Month: April 2019

• Length – 16.5 Km
• Elevation – 245 Meters
• Difficulty – Easy

Today we hiked Wood Bison trail in Elk Island National Park for the first time. The trail is well marked and easy to follow. The majority of the trail is through forest and views are limited. The whole area is sort of swampy bog and therefore bugs are a huge issue. I can only imagine this trail is prime mosquito territory in the summer. If you plan to go in the warmer months prepare to slather yourself with bugspray.

If you are looking to see Bison then this is the trail you want to be on. We spend a lot of time in Elk Island National Park and it can be hit or miss depending on the day. However today we spotted Bison every couple of kilometres, from herds to single animals. Keep in mind that the Bison in the park are wild and you should leave a very respectful distance between them and yourself. That being said, these Bison aren’t as used to people as the ones on the other side of the Highway and generally try to avoid you when they notice your presence.

Speaking of Bison, wear shoes you aren’t afraid to get dirty. The trail is not only used by people and its very evident. As well, as stated previously, it is a very boggy area and can be quite muddy in places.

Our favourite part of this hike was the numerous sketchy bridges (with the exception of the 2 largest ones which are in good shape). Some were missing planks, some had begun to twist and contort and mother nature had begun to reclaim others. Seeing as how these were the best part of the trail I hope the park doesn’t fix them anytime soon.

This was a kid friendly hike. Nothing overly difficult other then the length. The trail itself is a large loop around a lake so you either walk the whole way or you walk a little ways in and turn around. If you just want to see the best of the bridges, when you enter the gate at the trail head immediately turn right and follow the trail that way.

This trail is lightly trafficked. We did not see another soul on our hike and we were the only car in the parking lot when we pulled up and left. I would not recommend off leash dogs on this trail due to the immense amount of wildlife. Unless your dog can resist chasing birds, squirrels, bison, elk, moose, rabbits, coyotes. We actually had a ruffed grouse follow us for over a kilometre. It just walked/ran along behind us.

Oh, one more thing. This trailhead is on the south side of the Yellowhead. Where you would normally turn left to go into the park, turn right onto the gravel road and follow it to the parking lot. Happy hiking all!