Cliff Lake Camping

My first Moose sighting happened here! Holly and Rosemary and I drove our rigs to Cliff Lake, near the Madison Valley, and enjoyed a perfect 3 days of camping. We were able to camp right on the lake with our boats set up at the edge of camp. We were pleasantly surprised that our new friend, Pam, showed up too with her partner, Paul. We had just met Pam at Sue's potluck and we all had thought to ourselves that we would like to get to know each other better, so it was great having Pam as our neighbor.

The weather was perfect with warm mornings and early afternoons to enjoy great kayaking on the beautiful, still lake. We saw many golden and bald eagles, several osprey, and even a group of about 10 otters swimming, playing, and fishing in the lake. Our first day there, we took an evening paddle and saw a moose cow and her calf feeding at the water's edge - alas no camera with me. The next morning I woke up and saw them again, but by the time I jumped in my boat and paddled over to them, they had grazed up into the forest and I didn't get a good picture.

There really is a moose and her calf in this picture!

The late afternoons usually clouded over, but we were able to enjoy dinner and a campfire before the light show started. Fabulous thunder and lightning storms and some rain. I loved being tucked into my cozy upper bunk watching the night sky light up and listening to the dramatic rolling thunder.

One day we rode our bikes on the trail next to the lake and had to seek shelter for awhile when it started raining. I was a bit nervous in the forest because we had heard that a grizzly had been hanging around the lake. I'd like to see one from a distance, but I don't want to surprise mama bear in the forest.