Tony Lake Tour

Yesterday Wayne and I took advantage of a warm sunny day to go quad riding. Our destination was the Knuckleheads Recreation Area so we could play in the snow before it's all gone. We started at our usual offloading spot on Dixon Road south of town. There's a nice wide turnout that holds our long double ATV trailer just right.

The first part of the ride was on Goat Lake Main. It's been a while since we've come this way and I was surprised at all of the recent logging. Things must be picking up in the forestry industry. It was interesting to see the different slash areas, some freshly cut, some with very small trees recently planted, and others with growing trees varying in age from 5 to 100 years. Forest management is very important to ensure it is a renewable resource.

At Tin Hat Junction we turned right on Stillwater Main and then left to the Knuckleheads. There's pretty good signage so we followed along until we reached A Branch. This is the smaller road leading up to the free public mountain recreation cabin, but well before that destination we found the snow we were looking for. It wasn't deep, but enough to keep us from making any more forward progress. We stopped by a small waterfall to enjoy our lunch.

On the way down we decided to take a side road to Tony Lake. I've always wanted to go there and this was a perfect time. Along the way we discovered seven Roosevelt Elk grazing in a recent slash. There's lots of open space for grass to grow and fewer trees to hide hunting cougars. They are magnificent animals. So stately and seemingly unafraid. Elk are very social. The group was split when we passed by. The group of four on the hill were waiting for their herd mates to return. Here's a short video.

At Tony Lake there was a small campsite that we had all to ourselves. Wayne tried a few casts, but the water is shallow with lots of underwater snags. I hiked around to take pictures in this lovely spot. We took t a different way out to return to Goat Lake Main. Even on such a beautiful day we saw very few people in the back country. What a wonderful way to relax and enjoy nature. I invite you to come share in one of British Columbia's best kept secrets. -- Margy