British Columbia’s
Mountain MagicMurtle Lake by Michelle Wiebe
M
urtle Lake is the largest of six major lakes nestled amidst the peaks of Wells Gray Provincial Park. Two of the things that make Murtle spe- cial are what it does not have: motorboats and direct road access. No
roaring jet skis or raucous car campers here. Just peaceful quiet, but not necessarily solitude—the lake’s serene beauty and long, wide, smooth sandy beaches lure many canoeists. You’ll find great fishing in the riffles leading to Diamond Lagoon at the end of the West Arm. Can you believe three bites in one cast? Rainbow trout dance right out of the water on the end of your line. The water is so clear that you may even see the slender shadow of your fishing line against the bottom. When you’re filled up on fish, hike up Central Mountain between Murtle’s two arms. The trail climbs 1,000 metres straight up to the alpine meadows with panoramic views of the lake below.
Tips
Must See—McDougall Falls. This easy 5 km hike leaves from Diamond Lagoon. The trail follows the rapids of Murtle River to the 14-metre drop.
Alberta’s
Badlands and Bones Red Deer River by Michelle Wiebe
Best Campsite— “Tropicana.” One of Murtle’s renowned beaches, this one’s hard to resist, but beware the mosquitoes!
Don’t forget—your anchor, so the mosquitoes don’t carry you away. Also handy for fishing.
How to do it Take the bumpy drive up the steep, winding (and occa- sionally washed out) logging road from Blue River, north of Kamloops. Ensure you have your permit, secure your canoes to your cart and take the sweetest 2.5-kilometre portage ever—some of it is even paved! A short paddle down Murtle Lagoon leads to the lake proper. To your right—the solitude of the remote North Arm cradled by the steep-sided slopes of the Cariboo Mountains and Wavy Range. To your left— the tropical-looking sandy beaches of popular West Arm. With about 100 kilometres of shoreline and many well- spaced campsites, a trip to Murtle can be a long-weekend jaunt or a multi-week expedition. Serious waves can pick up on this large lake, so allow downtime for wind days.
Tips
Must see—The internationally famous Royal Tyrell Museum. Set aside at least half a day for this award-winning attraction.
Best campsite—Anything in Dinosaur Provincial Park, where you’ll find a field station museum, interpretive programs, hiking and full facilities.
Headlamp reading—Jurassic Park
Don’t Forget—your cowboy hat. This is a true wild west complete with cactus and the occasional rattlesnake.
F
rom its headwaters not far from Lake Louise to the Dixon dam west of Red Deer City, the Red Deer River loses over 1,000 metres in about 200 kilometres. It is a wild and woolly ride with a gnarly whitewater reputation. Below the dam, however, a
mellow class I river meanders across Alberta through grasslands, aspen parkland and bad- lands. At Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, you see badlands at their best. The unique sculpted landscape crowds to the river’s edge. Coulees invite exploration. You may spy mule and white tailed deer, coyotes, jackrabbits, beavers, muskrats and some of the park’s 150 bird species. Dinosaur Provincial Park is a popular egress point, offering the combination of bad- lands beauty and world-renowned paleontology. Early explorers found dinosaur bones prac- tically littering the ground. During the peak of what some consider looting, fossils left for New York by the boxcar-load, yet the area is still a working dig site, recognized as the richest area for dinosaur fossils in the world.
How to do it As the river wanders across central Alberta,
country roads and bridges provide put-ins and takeouts for a wonderful assortment of novice- friendly trips. The Alberta Recreational Canoeing Association provides two maps of the middle and lower sections of the river, indicating all campgrounds, access points and areas of inter- est, as well as natural history and wildlife. Pik up a road map and you’re all set to choose what- ever length of trip you want. Dixon Dam to Dinosaur Provincial Park takes about 12 days. Several more days will take you right out of Alberta to the South Saskatchewan River. Maps—go to
www.abcanoekayak.org and click on resources.
Campfire story— Skeleton Crew
April 1884, Joseph B. Tyrell was exploring the Red Deer Valley. Washing his dishes in the river, something caught his eye—a piece of bone sticking out the bank. Digging further, he and his team took hours to unearth a large dinosaur skull. The size and weight of the bones were so great that when they loaded their spoils onto a wagon, the axle broke. Many trips were needed to transport this huge find to Fort Calgary. Scientists were amazed—it was a new genus of dinosaur. They named it the Albertosaurus.
2004 Annual 25
Info—
www.wellsgray.ca and BC Parks at
wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/expl ore/parkpgs/
wells.htm.
Permits—Blackwell Park Operations, 250-396 2787.
Outfitters—see
www.wellsgray.ca/outfitters.html
Guidebook—Exploring Wells Gray Park, by Roland Neave, published by Friends of Wells Gray Park.
photo by Jim Wiebe
photo by Jim Wiebe
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