When Lac le Jeune was the main cross-country ski center there were top-notch trails bearing west in several loops that were well-used and some national-level competitions were hosted in the area.   The ski hill was in operation too.   We brought out kids there to learn to downhill ski.   A double track trail also went up the west side of the hill which linked to the Ridge Lakes Forest Service Road,   This trail was often tracked for skiers.   This all changed when the ski hill closed down and the owner of the property closed access to the trails.   Near the same time the Coquihalla Highway was under construction with the proposed route going right through the Bush Lake Trails which had been developed for the 1979 BC Winter Games.   As a result of all this, the Stake Lake trails were built and skiers left both Bush Lake and Lac le Jeune, although locals continued to use the Gus Johnson Trail at Lac le Jeune.   A few locals also used the old cross ski trails, but windfall and brush made the trails less usable.   Crossing private property is also an issue although locals quietly continue to cross the short distance across the open field to get to the trails that lead west and south.

We quietly crossed to the double track on our snowshoes and then climbed for 3 km to the Ridge Lakes.

For this outing, we went right (west) along the side of the larger lake and at the end we turned up an old double track bearing south.   This was once the Mildred Lake trail, but it is now used by a few hunters, quadders, and snowmobilers,   We climbed up the hill for another 2 km through dense stands of Lodgepole pine.

At 5100 feet, we used to be able to see the Cantilever Range to the southwest but trees have grown up over the decades and the views are now limited to high country forests.

This route is a 13 km up-and-back route, a good snowshoe stomp for the winter.