On the day we drove in there was one dedicated fisherman (on a weekday).   He had a camper at the lake’s edge and said he just drove slowly over the rough sections.   It would certainly be a quiet spot overnight.

More information:

• Dardanelles Lake Recreation Site
• turn at N50° 22.079′ N W120° 08.308′