Pigeon Lake Algae? Moyie Lake?

[Okotokian]

HI all. Considering a cabin on Pigeon Lake, particularly south shore, Crystal Springs area. My concern is about the blue-green algae that seems to appear almost every year. Where and when does it usually occur and how big is the bloom? I have no desire to buy a place and then smell a stink half the year and not be able to use the lake for fishing, tubing, etc. Any experience or info?

Alternately, considering a place on Moyie Lake in southern BC. Any info? Thanks.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

HI all. Considering a cabin on Pigeon Lake, particularly south shore, Crystal Springs area. My concern is about the blue-green algae that seems to appear almost every year. Where and when does it usually occur and how big is the bloom? I have no desire to buy a place and then smell a stink half the year and not be able to use the lake for fishing, tubing, etc. Any experience or info?

Alternately, considering a place on Moyie Lake in southern BC. Any info? Thanks.

All I'll say is Alberta Lakes will only get worse for blue green algae.

[JB_AOL]

IMHO, lake life in Alberta is ****, unless you are retired and can sit and wait for the good weather/lake conditions, or just want to look at the lake.

Between the weather and algae, I'd look west.

As much as I hate to say it.. BC is the place to be for lakes.

[Talking moose]

Was pretty good this year.

[Drewski Canuck]

In a bad year the blue green algae can smell, but it really is all the summer kill fish that go with it that adds that extra "flavor".

Very hard to get kids and the wife to wade in water with bloaters everywhere.

Drewski

[Justfishin73]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

All I'll say is Alberta Lakes will only get worse for blue green algae.

This---go with BC

[mooseknuckle]

Go BC for a lake lot. Longer season, little to no algae issues.

[DoePolicyAnalyst]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

HI all. Considering a cabin on Pigeon Lake, particularly south shore, Crystal Springs area. My concern is about the blue-green algae that seems to appear almost every year. Where and when does it usually occur and how big is the bloom? I have no desire to buy a place and then smell a stink half the year and not be able to use the lake for fishing, tubing, etc. Any experience or info?

Alternately, considering a place on Moyie Lake in southern BC. Any info? Thanks.

I've had some experience with both lakes - Grandparents owned a cabin close to Pigeon and my Aunt and Uncle have a place just off Moyie. If I were to pick a lake to purchase on, I'd go with Moyie - it's colder than Pigeon but otherwise a great lake for boating, tubing, skiiing and swimming (I don't have a lot of fishing experience with either lake). Moyie is close to Cranbrook, so you're not too far from civilization if you need to resupply and it's a beautiful spot tucked up in the mountains. Even 20 years ago anytime we went swimming at Pigeon, we'd get the itch, and it's only getting worse as time goes by and we never had that problem out at Moyie.

[Zip]

Water was pretty good out here in Pigeon Lake this year...but we also received more than enough rain to make things seem better. We were also out in BC this past month golfing and kayaking but in one okanagain camp ground called Pierre's Point campground that had warning signs up for e-coil problem in the lake..the caretakers told us that the entire summer was bad, zero people using that part of the lake...it's getting bad no matter where you go, BC being a better bet still at this point....hope you find just the right spot OKO..
Zip

[Big Grey Wolf]

Recent study by County found lake property on Pigeon lake depreciated by average of $255,000 when Blue-Green algae hit the lake.

[lannie]

Moyie without a doubt. Stay south of Calgary for decent water.

[1899b]

North of Calgary it’s all sloughs with fish in them. Head to Sask or south of Calgary . Sask you can keep fish at least..

[Zip]

E

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Recent study by County found lake property on Pigeon lake depreciated by average of $255,000 when Blue-Green algae hit the lake.

I can believe that...I've seen some pretty high prices come way way down over the last few years on units still for sale on the north side of the lake...plus there seems to be many people missing from coming this way on weekends..less campers, less boats, less everything in this community at Mulhurst, but we still enjoy the idea that the golf course is my back yard and I can use it almost whenever I feel like it..not many people coming here as in green fee players, the course was in good shape this year soo I got lotsa practice in just to shave only about 2 -3 shots over 18 holes..more practice next year in my future, we live in the seasonal lots at the golf course..still here right now until at least 15 of October, we get as much outa the season as we can as we enjoy the quiet this place has to offer...so please stay away, it's perfect, unless you wanna golf, then come on in...sorry I got off track, talking golf will do that to me...yes values are down on most buildings now for sure...sad really it's a great place to be. Lotsa empty seasonal lots in the park to move a trailer onto..just shy of 5 grand gets you a place to park for the complete summer with your trailer, build a deck, shed, roof over everything, golf course, water in front...it's great here...costs us about $43.00 a night if we spend just over 100 nights here over the summer golf included, we are retired so we can spend from April till middle of October if we want to..makes it cheaper by the day..
Zip
Zip

[Big R]

I got a place at Moyie Lake. Love it. No regrets.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Zip

E

I can believe that...I've seen some pretty high prices come way way down

Seems it has. Cabins at Pigeon seem to be substantially cheaper than Sylvan, Gull, or Buffalo... which is why we could afford it there! LOL oh well.

Thanks all for the advice!

[thumper]

Sold our cabin on Moyie Lake last year - had it for 15 years and loved it. Clean, cool lake with no upstream development to speak of. Fishing's good off the dock for stocked trout, nothing big, and stunted perch and even sunfish are becoming more common. Good bass fishing nearby too. South Moyie Lake has a large RV development on it, complete with marina, so it can get very busy with wake-boats. Lots to do locally - from gold panning to endless atv/dirt biking, quick trips to Idaho for shopping or Silverwood Amusement Park with the kids, Cranbrook has everything you need, and Creston is fun with all of it's fresh fruit and veggies markets.
Down-sides: The last few years have had lots of forest fire smoke - our place was under evacuation order a couple of years back. Highway and train traffic noise - both hug the shoreline in some areas. The number of wake-boats generating pounding shoreline waves on some week-ends can get annoying, although that seems to be decreasing as our average population ages and fuel prices increase. You can expect to pay a premium for being from Alberta - in both property taxes and contractor pricing. And the drive can get old in a hurry - it's a long 4 1/2 hours on 2 lane highway, although it is a pretty drive - especially if you go through Kootenay Park / Radium. Also, for 15 years we put all of our attention and resources into the place, (we built the cabin from scratch) neglecting our Alberta home and not really travelling much to other destinations!
We're very happy with the time we spent there, especially extended family times with kids playing and exploring, but our family dynamics have changed as the kids have all grown up and started their own busy lives, and we're on to other things as well (travelling).
Whichever you choose, my advice is to do it now! Don't wait until your family gets any older!

[sharpstick]

What are you wanting out of a cabin/lake? Pigeon has great golf courses, the village, huge lake and great walleye fishing and is closer. Moyie has fish but not walleye, has a bit longer of a season, hotter weather, BC taxes, further drive, more expensive for almost everything. (gas, food, beer etc). I had a place a Pigeon (Crystal Springs) for 9 years. I liked the close drive (2.5 hours dorr to door), met some great people and fishing was great, kids loved it. But August sucked on the water most years as the algae bloom took over. We still fished and boated but it isn't too pleasant. Real estate has taken a huge kick since we left so you could likely find a good deal. I try to avoid spending any $ in BC, we continue on to Lake Kookanusa on the US side. You might want to check that out. Closer than Moyie, better lake, and Montana is heaven.
We love it down there and highly recommend it. Real estate has taken a kick down there as well, because of our recession so its definitely a buyers market. But you don't have to buy, just rent a lot like we do and park a RV on it and check out the area. Its a great way to test drive the area without committing to purchase anything.
Best of luck to you.

Cheers,
SS

[Okotokian]

Thanks guys. Passed on Moyie as we were considering a place in a resort. Initially was attractive and affordable but it's a lease, so we would be at the mercy of the owners and what they wanted to do after we had dropped a few hundred grand. Heard some things we didn't like. Not comfortable.

I think Gull is out because of the bloom. Guess we will keep looking. No rush. Again thanks for the input.

[Okotok]

A lot farther drive but I've been seriously thinking about property on Flathead Lake in Montana. Beautiful lake, reasonable and the limit on lakers is 100 a day!

[Red Bullets]

If there is concern about algae blooms remember that the prevailing winds in central Alberta are from the NW so the dead fish and birds from algae blooms will tend to blow into the SE end of lakes.

You might want to consider a cabin on a river. I've seen some nice properties on rivers and hour or so west of Edmonton. For the price of a lake lot and cabin at some lakes you could buy a whole quarter section of land with riverfront.

Example...
https://www.mooresrealty.ca/for-sale...r-64--E4056177