Category Archives: Snowshoeing

Winter snowshoeing in the hills.

Clapperton Ridge Snowshoe

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By mid-February the colder temperatures gave way to better conditions for outdoor activities.    I drove north through Lac du Bois Provincial Park to the upper end of the grasslands just south of McQueen Lake.     I snowshoed an old cart track through an open bowl, then a forested section (douglas fir and aspens), to the open grasslands of the Lac du Bois Conservation Area.    My goal for the day was to get to a viewpoint on the southwest side of Clapperton Hill. The winter sun shone bright through thin clouds as I followed stomped-in tracks to the ridge. I crested the ridge and stopped to enjoy views over the grasslands, to Mount Mara, and over to Wheeler Mountain. … Continue reading →

Insectopia to Mod Squad

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On a cool February a group of fellow snowshoers followed a route which combined a series of the Chuwhels Mountain dirtbike trails (GKMA) from Lodgepole Lake though the forests and plantations in a large loop which went over a hilltop above the whole area.    Some of the trails were stomped in, but at least half needed to be stomped in.   We followed single tracks near Lodgepole Lake to get to the Insectopia Trail, then we combined more trails (Mod Squad, Something Nasty, Roots of All Evil, Mikey Likes It, and Walloper Creek Trail) and some backcountry double tracks for an 8.5 km (4+ hour) snowshoe outing. Insectopia wound up through the hills and required extra trail-breaking. The Mod Squad … Continue reading →

Jacko Lake Stomp

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On a mild winter day at the end of January I decided to stomp on snowshoes into Jack Lake and back.   We can drive up the gravel road in 3 seasons to kayak the lake, but there is now a gate on the access road so no one is going in to the lake.    I checked it out a week before and there were no tracks.   When I arrived back, there was a single ski track to follow. I used snowshoes since the snow was deep enough to make hiking more difficult.   The sun was peeking through the clouds off and on during the stomp in and back. The ski track was gone after about 0.5 km, then I … Continue reading →

Hull Hill Snowshoeing

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We drove up the Lac le Jeune Road, then turned east onto the Goose Lake Road.   A short way down the road is a snowy backroad that angles southeast.    The road has a number of branch roads (some new ones), but the main branch crosses Anderson Creek, then winds up the western flank of Hull Hill.    We parked at the start of this double track.     A few people snowshoe the area so the first part of the road has been packed down and has lots of parking.    There are few tracks leading off in different directions, but we chose a single track the climbs to the south. The stomped-in track winds through thinned forests to a … Continue reading →

Eureka – The Meaning of Life

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On  a mild winter day I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road, then turned onto the Chuwhels Mountain Road on a plowed road up to Lodgepole Lake.    From the parking area at the west end of the lake, I hiked back across the lake, then turned north up into the hills, following an old snowed-in double track for the first part of the route to Eureka Lake. There had been a snowmobile track to follow for about a kilometer, but then I had to break trail for a while. At 1.5 km up the double track I turned right onto a single track motorcycle trail called Meaning of Life.     There were snowshoe tracks on to follow continuing … Continue reading →