On the McQueen Trails

On the first day of June, I hiked on the McQueen Lake Trails, enjoying a nature hike, making many stops along the way to observe and photograph what interested me. The McQueen Lake Environmental Education Center is School District Property and the expectation is to not access the property when children are on the site. Weekends, Breaks, and off-season are good choices and we should steer clear of the overnight center, staying on forested trails on the south and east side of the property, accessed through the Lac du Bois Conservation Area and Lac du Bois Provincial Park. There are also grazing rights nearby so we need to close gates and steer clear of cattle. All access should be on foot, going quietly, leaving no trace. I started my hike from the southwestern gate (N50 49.307 W120 26.693)and went east along the fenceline.

Near the Day Center, the trails open up to grasslands, ponds, and Clay Lake.

I went through the open grasslands, out to observe the ducks on Shirley’s Dip (a marshy pond), then over the hill and down through douglas fir forest to the southeast end of Griffin Lake. I hiked around Griffin Lake, the veered off into the forest, following the Blue trail and the Red Trail back to the start.

I took my time (2 hours and 45 minutes), investigating, observing, photographing, and enjoying the wildflowers, flowering shrubs, stumps and logs, lichens, insects, birds, and landforms. A few of the images are shared here. The wildflower images will be shared on A Wilflower Journal. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.