On a mid-May morning the wind forecasts were favorable for a drive west to Ashcroft. I went through the town and up the Logan Lake Road, then turned onto the Barnes Lake Road. At the far end of the lake is a Rec Site with a shallow boat launch. I unloaded my kayak and paddled around the lake. There are several camping areas around … Continue reading →
On a sunny and windy day in May I drove to the upper side of Aberdeen, then hiked a series of tracks, winding to the top of Coal Hill. I looped back, traversing three sides of Coal Hill back to the track to take me back to the start. This was a 5 km hike with many fine viewpoints and spring wildflowers along the way. … Continue reading →
On a cool and breezy weekday morning I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road to McConnell Lake Provincial Park. I was the first boat on the lake as I launched my kayak to paddle around the lakeshore. I paddled once in a clockwise direction, then reversed it for the second loop for a 5.1 km route. One fishing boat was on the lake by … Continue reading →
On a mid-May day it had rained in the morning so I waited for the afternoon to do a shorter local hike. Although I had hiked Skyline Park once, I had not linked up the trails for a a loop route, with some out-and-back sections too. I started at the trailhead at the east end of Aberdeen Drive, then followed the Buttercup Trail, then … Continue reading →
On a mid-May morning I drove up the Heffley Creek to Sun Peaks Road, then turned down the gravel road to the boat launch area, just west of the Rec Site. With an early start I was the only boat in sight and there were no other vehicles (yet). With almost no wind I paddled out through the islands and into the main lake, staying … Continue reading →
Hikers and mountain bikers have been using Scott Road as a route for decades. It goes right around Rose Hill, but the entire circle route would cross private property, so we use one section of the track. Hikers can hike from Rose Hill Road to the fenced end of Scott Road (about 4 km each way). There are also some short side track … Continue reading →
In early May I drove up the dusty Lac du Bois Road past McQueen Lake and continued northwest to the Pass Lake Recreation Site. The one-lane road goes down to a campground and two boat launch areas. At the farther one I parked the truck, then used the gravel launch for the kayak. I paddled around the lake twice, once in each direction, 5 … Continue reading →
We have paddled Kentucky and Alleyne Lakes and we have hiked the loop trails around the lakes. On our last hike on the trails at the end of summer, we hiked south around Kentucky Lake, then through the campground, to the west side of Alleyne Lake, then north around a series of lakes and back to the start. The north end goes through Douglas … Continue reading →
We knew where an eagle’s nest was in the Dewdrop Range so we ventured out across the sagebrush grasslands hills to a point on top of a hill to look down into the eyrie. We hiked along the Dewdrop Trail, then went west on the benchlands to the top a bluff overlooking a deep gully. In the gully is a tall snag with a … Continue reading →
At the end of April we drove up the Lac du Bois Road to a trailhead into the middle grasslands. the lower grasslands areas are open sagebrush areas, but as we climb higher into the hills, the sagebrush is less common and the slopes are mostly grasslands, with some shrubs and lots of pothole ponds. There is a signed designated trailhead for a number … Continue reading →
