Widgeon Reserve

August 2011

Pinecone Burk Provincial Park; Widgeon Slough/Reserve

We came to this area first in July 2011 for a day trip.  We are always overestimating the difficulty of these trips.  We had read we should cross the lake and on the other side are the Widgeon Sloughs.  Not seeing the entrance immediately we headed up Pit Lake.  After Around 1.5 hours of beautiful travel we began to think we may have headed the wrong direction.  All the way thinking the entrance was just around the next bend.  We finally arrived at a beach house with some fishing boats outside.  There were some people there so we asked for directions.  They had a good laugh, told us we were crazy to be on Pit Like in a canoe because the weather can change suddenly,  and gave us directions.  Apparently the entrance was directly across from the boat launch maybe a 10 min trip from where we began, this is typical for us.  So we doubled back. 

There were some nice side streams off Pit Lake near Widgeon.  We saw large eagles but our favourite was the otters.  You can see them early in the morning scurrying around on the rocks, swimming in the waters playing and fishing.  In one of the smaller streams one of the otters curiously followed us for a while before disappearing.  In this area we also saw tons of Herons on trees, banks, and posts. 

After you cross into the Widgeon Slough you can follow the main stream to the camp site.  We found there are some small signs on the banks to direct you.  The water levels between July and August were drastically different.  In July there was a lot of run off so the water levels were very high and fast moving.  The camp ground is small and has platforms for your tent.  It is very heavily populated during the day because of the canoe rentals at the boat launch.  The camp site clears out a lot by sunset.  We found the weekend campers to be quite noisy, stereos and partying until quite late on Saturday night but we were all alone on Sunday night.  Best to camp during the week or in the rain if possible.

We followed the stream past the camp ground.  There were some people camping by the creek side further up the stream, it looked quite nice.  The water shallows and deepens up the stream to the point we had to get out and pull the canoe upstream so it is handy to have some rope.  There are also many full and partial log jams.  The water is freezing cold even in August so you do have to be careful.  Even after a couple minutes your ankles begin to freeze up so I would not suggest much swimming.  It is worth the work following up the stream there are many sights to be seen.

There is a nice hike we did that starts at the camp site.  There is an old road that crosses through the campsite if you follow it it leads to the waterfalls.  While following the main path there is a side trail part way up.  It winds through the forest and along the stream.  It is not too difficult and well worth the work.  We took the winding trail on the way up then followed the larger simple path back.  The waterfalls are great.  It may not be a good idea but we drank directly from the waterfalls where it was safe to access and the water was rolling over the rocks.  Some of the best water I have ever had and neither of us got sick!  Next time I will definitely fill a couple canteens to bring back with me.  It was quite easy to get to the waterfalls so there were many people there hanging out and having lunch  which we plan to do next time.  When we went we paddled for around 5 hours in the early morning, attempting to fish.  Then we had lunch and did the hike in the afternoon.  If you have your own canoe or rented one you could easily do the canoe and hike as a day trip.

Overall this is a great area to explore.  There is a lot of wildlife and some interesting nature.  Every time I go out into a place like this I am amazed at our environment.  We definitely plan to return here, there is more exploring to do.