Sunday and Monday Elk Island National Park

We're excited we're out of the smoke

Sunday 9/10/17

We’re very excited we finally got out of the smoke.

It rained on and off all night, it wasn’t just a sprinkle it was steady at times. When we woke up this morning it was still wet but the rain had stopped. We decided to move on to Elk Island National Park, it was only about 85 miles. We straighten up the Minnie and was ready to leave at 8:00.

On the way there we stopped by Edmonton, which is the capital of Alberta. We walked around the downtown for about an hour. As we were walking we stopped by the Legislative Building, which is a Capitol Building. They had tours of the building at noon but were too early, it was only 9:00. The grounds were beautiful with different types of flowers and sculptures about the history of Canada. This year they celebrate 150 years. There was a pretty fountain where you can wade in. There were a lot of other visitors walking around. We walked by the river. By the time we finished walking around we had a couple of hours to waste before the tour so we decided to pass on it. There was a trolley that took you around the downtown area but it didn’t start until 11:00 so we didn’t do it. We had a very peaceful walk and Edmonton was a very nice city.

The Legislator Building in Edmonton 

The fountain where people can swim

Bowling at the Legislator Building

We arrived at Elk Island National Park around 12:30 and stopped at the visitor center where Larry talked to a lady working there and picked up some information. While there a couple from Canada waited for Larry to finish getting his information so they could tell him about their experience in the park. They volunteered a lot of great information. After he finished talking with them we continued our adventure to the campground.

Before getting to the campground we did a small loop called the Bison Loop, where we saw a herd of bison. The park has two different bison (Wood and Plains). After the loop we went to the campground was Astotin Lake. We decided to stay for a couple of night. There is a lot of hiking trails around the camping area. The campground has bathrooms and showers. 

The herd of bison we saw in the loop

Canada is celebrating their 150^th anniversary so the entrance fee is free. There is a lot of wildlife in the park. They have elk, moose, bison, wolf, coyotes, deer and beavers.

The campground was very nice. The day area is huge with an area for soccer, picnic areas, a theater and a walking trail that goes by the Lake Astotin.

Camping at Elk Island

When we got to the campground we checked in at the gate. The clerk gave us a map of the campground and which sites were available until Wednesday. After finding a site we walked back to the gate and paid for a couple of nights. There is no power but you can run your generator a couple hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the evening. Once we were settled in we had lunch.

After lunch we walked around the campground. We wanted to get familiar to where the hiking trails were. We found where one of the trail heads was and walked the trail. The Amisk Wuche Trail. was 2.5 km/ 1.55 miles loop that went through a marsh and forest. It was a moderate hike. We walked up and down small hills. We walked over the marsh via boardwalk. It was a very nice hike.

Amisk Wuche Trail

Larry on the boardwalk that took us across the marsh

The marsh that we saw during our hike

When we got back to the campground we rested for about an hour and a half. Then we walked over to the theater to watch a documentary on the Flight of the Bison. It was about how they transported thirty wood bison to Russia. It was interesting and exciting to hear how they reintroduced the wood bison to the area. Then we walked around the day area.

When we got back we had dinner and then stayed inside for the rest of the night. We had a super day.

Sunny Day

Monday 9-11-17

We woke up to a brisk 40 degrees and blue skies. The wind we had yesterday was gone. What will we do?

The reason why we try to pick a park that has hiking trails is because we enjoy exploring the beautiful of the outdoors. So this morning we went on a 3.5 km (2.17 miles) hike. In order for us to get to the trail head we had to walk the parking lot, which is almost a half a mile. The trail we took was the Lakeview Trail, which took use through a forest of poplar and spruce trees. We stopped occasionally and looked at Lake Astotin. The trail took us up and down a few hills that made it a little challenging. During the hike we saw a few small ponds with ducks swimming. When we got close some of the ducks flew away. We didn’t see any beavers but we did see some evidence that they were present. We heard birds chirping. It was a very peaceful hike through the forest. The sign at the entrance said we may see bison but we didn’t.

Hiking in the forest

Larry resting during a hike

One of the ponds we saw ducks swimming

When we returned to the campground I set up our chairs. We sat in the chairs and read until it was time for lunch. Then Larry got the grill out and I barbecued hamburgers for our lunch. After lunch we went on another hike on the Shoreline Trail. The Shoreline Trail is 6km (3.73 miles) one way. The trail was paved and very easy to walk. We only walked a half mile and turned around and went back to the campground. We were still tired from the morning hike and we didn’t want to over do it. Even though we didn’t walk the trail it was still very nice. We had a great time walking it. By the time we got back to the campground we had walked about two miles.

We spent the rest of the day hanging around the campsite and reading. I got a little tired so I went inside and took a nap. When I woke up Larry and I went over and took a shower. The nice thing about Canadian National Parks are they have showers and they are free. At Elk Island you can have campfires, it cost $2.00 a day which isn’t bad consider you can have as much firewood as you want. We had a great day of hiking and relaxing.