Lake Anna full north-south span day trip

Trip Overview

Started at 7am launching from a neighborhood dock near Lake Anna State park. Very calm waters in the morning on the northside of the lake. If taking the trek to the south end of the lake and back, I would recommend launching from the north park of the lake (somewhere near Lake Anna State Park) as you will depart and return to calmer waters (depending on boat traffic). As you move south, stay close to the eastern shore line along Lake Anna state park to find more flat water and less boat wake. First landmark are the two marines just before the 208 bridge (Anna Point Marina, Highpoint Marina) that will be on your left. Both have picnic benches and boat slips if you need to stop. Public restrooms should be available, but I didn't stop there so I can't say for sure. Be cautious for boat traffic headed to the fuel pumps at these marinas. In between them is a Boat US station, so if you find yourself (or another boat) in trouble, you can flag them down as they have two boats and usually two guys sitting out at the point. As you go under the bridge, stay toward the shore as boats can come through there pretty quickly. Continue southward until you pass the North Anna Nuclear station. As you continue south, you'll see the dike following the lake southward. At the end of that dike, on the eastern shore you will come around Johnson's Point. Directly ahead of you are several small islands. As you continue toward them, look to your left and you'll see a big yellow sign on the far (east) shore that says marina. Should you need to stop, go east and you'll see Dukes Creek Marina which has public restrooms and a convenience shop. If there's not many boats, head through the string of 7 islands to enjoy some calmer natural breakwater. IF there are many boats out, DON'T go through here as many powerboats will congregate in this area. Once you clear these islands, expect higher winds (+3-5mph compared to the north end of the lake) all the way to Pleasants Landing. You can try to hug the eastern shore for some added protection from the winds that come across the south part of the lake, but it may only help minimally and it's a little extra distance. This south part of the lake is widest east-west span and holds the deepest water. Expect powerboats and the occasional sea plane. Pleasants landing has boat docks on the western shore and a sandy/rocky beach in the center with a boat ramp + fuel pump on the eastern side. Just around that boat ramp is another small sandy beach where you can pull in and rest for a bit. If you stay long, someone from the house just off the main beach may approach you as technically you need to pay for admittance. I was there on a non-busy weekday and stopped for lunch and no one bothered me. Near the boat ramp there are porto-potties but they don't get emptied very often, so use at your own risk. Heading northward again, stay near the eastern shore and toward Lake Anna State Park. It's here that I took the left (east) fork and continued toward the 522 bridge and Tim's (away from the park). There's public docks there and you can easily spend a few hours hanging out there. If you're bringing any young paddlers with you there is a great ice cream shop (Moo Thru) and putt-putt golf. There aren't public restrooms, but there are restrooms in the ice cream shop (straight ahead near the register) and Tim's (in the door right off to your right as you enter). This will be the last public area to hang out as you continue northward. I continued on toward Purcell point as this branch is the longest of the 3 main ones on the north side. To get there, stay right when you see the floating volleyball courts at the split. During warm summer days, expect many many boats here as it's shallow and people hang out here. As you continue toward the end of this north branch, there are two neighborhood docks/boat slips both with porto-potties. You'll pass the first one on the right hand-side followed by a second a little ways further on the left hand side. Once you see all the white poles sticking out of the ground and the groups of lily pads you've reached the end of the northmost part of the lake and it's time to turn around. By the time you get back to the splits en route to Lake Anna state park, look both/all ways and boat traffic will be coming from all directions. This can be a very busy intersection. I would recommend staying to the northern part of the shore along the splits before trying to cross the lake. By the time you get to Goodwin's point, it's time to cross. (This will put you roughly aligned with the boat ramp and just north of the main beach at the park.) Make sure to have your kayak broadside facing any boats so they have a better chance seeing you. Total round trip for me (in a 15' fiberglass touring kayak) was 9.5 hrs and 34.5 miles with plenty of short breaks and photo ops. The conditions today were near ideal, so consider this a minimal duration (plan on it taking longer). If considering doing the full north-south span as I did today, I would recommend doing this on a weekday when the temperature is 65-75 deg F. This way you can carry less water and, when it's cooler, there tends to be less powerboat traffic on top of the already light powerboat traffic during the weekdays. Happy paddling!