The year 2020. That’s when I moved to Strathmore. It’s 2024 now. And it is only this month that I discovered there is a walking trail in Strathmore that I haven’t tried yet, but should have by now. I was using the AllTrails app to find trails near me last week and it was the first one it featured was here in Strathmore. Eagle Lake Trail. Wait whut???
The trailhead starts between the residential recycling yard and the Waste Management compost facility at the end of Huxted Way in Strathmore. How could I possibly have missed this?
I missed it because the trailhead literally DOES start at the town dump – look in the exact center of the above image. Easy to find, isn’t it? Also worth mentioning is that the area is notorious for smelling beyond rank. It’s the kind of stench that will take the hair out of your nose and put it on your back. A fair number of the reviews in AllTrails mention this tidbit.
It’s about 5km in to Eagle Lake (more of a large slough, really) and 5km back. The average time for the hike is two hours and fifteen minutes, which means three hours for me. I’m more tortoise than hare on a hike.
It’s a flat, easy trail where you’re on level ground and a packed dirt road for most of the walk. I only made it three kilometres in today because I was stumping into a very cold wind and my hands were getting so numb I could no longer use my camera. I decided to turn back before reaching the end.
There is a large stormwater reservoir about half a kilometer in. It looked like a shallow slough to me until I got to the other end and saw the large sluice gate. This thing was built to handle a serious volume of runoff. Looking just west of the reservoir you can barely see the massive solar power generating array. I’ll have to put a drone up in the air for better images of it next month when it’s greener out (and after checking for needed permissions).
The runoff canal that runs alongside the trail is mostly kind of humdrum, although it does have a few spots that are photogenic. I suppose it could be useful to let a dog drink out of if the water is safe. IF. I have no idea as to whether it is or not. The best part of the hike for me is the first part, the trees flanking both sides of the pathway. Trees aren’t exactly something we have in spades in Strathmore.
Many of the trees are busting out the fluff so leaves are only a week away from starting. These will be a healthy green within two weeks and I will be back for more photos of them. I miss having lots of trees so much.
There are also benches every few klicks, and the odd garbage can place along the trail. It was nice enough and I’ll definitely head back and make it to the lake proper on a future hike, but it will need to be on a warmer day with less wind chill. Green leaves and grass would also be a bonus.
Can’t wait.
Today’s images made using a Canon EOS 40D with my Canon 17-40mm EF L USM f4-5.6 lens hanging off the front, except for the close-ups of moving water. I used a Canon 70-300 EF IS USM f4-5.6 for those.
