On a grey late fall day we drove up through the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area to the Lac du Bois Grasslands Conservancy and parked at Lac du Bois.   We hiked south along an old double track in the upper grasslands.

We had hoped to have the sun break through the fog, but we only had a few glimpses.    We hiked along the snowy double track as it passed by ponds, grassland slopes and aspen groves on the east flank of Wheeler Mountain.

The track goes right through some aspen groves on the southward route.

Before the track drops down to Pruden Pass, we turned east, off-trail to the top of a rocky hill overlooking the lower grasslands.   We had a glimpse of blue sky, but views were limited on this day.

After lunch on the hill, we took a wide curving approach through swales and ridges to rejoin our track, following our own footprints back past the ponds to Lac du Bois.

The out-and-back route is 7.4 km and is usually a scenic hike, but we will have to return on a sunny day on snowshoes to enjoy the wider views.

• More Information – Upper Grasslands