We can hike or bike double tracks all the way from Lac du Bois to Tranquille.  The route goes around the east side of Lac du Bois at an elevation of 882m and enters Lac du Bois Park in the upper grasslands.    At 1.7km, we turned uphill onto the wooded flanks of Wheeler Mountain.   A large pond is passed at 3.5 km.   The double track is dirt with a number of pothole puddles, but is in fairly good shape for most of the way.   The highest point is 1030m, reached at 8.5 km on the west side of Wheeler Mountain.   Views open up afterwards and we follow the route in a steady descent for the next 8.3 km, most of the last 5km in the open sage grasslands of the park.   The end of the route is just above the tracks near Tranquille at an elevation of 348m.

This is a fine forest and grasslands hike for any season.   It is 16.6 km which will take about 4 hours, but with gentle uphills and downhills over the length of the route.

There are a number of intersections along the way that have to be navigated so a map or GPS would be helpful.   It would be easy to get lost on Wheeler if a wrong turn is taken.   A few coordinates are provided below.  We chose to drop a vehicle at the end and use a shuttle system which takes some time, but the route is worth  a full day of hiking and driving.   Much of the forest is remote and requires careful navigation so prepare well and take a cautious approach if you choose to go.

We will return to do this route on our bikes this year, taking in fall colors along the way.

Coordinates:

• turn west onto the Wheeler Mountain track – N50 47.051 W129 27.003
• pass Wheeler Pond – N50 47.596 W120 28.018
• avoid any uphill or downhill turns; stay on the main double track bearing southwest
• the track turns southeast, then south down to the pass between Mount Mara and Wheeler Mountain
• arrive in Pruden Pass at N50 46.116 W120 29.418
• turn right to follow the road down to Tranquille
• finish at N50 43.412 W120 29.880