Carry Ridge
Here are some of our favourite spring hikes in the Sheep River Area that can be done before the winter gate opens. They have all been the subject of previous blogs and are complete with pictures and trail maps. Enjoy!
Carry Ridge
One of our favourite early-spring hikes. Carry Ridge, a ruler-straight ridge running SE-NW between Macabee Creek and Ware Creek, is named after Bob Carry who homesteaded on the site of Anchor D in 1912. By using a variety of trails and a return via the west fork of Mudsprings Creek, you can make a 5.8 km loop for a total of 9.4 km. The hike can be extended by hiking farther along the ridge.
High Noon Hills
The High Noon Hills are a couple of foothills south of Hwy. 546 bounded to the east by the K Country boundary and to the west by lower Long Prairie Creek near its confluence with the Sheep River. Their open southwest-facing slopes shed snow early, so naturally they’re a good choice for early spring hiking.
Sandy McNabb Hill
Sandy McNabb Hill and the adjoining hills to the east are always enjoyable to hike. Using the hills and their surfeit of trails you can make short easy loop hikes all year round from the Sandy McNabb Recreation Area. You won’t find Sandy McNabb Hill on your topo map or on the Gem Trek map. For some unaccountable reason the contour lines were deleted sometime in the 1950s.
Pine Ridge to Death Valley
This relatively new trail connects the Sandy McNabb ski trails to Death Valley trail at the junction with Windy Point and makes for good spring hiking. A loop from the Sheep District Office using the drier ski trails and returning via Death Valley Trail and Long Prairie Ridge is about 17 km.
A good shorter loops goes up Long Prairie Loop and back via Long Prairie Ridge. See the map.
