Hiking the Middle Grasslands on the Snow

Hiking the Middle Grasslands on the Snow

Doug Smith  December 27, 2024 at 9:00 am

I hiked through the Middle Grasslands of Lac du Bois Protected Area on a sunny mid-December day.   I wore microspikes on my boots for traction on the snow and icy paths.   From a small parking area, I headed east through the open grasslands.    Clapperton Ridge stood above the grassland slopes to the north.   I followed a single track to the top of a hill/viewpoint.

From the hill viewpoint, I had views to Long Lake and a chain of small lakes extending north-south for 3.5 km.

The view to the north followed Long Lake toward the McQueen Creek drainage.   The North Batchelor Range rises above the trench to the east.

From the viewpoint I retraced my snowy footprints, then headed north to the shores of Island Lake.

contAt the north end of the lake is the Grasslands Esker, a glacial remnant.    An under-the-ice stream flowed from Lac du Bois to Long Lake and then down to the Thompson Valley.    After the Ice Ages a 1 km long esker stands as a sinuous ridge in the grasslands.

I hiked along the top of the esker enjoying the view of Island Lake and the surrounding hills.

I continued my hike along the west side of Island Lake, picking up a single track which led back to the area that I started.   This is a favorite hike in every season.     I will be back to hike it in spring.

 

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Doug Smith

Doug writes for Kamloops Trails, a not-for-profit (and ad free) website, offering information on trails, waterways, routes, featured spots, viewpoints, and explorations in the outdoors in the Kamloops area (and beyond).

Doug started exploring this area in 1976 and continues to follow tracks and routes wherever they lead, with the aid of map, compass, GPSr and camera. After many dead-ends, but also many discoveries, he chose to share this information.

The Kamloops Trails website has a massive number of interesting posts and would be of interest to anyone in Kamloops who enjoys the outdoors. Visit the Kamloops Trails website at: http://www.kamloopstrails.ca/

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