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 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 →
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 →
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 →
We have camped at Big Bar Lake Provincial Park a few times, using it as a basecamp for hiking the Marble Range, for paddling the lakes of the area, and for exploring the area. There is a fine campground with 46 sites overlooking Big Bar Lake. To get to the park, drive west on TransCanada Highway, then turn north at Creek and go north and … Continue reading →
We hiked on the trails on the north end of the Batchelor Hills in Lac du Bois Protected Area on a greyish morning at the end of March. In recent years, the biking community has secured a trail development and management agreement for the Batchelor Hills Trails and they have renamed the trails. We hiked the Bighorn Loop (with a section through Batchelor Pass), a … Continue reading →
In March I hiked from Ida Road onto the Deep Lake Trails, following signed routes in a clockwise loop. The trails were dry and all was quiet. I spotted some wildflowers (sagebrush buttercups) and there were some grasslands birds along the trail. The hike was 5.3 km and took just over two hours. I will be back to hike another loop route in … Continue reading →
I recently hiked the Battle Bluff Trail from the Frederick Road in the Dewdrop Range. This was a 4.5 km hike taking about 1.75 hours. It was very windy on the way up the bluff and too windy to wear a hat on top. The views were great (as always). This was my third hike in the Dewdrop Range and more are … Continue reading →
