Jim joined me for a hike in the Cooking Lake Recreational Area. We started at the parking lot of Islet lake.
.3 km to the Highline Trail
2.4 km on the Highline Trail
.5 km on the Moose Trail to Corral Alley
2.0 km more or less, down and back on the Corral Alley Trail.
1.0 km on the Middle Trail
.5 km on the Lost Lake Trail
.3 km back the the parking lot
7 km total
This was about 2 hours 24 minutes of walking. 3 hours 24 minutes total time.
My main objective was to listen for frogs and indeed there were Wood Frogs and Boreal Chorus Frogs in most of the ponds.
When we got to Corral Alley we walked to a place at N 53 degrees 27.958' and W112 degrees 48.303'. It is the top of a knoll where I observed a coyote last summer. Jim noticed a dark thing on a hillside a fair distance away. He said it could be a bear I said a porcupine. It seemed small for a Black Bear. We were compelled to walk to it and see for sure and for most of the walk we were not even sure if it was even moving. It turned out to be a porcupine, N53 degrease 27.709' W112 degrees 48.003'
In the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area there are trails designated for specific uses including walking. These trails are wide and maintained. They are just grass trails. On this hike the trails were dry and easy to hike. The trails take you through undulating topography. The area is predominately tree covered with aspen and black poplar.
I believe that this area is Edmonton's best kept secret. I have often hiked these trails without encountering another person.
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