Landowner Rights & Trail User Responsibilities

The Waskahegan Trail is a unique resource that exists only because of the generosity of landowners. Before you set foot on the trail:

  1. Know the landowner rights and the trail user responsibilities.
  2. Check the trail conditions

Happy Valley Hike

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On Sunday six hikers came out to fend off the wild animals along the valley. We started in Camrose and soon turned onto private land that runs along the railway track to Happy Valley.

The Happy Valley hike is the perfect hike in winter or summer. The owner of the Happy Valley land encourages people to walk, bike, run, snowshoe or hike on the trails they maintain.

Throughout the trails are creatures, farm equipment, crooked houses and signs that give hikers encouragement to keep going.

The saskatoons were perfect for picking and we ate our weight in berries as we hiked. We had lunch at the lookout, and on the way back took the bike and ski trails on the other side of the Stoney Creek.

Thanks to Irene for scouting and leading the hike and to the landowner for providing such a fun experience. You can see more photos on Flicker.

Where we’re going next.

Our Beardtongues

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Alberta has at least twelve species of beardtongues (Pentstemon) in various colours, sizes, and range.

The Slender Blue Beardtongue (Pentstemon nitidus) is a 4 to 12 inch plant that features bands of densely-packed tiny flowers bright blue in colour with a tinge of purple at the stem end. Up close, the tubular flowers look like little blue trumpets.

On the trail, you will find Slender Blue Beardtongue growing in colonies along the edge of a woodland or in a damp meadow. They bloom from June through August.

Waskahegan Field Notes

From a distance, a mass of Slender Blue Beardtongues look like sapphires on stems. The brilliant blue with purple always grabs everyone’s attention and curiosity.

We have found the greatest variety of beardtongues on the Stoney Creek trail, including the lilac-coloured flowers below.

Sources

  • Linda Kershaw. Alberta Wayside Flowers.
  • R.G.H. Cormack. Wild Flowers of Alberta.
  • F.R. Vance, J.R. Jowsey, J.S. McLean. Wildflowers Across the Prairies.
Slender Blue – Cloverlawn
Slender Blue – Stoney Creek
Lilac coloured – Stoney Creek
Beardtongues (Pentstemon)