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.

The central area of the grasslands slopes down from Clapperton Hill and Wheeler Mountain to Long Lake.

Long Lake lies in the low valley under the Batchelor Range.    I will be hiking there again this spring.

I followed good tracks up to the shoulder of Clapperton Ridge, then made my own track around the hill to a viewpoint.    I returned on lower tracks which paralleled my route in, and back to the truck.    The snowshoe-hike was 5.45 km, taking about 2 hours.

I chose to park at a good pullout just before McQueen Lake and walk down the road to the tracks.     We can park at the side of the road by the trailhead (N50 49.118 W120 26.756), but it depends on how the snowplows have cleared the shoulders there.    If the goal is exercise, the extra 300 m is a better choice.   A recommended route that requires a bit of navigation, but in winter, just follow the tracks.