There was a bit of lake water over Kellogg Road and there was a bit of lake water over the end of Tell Blvd.  Both of these sections were easily driven across.  The put-in was mudless.  A great 2 hours on the water.

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Lakes Earl and Tolowa, just north of Crescent City, California, are large 'just inland' lakes.  They maintain thier level by using the beach as a dam, and then by breaching the sand and lowering themselves.  Lake elevation ranges from +2' to +8' or more.

The Put-In is at the Narrows, where there is never any mud.  The narrows is located where Lake Earl becomes Lake Tolowa.  It is the deepest water in the lagoon and the bank drops off at nice angle, regardless of water depth.

Access is via the village of Fort Dick.  From Fort Dick take Morehead Rd west until it stops at Lower Lake Rd.  Turn right on Lower Lake Rd. and take the first left onto Kellogg Rd.  Just before reaching the ocean turn left on Tell Blvd. and follow Tell Blvd. to the end where there is a choice of two gravel roads leading to the narrows and the lakes.

Tell Blvd. is an interesting road.  When you look at the maps you think that this area is heavily populated.  Reality is exactly the opposite.  There are perhaps 4 ramshackle residences at the most, the roads have potholes.  It is a development that never happened.  On the other hand...the put-in is very convenient.
 

 

4 September 2006	Monday	1900	Full Moon, Lake Earl
Trip Notes:  Meet at the Lake View Drive put-in.  Try to be in the water by 1900 (7pm). Final Note:  7 paddlers met at Lake Earl.  After 3 nanoseconds of group deliberation it was decided that we did not want to wade through 3 foot deep mud to access the lake.  So we caravanned to the Crescent City Harbor and paddled for a couple of hours under moonlit fog.  It was a magical evening.  We even poked out into the ocean beyond the breakwater for a moment or two. A note about the mud:  Lake Earl was low.  If the water level had been even one foot higher the put-in would have been fine.