On a sunny fall day I drove on roads to the upper west end of Juniper Ridge to the trailhead at the top of Balsam Place (Qu’Appelle > Coldwater >Balsam). An old double track starts at the end of the road and winds its way up the hill through the forest. This is a route that has … Continue reading…
In shoulder season each day is a choice between wet, muddy, snowy, or icy conditions (or all of them). There are days when we can find dry trails, but most often we want to avoid deep snow, icy or muddy trails. With this in mind, on a mild day the Lower Rose Hill Trails seemed like a good choice. … Continue reading…
Early in spring the lower altitude open slopes dry out first so we often choose the Lower Rose Trails. It is a benchland cut by gullies, but there are some informal double tracks and single tracks that can be combined to create a loop route. On this mid-March day, we hiked 6.2 km on a sunny, cool morning. We started … Continue reading…
In a time of social distancing it is recommended we find outdoor activities away from crowds of people. Every spring we hike on the Lower Rose Trails and it is rare to encounter anyone else. A series of interconnected trails provide opportunities for shorter loop hikes through the sagebrush slopes. the main access points are off streets like Parkhill Drive, … Continue reading…
The Lower Rose Trails are a fine shoulder-season area for hiking. Because the slopes are open and mostly treeless, they dry off quickly and the sand-till surface does not easily become muddy. The access route is off Rose Hill Road just before the trailer park or alternately from the end of Orchard Drive or Parkhill Drive in Valleyview. There are … Continue reading…
