Champion Lake
Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge
Dayton, Texas
June 20, 2026
Trip Report by Natalie Wiest
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Put-in and Take-Out
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Champion Lake boat ramp, CR 417, Dayton TX
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River Miles
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5.0 miles
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Gage
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10’ at the Moss Bluff gage, Trinity River
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Temperature
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74 deg F to 85 deg F
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Sky
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Overcast, light showers
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Wind
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5-10 mph SE; occasional gusts later
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Coordinator
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Natalie Wiest
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Participants
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Bruce Bodson, Linda Davis, Chuck Falk, Georgette Falk, Grady Hicks, Carl Kuhnen, Dan Mindar, Alice Nissen, Bob Scaldino, Natalie Wiest
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Craft
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4 sea kayaks, 2 canoes, 3 recreational kayaks, 1 SOT kayak
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Despite not-so-good weather forecasts for Houston, our group of 10 decided we would chance it and get out on the water after a half hour delay due to thunderstorms.
Our best-dressed for the weather paddlers Bob and Dan came well prepared with special kayak designed cagoules, keeping their torsos dry and water out of the cockpits of their kayaks.
A variety of craft set out from shore. There was a visible downstream current in front of the boat ramp, so we knew the swamp was draining from heavy rains the week before. There was a persistent rumble of thunder in the distance but Chuck Falk had a lighting meter that kept us informed of approaching weather.
I opted to head up Caney Creek to see if we could access many of the duck hunting locations we hadn’t been able to visit during the low water conditions that have been present for a long time. We were successful at getting into all of the sites along our route. Site #5 has always been a favorite and we got there easily this day.
It was tempting to try cross-country routes, out of the main channel, since we could paddle just about anywhere but we opted out as I wasn’t sure we could even recognize the main channel once we crossed it out in the woods.
Later in the year and at lower water levels aquatic vegetation can limit navigability. There was no problem this time. Duckweed (green) and azola (red) favor still waters. We saw some but not a lot of it.
We saw only a few alligators, but this impressive fishing spider was on full display with her egg sac back in the brush. She looked to be a good 4” across and I’m glad she did not opt to go for a ride on my kayak.
Another blessing of the overcast skies was the comfortable temperatures. It was a lovely day on the water, and we’ll look forward to more for the summer.
