hiking

photo by Cheryl HvalGrosbeak Lake is part of Wood Buffalo National Park’s extensive band of salt plains which cover an area of 370 square kilometres. Unique in Canada, they are formed by water that percolates through underground salt deposits left by an ancient sea around 390 million years ago. At the location of the Salt Plains, impermeable bedrock has forced the saline water to the surface. As the water evaporates, salt deposits are left behind.

Morels are an edible gourmet mushroom that can be found in the boreal forest surrounding Fort Smith. They are highly prized not only for their nutty flavour and meaty texture, but also for the thrill of the hunt to find them.

In the Fort Smith area, the morel hunting season generally runs from early June to the end of July, peaking at the end of June. Daily temperatures have to be at least +15 degrees Celsius and night-time temperatures have to be at least +5 degrees Celsius.

Located in Wood Buffalo National Park, includes the North Loop 7.5 km, South Loop 9 km, Karstland Loop 750 m, Salt River Meadows Loop 1.5 km.

Read more about Salt River Trail System

Sweetgrass Station, located south of the Peace River on the edge of vast meadows within the Peace-Athabasca Delta, is a good destination for a wilderness backcountry trip. The trail begins on the south bank of the Peace River, at a spot known locally as Sweetgrass Landing. It proceeds south through a boreal forest mosaic for 12 km. Approximately 2 km from the Station, the hiker will come across remnants of old corrals. The corrals were built in the mid-1960s and used in the historical round-up of bison herds for anthrax vaccinations.