Hayward Lake, May 2011

Friday this week was our one allocated ‘sunny’ day in what seems like forever.  As I had no appointments booked I took the opportunity to head out to Hayward Lake with Mojo and complete the trail around the lake, which we had tried to do last summer but construction meant we had to turn around half way.

As before we start out at the recreation area.  At the back of the recreation area is little Beaver Lake.  Here two proud Canada Geese parents accompany their young chicks on an early outing on the water.

Views of Beaver Lake.

Views South down Hayward Lake from the beach, where Mojo had the obligatory if not slightly forbidden dip.

Panorama from the beach.  The main noise on the clip being the canada geese who’s somewhat perturbed at Mojo joining it for a paddle.

A short while later we met another walker with an 18mth old border collie called Sadie.  For the next 7kms or so Mojo charged around with Sadie and splashed in the assorted beaches with her and before we knew it I had reached Ruskin Dam at the far South end of the lake.  No photos, sorry.

We left Sadie and her owner at the parking lot at the south end of the lake and continued across the dam ourselves and onto the Reservoir Trail on the East side of the lake. 

Views here from the Reservoir Trail.

We reach a floating bridge across the entrance to Hairsine Inlet.

One last photo of Mojo, just incase we don’t make it across the floating bridge !

Hairsine Inlet

Panorama from the floating bridge across Hairsine Inlet.

For much of the rest of the long trail back it winds up & down and left & right through the forest.

We stop for lunch on a canoe landing dock.  Great views from here.

North up and across the lake.

South across the lake.

Panorama from our lunch spot.

After our break (and a swim for Mojo) we head on along the East side of the lake.  We narrowly avoid stepping on this banana slug in fabulous army camouflage.

More views towards the North end of the lake.

Along the trail there were many benches and seats built into the bridges over creeks or just alongside the trail where there was a good view.  The seat however was certainly the most elegant, a throne like affair built into an old rotten stump.  Not sure who’s making these seats, can’t see it in the BC Hydro PR budget who own & manage the land around the lake.

Eventually we reach a small diversion leading down to Steelhead Falls, a waterfall on a tributary to Hayward Lake.

More gratuitous posing.

Great views of the falls from the lower viewing deck.

Movie clip of the falls rushing down through the canyon on their way towards the lake.

After viewing Steelhead Falls we retrace our steps back to the main lakeside trail and continue up over the falls to the creek at the top.  The view here of Steelhead Creek as it meanders through the forest before making its rapid descent.

Then the view of the creek immediately at the top of the falls.

We continue along the Reservoir Trail past the Eastern end of the lake and get these views back towards Dewdney Trunk Road  and the Stave Falls Hydro Plant.

The Stave Falls Hydro Plant which is the dam forming Stave Lake to the East.

Looking back across at Hayward Lake.

Finally a quick glimpse up Stave Lake as we cross the dam and head back to the Hayward Lake Recreation Area parking lot and the car.

An excellent walk completed in about 4.25 hrs including stops.  The basic lake trail is 16kms plus the diversions to viewing spots, Steelhead Falls etc so with Mojo doing at least twice that (half of that racing after a young fit border collie !) we haven’t heard a peep out of him since !