Hikes

Thirteen people came out to Camrose area for a winter hike in Happy Valley. Happy Valley is a privately-owned property on the other side of the train trestle from Stoney Creek.

The owner generously maintains the wide trail for anyone to visit.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and a new experience for almost everyone. The total hike distance was 11 km return.

Thanks to everyone who came out. You can see all the photos on Flickr.

Where we’re going next.

Ten people came out to Wanisan Lake for the first hike on our trails. The weather was bright and sunny, and not as cold as we expected.

The hike started with a switch onto the snowmobile trail, because that allowed us to get close to the lake. This is a diversion we could never do in the summer.

We made our usual stop at the Wanisan Stopover. Evidently it’s a popular spot with hikers, skiers, and snowmobilers. A few years ago, someone added a guestbook, and the pages are filling up. This year, someone added Christmas decorations—including some clever handmade items.

After crossing the two boardwalks and walking through the well-used trail, we reached the Blackfoot Recreation Area ungulate gate and walked along ski trails to the Meadow Shelter for our lunch.

Thanks to Lee for scouting the trail and leading the hike and to Brad for skiing ahead of us to build a fire in Meadow Shelter. You can find more pictures on Flickr.

Where we’re going next