Trail Notes:
Location:
southeast of Marchand Provincial Park, Reynolds, Manitoba 49° 25', 96°15'
Route:
the black loop of the trails maintained by the Sandilands Cross Country Ski Club, beginning at the parking lot on PR210
Description
The trail is a mixture of unmaintained dirt road and tracks. There are some long gradients, providing a pleasant view over the surrounding forest. The trail was dry. There were a few trees down across the trail but there was also evidence of recent trail clearing activity.
The southern portion of the loop trail was burnt over by the Woodbridge fire in 2008. There is logging activity in the old burn.
The trails are also used by ATV riders. On the day we visited, the majority of the ATV use was at the ski trail parking lot nearer the provincial park. Only one group of riders was encountered during our walk.
The entrance to the parking lot is easy to miss as the ski trail sign is concealed by trees as you approach from the north. The small parking lot entrance had a patch of soft sand which was interesting to negotiate in our vehicle.
Though early, wood ticks were already present.
There is a confusing unmarked intersection at the point where the trail loops back. Check your maps carefully at this point to avoid going astray.
Species observed:
Note: didn't work too hard on this walk to record species observed. As we have had early warm temperatures and not a lot of snow, the forest was quite dry. There were several wildfires burning elsewhere in the region. Deciduous trees and shrubs have not yet leafed out, but the snow has been gone for a couple of weeks and the ground vegetation is showing new growth.
Habitat:
jack-pine forest
Plants
| Species | Common Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amelanchier alnifolia | Saskatoon, juneberry | |
| Anemone patens | Manitoba crocus, pasqueflower | in bloom |
| Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | Bearberry | |
| Betula papyrifera | Paper birch | |
| Corylus sp | hazelnut | |
| Fragaria sp | Wild strawberry | |
| Heuchera richardsonii | Alumroot | |
| Pinus banksiana | Jackpine | |
| Pinus resinosa | Red Pine | |
| Salix spp. | willow | at least 2, one in bloom |
Animals
| Species | Common Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dermacentor variabilis | Wood tick, American dog tick | |
| Nymphalis antiopa | Mourning Cloak | |
| Nymphalis vaualbum | Compton Tortoiseshell |
There were many pocket gopher mounds in one portion of the northern side of the loop. The shrubs up on the high side of the southern side of the loop showed the effects of repeated ungulate browsing.
