The upper grasslands on the edge of the forest is the north end of the Lac du Bois Conservancy of Canada.   it is bordered by Park lands on the east and south and the McQueen Lake Environmental Education Center on the north.    Clay Lake and Meadow Pond lie in a grasslands basin surrounded by forest.   There are a number of trails that can be followed to make a loop route.   The McQueen Lake Center asks us to not use the trails on their side of the fence while students are on the property and we can respect that request by using some lesser know trails.

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The best access point to Clay Lake and point beyond is a gated double track just past Nesbitt Pond (the Nesbitts homesteaded here from 1912 – 1930).   Just past the track is forest and the McQueen Lake gate.   Teh track winds through open grassland and aspen groves into the hills.   At a junction in the forest is a three way track.   A hard-to-spot single track goes through a low area to the end of Clay Lake.   the track to the left goes to the east end of Clay Lake.   the track to the right goes into the open grasslands, sometimes called the Stony Lake Track.

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We first went to the end of Clay Lake where an old homestead is still standing.   Joe Reid lived there from 1912 to 1918.   He was a trapper and set lines for mink, beaver, muskrat, and lynx.

There are also 3 dilapidated out buildings on the property.

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By staying to the south end of the open area at the end of Clay Lake we can pick up an old double track that leads to a gated fence, saving climbing over barbed wire (but close the gate behind you).  The Grasslands Community Trail is just 200m north.

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The Grasslands Community Trail starts on the Isobel Lake Road, passes Griffin Lake, then goes through an open grassland meadow.    Meadow Lake is passed before the trail winds down the McQueen Creek ravine.

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Another choice is to return by a single track that winds along the south side of Clay Lake.   It starts near the old homestead.   We can also go along the open slopes on the north side of Clay Lake but there is one short (50 foot) section where the fenceline goes across a lake arm, forcing hikers to cross the fence.   The single track on the south side is a better choice.

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Another fine option is to follow the track from the homestead, but take the left fork  which goes through the forest, climbing over a low pass to the upper end of a long marsh in the grasslands.   This map has been updated to include some new trails and tracks.

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In winter we follow the same routes, but we snowshoe across the lakes and ponds in a large loop route.    The area sits at 970m altitude (3182 feet) so winter snows blanket the area from December through to early March.

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More Information:

• Stony Lake Snowshoe Loop
• Clay Lake – Stony Lake Route
• There are a few articles on the website.   Use the search terms Clay Lake or Stony Lake.