This route through the Lac Du Bois Grasslands is a favorite route in the spring when all of the migrating ducks and waterfowl nest in the upland lakes of the area.   To get to this loop, drive north on the Lac du Bois Road.   Just past the 7km mark, park off the right side of the road.   The start of the double track is not obvious, but go due east through the sagebrush  past a single track and you will see a double track heading north over the hill.   Follow that track as it climbs between hills.    Continue to head north until you can see Long Lake at the bottom of the valley to your northeast.   Your goal is to turn east at a junction to go down the hill at the south end of Long Lake.  There are almost no trees in the area so the route can be seen from the top of any hill.   There is a good double track all the way along the east side of Long Lake as you head north.   At the north end of Long Lake, you will have to traverse a meadow and climb over a fence (this is a range fence formerly owned by the Frolek Cattle Company, but left here as part of an agreement with the Nature Conservancy of Canada).   You will pick up a single track that follows the west shore of Long Lake and eventually meets a double track which takes you back to the route you came in on.   This is not a hard route to follow; just circle the lake.

On our last trip to Long Lake, we saw barrows golden eye, ruddy ducks, mallards, killdeer, meadowlarks, red-tailed hawks, buffleheads, scaups, and we heard sandhill cranes above.   This is a wonderful spot to come to quietly to share the world of the birds and the grassland residents.