June 14, 2020
Alice Lake Provincial Park is home to a classic Squamish hike.
The 4 Lakes Trail is an easy 6.5 km loop that meanders through creeks, second-growth forest, and visits four mountain lakes.
My preferred time to visit this place is on a gray and rainy day.
The stumps speak for themselves.
Without a word, they relate a simple history of this place: Once upon a time, there were great trees here, and so there was logging.
Continue walking straight as the sound of rushing water from the Cheekye River becomes louder.
The trail weaves through the forest with a gradual ascent.
The walk will take you into a forest dripping with moss and every shade of green.
Fawn Lake is the smallest of the four lakes.
It has a small area to sit and have a snack while enjoying the scenery.
Old man's beard moss is very sensitive to air pollution. Where the air is unpolluted, they can grow to 10–20 cm long.
You know you’re breathing fresh air when you see lichen hanging from trees.
Oyster mushrooms are among the easiest edible mushrooms to identify.
Less than 10% of the world’s land surface is rainforest, yet rainforests are responsible for nearly one-third of the world’s oxygen production.
Though the original history of the Edith lake has completely lost, Squamish Nation member Alice Guss remembers Alice Lake was called ‘a place where the deer gather’.
As with other geographical features, the place lost its First Nation name as Europeans took over the land.
Ten minutes after leaving Edith Lake, the trail goes downhill through a series of switchbacks and a couple of small bridges that cross Edith creek.
Alice Rose is believed to be one of the first European women to visit this area in 1893.
Squamish Valley abounded with bachelors and Alice was a notorious match-maker, writes Philip Judd in his book, Judds of the Squamish Valley.
Alice Lake supports a mixed fishery of Rainbow, Cutthroat and Dolly Varden. Rainbows are stocked annually but remain small and numerous. Spring fishing is best, using flies or trolling small lures or spinning gear.
