As winter approached the lower trails became icy, but the slopes of Lac du Bois Grasslands were much better for hiking, even though we needed to create our own route through the hills.    On a mild day we parked at a pullout area off the Lac du Bois Road and started our hike up Red Hill.    There are traces of trails, but most of our hike was off-trail.   We hiked to the top of the hill for the view.

On the east side of Red Hill is a large pond.   there was a skim of ice over the pond and two swans in a bay.

The view to the west is across the lower grasslands into Pruden Pass between Mara Mountain and Wheeler Mountain.

We hiked down the steep hill then around the north side of the pond into the hills on the east, with Red Pond and Red Hill behind.

In shaded spots, frost coated grasses.

After cresting a ridge we came to another frozen pond.   We hiked around it too.

Our route wound over ridges and hills all the way back to the west side of Red Hill, a 4 km route.   The two ponds and the hills surrounding them make a scenic route in the lower middle grasslands of Lac du Bois Park.