Hikes

Starting from the U of A Access Road Gate, this hike traverses sections of the established Waskahegan Trail as well as a series of five “off-trail” hay meadows on a wide loop that takes you into the inner depths of the Ministik, eventually passing the Ministik Firetower.

Starting from the Francis Edward Williams trailhead, this hike traverses sections of the established Waskahegan Trail as well as a series of five “off-trail” hay meadows on a wide loop that takes you into the inner depths of the Ministik, eventually passing the Ministik Firetower.

This route offers an “alternative” starting point for one of the “must-do” Ministik hikes: a trek to the Ministik Firetower. The route is more “direct,” but it is decidedly “rustic,” taking you through long stretches of hay fields until you reach the Waskahegan Trail leading to the tower.

This “2-Car” hike is a perfect “mid-level” option for those who have some Ministik experience under their belt. It takes you through a long string of connected hay meadows until you reach a section of the Waskahegan Trail and eventually the U of A Access Road.

This hike takes you along a former road, a rare thing in the Ministik. The going is easy, the navigation simple, which makes this a perfect choice for a starter hike. The final destination is a shelter that has seen better days, but still provides a roof and a place to rest for a while.

This hike has all sorts of types of terrain to navigate: it starts out on a road, transitions to a fairly good trail, and ends in a meadow that you’ll need to navigate without the help of a trail. But the end goal will take you to the shoreline of a quiet lake decidedly away from civilization.

This hike is a combination of wide, easy trails punctuated with short crossings of trailless meadows in a seldom-travelled corner of the Ministik. Take a short detour to visit one of the few old structures in the Ministik: the Marshall Mitchell Cabin.

The trail name “Misasin” was coined by local geocachers. In Plains Cree, it means “rather large, but not overly large.” Consider this “out-and-back” style hike an exploratory trek rather than a leisurely stroll along a well-defined trail. There is only one long “leg” to this trail plan because the trail as marked is usually quite easy to follow; what lies beyond, not so much. The trail is seldom travelled and can get quite overgrown, especially during the summer months.

This somewhat awkwardly named hike takes you into a secluded set of trails not too far from parking. There are a couple of overgrown areas to traverse on the way, but otherwise trails are usually kept clear by local quad traffic.

This hike is all about easy navigation: you follow a road for the entire hike—a rare thing in the Ministik. If this is your first time hiking in the area, this is a perfect introductory hike.