Napier Ranch Conservation Area Hike
The Napier Ranch Conservation Area is a mid-elevation benchland and gentle hills grasslands preserve above Highway 5A (south of Trapp Lake and north of Stump Lake). The Nature Conservancy of Canada and Napier Ranch have worked out a way to preserve the unique environment where native wildlife and cows can live together. The area is open to public access on foot. When the gate is open below, we can drive up a winding gravel road to a parking spot by the access gate (N50 26.399 W120 18.386) On this June day, we hiked along a double track to the old homestead and then we hiked up the grassland slopes, looping back down to the start.
Old boulder piles were used as field markers by the homesteaders. The area has mostly tall-growing native grasses in pastures and on the slopes above.
The old homestead is still standing below the slopes near a gully. A well may have been situated in the bottom of the gully. Farther along the double track are old corrals.
We chose to hike up into the hills (there is Crown land on one side above the Conservation area. We respected fence lines, choosing a route across the slopes and back.
Later in summer some of the grasses become quite tall and hiking is more difficult. On this day we saw a fox, a coyote, some deer, a burrowing owl nest, and various birds. Barn swallows occupied the homestead attic and swooped around us as we passed. A few images are shared here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
In June we try to hike a series of grasslands routes, including the Lundbom Grasslands, the Quilchena Grasslands (Hamilton Corrals), the Lac du Bois Grasslands, and more. Later in summer the grasses and weeds grow tall, making hiking more difficult and, at the same time, grass seeds may be troublesome. Double track trails are a better choice than grown-over single tracks in summer.
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