Our Hike Along Mud Creek Trail On Waskesiu Lake

Mud Creek Trail in Prince Albert National Park in central Saskatchewan, Canada, had piqued our interest when we passed by the trailhead early one morning on Waskesiu Lake.  It showed promise as a good place for a leisurely hike after our planned boat tour of Hanging Heart Lakes.  By the time we got back to the trail, Bob and I were ready for some exercise.

A trail map at the trailhead shows how Mud Creek Trail follows the shore of Waskesiu Lake before turning up Mud Creek.  It then circles back through the forest forming a loop.

Bob and I set off on the hike at the South Bay Picnic Area seen here across Waskesiu Lake from the trail.

A spruce bog made it necessary for a wooden boardwalk at the edge of Waskesiu Lake to protect the delicate plants of the bog.  The wet lowland covered in sphagnum spruce bog is characteristic of those found in Northern Canada.

A glimpse of King Island was afforded to us way off in the distance.  King Island was named after William Lyon Mackenzie King, the Prime Minister who formed Prince Albert National Park. The island’s original name was Devil’s Island after a Cree legend purporting supernatural creatures inhabited the island.

The southern edge of coniferous forest in the province of Saskatchewan extends to the south shore of Waskesiu Lake where Mud Creek Trail is located.  The sun was blistering hot where we walked exposed on the boardwalk, but we very soon entered into the thick Spruce forest.

Black Spruce, White Spruce and feathery Tamarack thrive in the wet, acidic soil limiting the light that reaches the understory.  Bob and I found little evidence of fauna other than Squirrels, but the shade afforded a nice break from the afternoon heat.

Mud Creek Trail is only 2.6 kilometres long, so in no time, it turned inland where Mud Creek flows into the Lake.

A couple that we met at the outset had seen a bear getting a drink of water at the Creek as well as Beavers swimming in the Creek near their lodge.  What would we see?

Mud Creek is a small stream that has carved a wide valley through the area.  That is because, 12,000 years ago, the Creek was a raging river fed by meltwater from shrinking glaciers.

Artifacts excavated in the 1970s in the land abutting Mud Creek provided evidence of much activity over the course of time.  First Peoples camped, fished and gathered here. Pike spawn each spring inviting Bears to fish, Beavers build dams and lodges, float planes have landed, Boy Scouts have rallied, and people like ourselves have and continue to hike next to it.

No Beavers showed themselves when we were within sight of their dams, but we could see that they had been hard at work trying to block the Creek.

As Bob and I moseyed along, we could see the ecological region transitioning to the northern edge of Aspen parkland forest.   Because Prince Albert National Park is right in the centre of the province, it has preserved this zone of transition.

Already, the vegetation became more prolific because sunlight floods the forest floor through the canopy of Trembling Aspen leaves.

I was happy to spot some Wood Lilies, also called Western Red Lilies.  These beautiful native flowers are the provincial flower of Saskatchewan.

The rich vegetation gave the glaciated landscape an open, airy feeling.

Another species of native flower adding colour to the undergrowth was some Glaucous Honeysuckle also referred to as Limber Honeysuckle.

This low, climbing shrub takes on the characteristics of a woody vine with arching branches that can twine together up to 10 feet from the plant.

I found it fascinating that the blossoms were made up of several flowers together in a whorl.  These shrubs are denizens of open woods so the Aspen forest was perfect habitat.  Their nectar is a magnet for bees and butterflies, so I was on the lookout for some of these insects.

Although we failed to see either nectaring on the Honeysuckle plants, this Northern Cloudywing was availing itself of the sweetness provided by Western Bunchberry blossoms.

Sharing the habitat at the forest fringe was Bog Wintergreen with its shiny, leathery leaves that perpetuate throughout the winter months.

These plants thrive in the dampness of a mossy forest or streambank.  The plants demanded attention with their raceme of drooping, pink, bell-shaped flowers nodding in the breeze.

Paying particular attention to the forest floor meant our eyes were drawn to a Wood Frog that barely moved in the litter.

The Wood Frog was so well camouflaged that it nearly defied detection.

Flitting among the wildflowers was a Western Tailed Blue Butterfly at a safe distance away from the Wood Frog.

Although Bob and I failed to see any mammals, we still felt that our sightings were worthwhile.  We always take an interest in the insects, plants and birds such as these Mallard Ducks that swam upstream to escape us.

In no time, the trail gave us views again of South Bay Picnic area across the water of Waskesiu Lake.  Before arriving back at the parking area, Bob and I had time to reflect on the transitioning forest.  It was like we passed through an imaginary line separating the north and south, the sun-loving wildflowers and Aspen woods from the sparse dense Spruce forest.

The drive from the parking area back to the main road provides a wonderful view of a grove of Trembling Aspen.  An interesting detail about these trees is that they have white bark on one side of their trunks and green bark on the other.  The white bark will leave a white chalky substance on your fingers if rubbed.  The white bark acts like a sunscreen by reflecting the sun during early spring days.  This protects the tree from overheating which could cause the sap to run.  The cold nights of early spring would refreeze the sap and damage the trees.

All in all, the Mud Creek Trail had provided an enlightening experience where we felt caught between two worlds.

Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean