The trails to the Deep Lake area in the east side of Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area dried out after the first week of March and provided good hiking routes into the grasslands.    From the trailhead on Ida Road, I hiked the signed Deep Lake Loop Trail.     The first kilometer is uphill through open forest and on sloping ridges to the grassland bench above.

A single track trail wound through grasslands to the junction with the Grasslands Community Trail (which is 13 km one way to McQueen Lake).

This area is open sagebrush grasslands.

The trail continued to Deep Lake, which was still partly frozen.   A single track continues on around and past Deep Lake, connecting to the Around the Mountain Trail, but in the early season, that trail will be a bit icy or muddy still, so it was left for another hike later in the season.

The two hour loop route included a different trail back to the trailhead, descending down the slopes toward Westsyde and the North Thompson River.

Another hike in the Deep Lake area is planned for later in spring, following a different set of trails through the forest and grasslands.