On a sunny late August day I drove up to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park, then took the road to the Leighton Lake Campground.    I launched my kayak into the lake and paddled around the shoreline (3.5 km).    I loaded the boat, secured it, then put on my hiking shoes.    I hiked through the campground and continued on the Leighton Lake Trail, going in a clockwise direction.    It winds through the open forest on the east side of the lake.

The trail crosses some gravel tracks, but there is signage to keep us going the right way.    It continues on to the large Tunkwa Lake Campsite.

The trail route follows double tracks through the campsite on the north side of Tunkwa Lake.

The single track trail continues along the dam between the lakes.   At this point we have a viewpoint looking north across Leighton Lake.

A single track trail continues down the west side of Leighton Lake.    There is some forest, but much of it was burned in a summer wildfire.    The western side of both Tunkwa Lake and Leighton Lake has grasslands, rising up to forests higher to the west.   There were ducks on the lake and there were also sandhill cranes in wet areas between the hills.

The trail returns back to the Leighton Lake Campground.   The loop route is about 4.4 km.    The paddle and hike at Leighton Lake is a favorite combination for a late summer outing, well worth the drive to the lake.