Sunday trail reviews - Caribou Plain

Every Sunday I'm going to make an attempt to do a trail review of one of the many trails in the park, including photographs taken on that trail. This week's trail is Caribou Plain.

Caribou Plain is a bit of an oddity as a trail now, because its name doesn't really reflect what it is anymore. It used to be that a hiker could walk this trail and see a plain that felt somewhat like something from overseas; a hiker could forget he or she was even in Canada if they tried hard enough. Here are some shots of the actual plain to give you an idea.

It is called Caribou Plain because before they were extirpated - locally extinct - caribou could be found walking among that very plain. They got stuck in flark, which is like bog or swamp quicksand, and would starve to death from being unable to move. The name made sense when the boardwalk that led to the plain was still accessible, but now you can neither see the flark, the plain, nor where the caribou used to be. The old trail has been hidden from view to new hikers to the park, and a new trail that goes all the way around the lake in the center of the plain has replaced it. Originally, there was meant to be a lookout tower on top of one of the lookout points, but because of an apparent lack of funding, that project was ceased. Now we cannot see the plain at all because it is on the same level of ground as the lake. It is impossible to see any of the plain.




The billboards describing flark remain on the trail, but their placement no longer makes sense, either. You cannot see the flark so the billboards are misleading. There is no way to see where the caribou once got stuck. The view is nice enough, but there is nothing indicating an actual plain beyond the lake. If you didn't already know that the plain was there, you wouldn't know at all. To the right, you can see an image of what flark looks like. Very muddy!

In addition, there are a few forks in the path which become a bit confusing. There are no signs indicating where those paths lead. While it's fine for most to just travel along, coming out from one of the sidepaths can be disorienting; it's not always easy to see which way you should go to go down the path you were traveling before. One could easily backtrack by accident.

The new path is also very forest-y, and while that is nice, the trail is called Caribou Plain still. Unless, of course, by plain, they mean that the trail is rather plain. The first part of the trail is still quite scenic, with the pond that used to home a beaver dam, featured here on the right, and a small marshy area. However, here are a few photos of what you're missing from the old trail. These include the above photographs of the plain.


There are two ways to access the old trail. You have to look carefully, though, because the path is covered with branches that park staff placed there to misdirect. Here are a couple of photos to show you how to get there. The trail isn't completely cordoned off as a result and I would recommend you go there while you still can! I'm not sure if they plan on tearing up the old boardwalk or just letting it sink into the flark, but I recommend you exercise caution while walking the path regardless. The boardwalk hasn't been serviced in a long time. Look carefully at these two pictures. When you come to this section of the trail, go right. After getting past some initial "debris" you should find a path that will eventually lead to a boardwalk.

You can also enter the back way if going backwards. It looks similar, with a massive branch blocking the path.

It's very sad, to me, what has happened to this trail. I think the name should probably be changed to something else as Caribou Plain doesn't fit or make sense anymore. I understand it's for the sake of the flark and ecosystem of the area that the old trail is being blocked, but there are ways to still show the beauty of the plain without disrupting that ecosystem. There are several ways.

Rating (out of 5)
Old trail - 5 footprints - beautiful and atmospheric, with a unique view. One of my favorite trails.
New trail - 2 and a half footprints - no plain and too much forest. If it weren't for the former beaver pond at the front and the lake in the middle, this would be like any other walk in the woods.

Difficulty - 1 footprint. Recommended for people who like to walk without climbing hills or stairs. Very easy-going and relaxing.

Length - less than 4 km, roughly an hour's walk.