Walking at Riverlot 56

As someone whose appreciation for nature is constant, I really loved the walk Lee, Suzanna, Shadow-dog, and I took on Sunday afternoon. We found our way out to Riverlot 56, a piece of provincial land east of St. Albert, not far from the St. Albert Municipal Cemetery, Poundmaker Lodge, and Nechi Institute. 

Riverlot 56 is a fairly big space with 6.6 km of looped trail, (to see webpage and map, click here) a good place for hiking, bird watching, and, as we noticed on Sunday, cross-country skiing. There's a guided family nature walk through the trees with periodic interpretive signs inviting kids to spot different kinds of animals, plants, or birds, with true or false questions that amused me (I was always falling behind because I wanted to read them). 

Dogs are allowed on leash at Riverlot 56, though there were a few people pretending it's an off-leash area. Shadow was not impressed, but he put up with it.

Lee, Suzanna, and Shadow were way out ahead of me at the bottom of a gully when Lee suddenly stopped and said, "There's a moose!" I didn't see him at first, but sure enough, there was a big bull just visible through the trees above us. As Riverlot 56 is close to the Sturgeon River that runs through St. Albert, I'm guessing there are many creatures who find it a quiet place to hang out.

It's not the best picture, but I didn't want to move any closer to Brother Moose, who was keeping an eye on us as he contentedly munched some of the underbrush. Maybe if you visit Riverlot 56 (or other places like it) you'll be lucky enough to spot him or one of his friends for yourself... I'd recommend it!