During freshet the lands adjacent to Tranquille Bay flood and we enjoy kayaking out into the floodlands.   Across the river there is another large floodlands are so we can paddle a 10+ km circuit from late May through July.   After the river recedes, the floodlands remain boggy for a few more weeks before they dry out at the end of summer.   By fall all the floodlands are dry and the river continues to go down exposing sandbars and wider beaches.   We can hike through some of this area in early spring.   We parked near the entrance to Tranquille and found an unmarked path to the lowlands.

Some meltwaters seep into the area and feed channels which make their way out to the Thompson River.

As the stream channels cross the flats they meander into oxbows.

There is one river channel that is deeper and remains full of water all winter.   It sweeps to the north side and bends back to the main river channel closer to Cooney Bay.

The wide sand flats are the first to flood.   the area to the east stands 3 meters higher and is covered in grasses, scouring rush, willows, and red ossier dogwood.

We can hike along the riverbank up on the edge of the pastures or we can go across the cutbanks below.

Whatever falls into the river upstream ends up in this area or at Cooney Bay.   I spotted a skeleton in the river, partly buried in the silts,

The shoreline can be hiked all the way to the Rivers Trail area, although the shrubs become much more dense at the eastern end.

I hiked an exploration route on this greyish day, an out-and-back half loop covering about 2.5 km.   There were many geese and ducks in the area even now and then later when the area begins to flood, the Tranquille Wildlife Protected fills with birds, waterfowl, insects, fish, and predators, a wonderful area to explore in a kayak.

More Information:

• Paddling the Floodlands
• Cooney Bay Ramble
• Next post – Hiking the Grasslands in March – April 7