Adventure Ranching – Aurora Borialis – Backpacking Hiking
Birdwatching – Boat Tours – Canoeing Kayaking
Cross Country Skiing – Enjoying Your Relationship – Fishing Lakes
Ice Fishing – River Fishing – Flyfishing – Fossil & Rock Hunting
Gold Panning – Historical Tours – Horseback Riding Packhorse Trips
Hunting – Mountain Biking – Mushroom & Berry Picking
Pedal Boating – Photography – Rafting
Sailing – Sightseeing – Snowmobiling
Snowshoeing – Swimming – Team Penning
Trapping – Western Cultural Experience – Wildlife Watching
Adventure Ranching
An adventure ranch is not a dude ranch, but an actual working ranch where interested guests may participate in the day-to-day activities of ranching. Cattle ranching is the prevalent type of ranching on the Southside, although there are ranches with sheep, llamas, and goats. In parts of the Southside the livestock is kept on “open range”, meaning: not fenced in.
Guests are invited to join the rancher’s family riding along the trails to check and gather livestock or check fences. They can help sort, pen, rope, and doctor the animals. Or they can participate in haying and harvesting activities. Adventure Ranching is available at Cougar Ranch or the Redwing Cattle Company where eco-friendly wilderness horseback vacations are also offered.
Check with one of the local resorts or SEDA staff to ask about adventure opportunities such as hunting, horseback riding and other possibilities for your outdoor adventure
Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) Viewing
The Aurora Borealis has fascinated, and often terrified, humans for thousands of years. And even now that we know, that Auroras occur because Earth’s magnetic field interacts with the solar wind, they haven’t lost their attraction. Since the Southside is on 53.5 degrees N, Auroras can be viewed quite frequently, mainly in late spring, late summer, and fall. Of course they are visible all over the Southside, but they are spectacular at Lakeside Legacy where Francois Lake is the stage towards the north.
Backpacking, Hiking
There is no better way to discover the natural beauty of the Southside than by hiking with or without a backpack. If remote wilderness adventure is your choice then you are looking for the magnificent snowpeaked mountains and glaciers in Northern Tweedsmuir Park. SEDA will gladly help you with maps, suggestions, and trail guides. The trekking season generally runs from May to October.
Birdwatching
Ornithologists and Hobby Birders alike will thoroughly enjoy a longer stay on the Southside. Our many lakes, swamp and brush areas, as well as deep forests and open grassland, offer ideal habitats for a great variety of bird species. Ootsa Lake is famous for the largest nesting Osprey population in Canada. These birds are indicators of a healthy marine environment, including good fisheries.
Takysie Lake Resort, and Lakeside Legacy offer accommodation and knowledgable support for birders. But of course you’ll be welcome at any host of your choice with your binoculars and the need for peace and quiet to hear the birds’ voices.
Boat Tours
The Southside has dozens of lakes that just ask to be discovered by boat. So, bring your boat and have the time of your life. Several operators offer tours (a day or longer) on their comfortable boats.
Canoeing and Kayaking
Cheslatta River and every lake on the Southside can be enjoyed in a canoe or kayak. A roundtrip of several days, taking you through the great wilderness of Tweedsmuir Park, can be started and ended anywhere on Ootsa Lake. This trip is recommended for experienced canoeists only, because Ootsa Lake can be quite choppy, and there are the Redfern rapids to tackle in the Park.
Canoes can be rented at Takysie Lake Resort, Lakeside Legacy, Moosehorn Lodge and Cougar Ranch.
Cross Country Skiing
While there are no special ski trails yet on the Southside it is worthwhile to discover the area in winter. Bring your skis or rent them from your hosts. Every operator has his own private trails or knows where to find them. Lakeside Legacy and Cougar Ranch offer winter vacation with Cross Country Skiing being on their program. Tayksie Lake is an awesome lake for skiing on and has accommodations for the skiing family to stay as well. There are some private groomed trails close by.
Enjoying Your Relationship
No stress, no city-noise, no boss to drive you crazy, no bus to catch, no traffic jams. Discovering the flair of the Southside together will work miracles on your relationship. Come and see for yourself!
Well, and if you decide to get married, Lakeside Legacy or Moosehorn Lodge have the perfect spot to exchange vows: a lakeside gazebos at Lakeside Legacy and a large covered public area at Moosehorn Lodge. There are beautiful backdrops for your wedding pictures all over the Southside.
Fishing Lakes
The Southside is the Eldorado for fishermen. Rainbow Trout, Lake Char, Kokanee, Lake Whitefish, Mountain Whitefish and Ling Cod can be found. . There are many smaller excellent lakes that are not public knowledge. If you are lucky your hosts might share their secret favourite fishing lake with you.
Fishing River
Cheslatta River is great for fishing, especially downwards from the Rio Tinto Alcan Spillway and at the east side of the Cheslatta falls. Cougar Ranch is close to both spots and your hosts there will gladly take you to the biggest fish
Ice Fishing
Visit the Southside in winter and show the locals that you can do it, too. Ootsa Lake is famous for ling cod caught through the ice. Your hosts at Takysie Lake will even help you to bore a hole through the ice to facilitate your fishing experience.
Flyfishing
Many lakeshores and Cheslatta River also provide excellent opportunities for the flyfishing enthusiast.
Fossil Hunting, Rock Hounding
There are two rich fossil beds in the area of the Southside and many places where you can find agate. Along Cheslatta Trail you will also find volcanic formations. On a trip to Burns Lake don’t miss out on the Eagle Creek Opal beds. This area is protected from claim staking and is available to the public for rock hounding. About 1 km south of Burns Lake turn into Eagle Creek Road. Follow this road for approximately 7 kms to the recreation site at the main trailhead. The Opal Bed trails are well-marked.
Goldpanning
The Gold rush has not taken place yet on the Southside. But you could try to start it. A Southside old-timer is convinced he knows where the gold is.
Historical Tours
History on the Southside means first of all native history. The Cheslatta Carrier Nation is proud to offer trail tours on foot or horseback to their ancestors’ territory around Cheslatta Lake. Several settlements used to line the shores of the lake before the water level of Cheslatta Lake rose in 1952 as part of the Nechako reservoir. The settlements were well-developed and even had a roomy church with stained glass windows. The historic traditional trail network is still maintained and can be explored.
History of white pioneers started in 1906, 6 years earlier than in Burns Lake. Old building sites can be found in many places.
Horseback Riding, Packhorse Trips
On days when the fish don’t bite you should go horseback riding. The Southside is horse country par excellence. Cougar Ranch offers guided trail rides of 1-4 hours, while the Redwing Cattle Company offers a back country experience in the spectacular Cheslatta Valley as an eco-friendly horseback vacation.
Hunting
Moose, mule deer, white tail deer, black and grizzly bear, mountain goat, wolf, and upland birds can be hunted in the guiding area of Wistaria Guiding along the shore of Ootsa Lake. The Southside is in the hunting range of 6-4 which is the only range in BC where there is an annual open season on all bull moose due to a large population living in this area. Upland game birds and migratory game birds can be hunted with one license.
Mountainbiking
All you need is your bike. We provide some low traffic paved roads, lots of gravel roads, and trails. And of course the scenery, the wildlife, the plants for the flower enthusiast. We recommend a roundtrip through the Southside, around the western head of Francois Lake, back along the northern shore of Francois Lake to the ferry terminal where the ferry will take you back to the Southside. This is a trip of about 150 km. You’ll find many Forestry Campgrounds along the way and several Bed&Breakfasts.
Mushroom & Berry Picking
The Southside is a superb place to hunt and gather wild fruit. Within minutes of almost every accommodation or campground, one can find a large variety of mushrooms. Starting in May with different kinds of Morels, followed by Bolets in June and July. August will bring forth Shaggy Manes and Puffballs in abundance, while early September is good for Delicious Lactarius. Know your mushrooms before you eat them!
In late summer and fall Saskatoon, blueberries, huckleberries, raspberries, gooseberries, high bush cranberries and different kinds of currants can be gathered in the wild. These are great for eating right of the bush or making preserves.
Your hosts at Cougar Ranch and Ootsa Lake Ranch will help you to find, identify and preserve your treasure of mushrooms and berries.
Pedal-boating
Takysie Lake is your lake if you have a fancy for pedalboats. Let the kids use their legs while you catch the fish for dinner. Or just go exploring this lake of 1270 acres. Takysie Lake Resort has pedalboats for rent.
Photography
It’s simple: You’re the artist – the Southside is your model. Be it wildlife, flowers, northern scenery, life engraved in a friendly Southsider’s face: we have much to offer to the photo enthusiast. If you use a digital camera you can send your pictures home by E-Mail using SEDA’s Community Computer Access Site, here at the SEDA Centre.
Rafting
We don’t know of anyone who is offering raft tours on the Southside. Why don’t you take this as a challenge? There are certainly enough trees on the Southside, there is Cheslatta River (better start below the falls in order to avoid them), dozens of lakes, and try your hand at building a raft. Your kids will adore you for it and never forget the most adventurous vacations of their childhood.
Sailing
Francois Lake, Ootsa Lake and the big lakes of North Tweedsmuir Park are the preferred sailing waters for the sail boat enthusiast.
Sightseeing
It all depends on what is a “sight” for you. Verdun Lookout and its marvellous view across Ootsa Lake to the snow-peaked mountains of Tweedsmuir Park? The Rio Tinto Alcan Spillway releasing huge amounts of water into Cheslatta River, and making a big show of it by flashing a rainbow? Kenney Dam that’s holding all the water of the Nechako Reservoir in place? The Farmers Market in Southbank, showing a wide array of local crafts, baked goods, and fresh vegetables? These and other “sights” can be visited by road access. There are also some local pilot who will take visitors up in their planes for the sightseeing trip of a lifetime. Ask at the SEDA centre for information.
Snowmobiling
Enjoying speed on ice and snow doesn’t always mean you have to put on skates or skis. Tourism operators who offer winter vacations on the Southside can usually provide a snowmobile and take you out to winter wonderland. If you come in February you could even participate in the yearly Snowmobile Poker Ride that is organized by the Tweedsmuir Recreation Society (Wistaria Hall).
Snowshoeing
Bring your snowshoes or borrow them from your host – and go anywhere in the snow. Cross the frozen lakes with two feet of snow on the ice, revisit the mountain top that was covered with bear-berries last fall. Advise: Practise snowshoeing (where nobody can see you!), before you go on a hike.
Swimming
You may think “swimming” is an easy one in the Lakes District, and it is! The larger lakes need a bit of the summer sun to bring them up to warm enough temperatures but the smaller lakes are warm enough in late spring. Any local resident though knows about the good swimming spots on the Southside. Takysie Lake Resort is situated at the warm western end of Takysie Lake where swimming is a pleasure, and Moosehorn Lodge has a lovely spot on Uncha Lake.
Team Penning
Team Penning is the fastest growing western horse sport in North America. A team of usually three riders has to move three marked cows out of a herd of 30, and put them in a pen at the other end of the arena. The team with the shortest time wins.
The Lakes District Team Penning Association invites spectators to come to the Grassy Plains Hall and Rodeo Grounds. Every Friday or Saturday (from May 1st to the end of September) you can be part of the regular penning sessions. Official Sorting Series are held at Grassy Plain Hall during the summer, watch for dates. The Southsiders participate in the Burns Lake and District Fall Fair penning competitions so you can also see them there.
Trapping
There are still traplines and trappers on the Southside. Since the most valuable secret of being a successful trapper is an intimate knowledge of the behaviour and biology of the target animals, trappers (beside hunting guides) are your best shot for interesting stories about wild animals on the Southside. Though you aren’t permitted to trap on your own, your hosts or SEDA could probably arrange a meeting with a trapline owner.
Western Cultural Experience
Cows and horses, the main ingredients of every Western Cultural Experience, are everywhere on the Southside. Once you leave the paved highway you’ll find cattle even on the roads. Your hosts or SEDA can arrange for you to visit a cattle ranch, watch the branding of the calves in early summer, or the cattle drive in fall.
Every Friday evening a 7 pm, from May 1st to the end of September, you’re invited to watch the local Team penning Association work their horses and cows at the Grassy Plains Hall and Rodeo Grounds.
Wildlife Watching
Moose, Black and Grizzly Bear, Cougar, Lynx, Mule and Whitetail Deer, Coyote, Wolf, Beaver, Otter, Wolverine, are some of the bigger mammals that are at home on the Southside. You can get a glimpse of them in the wild depending largely on your knowledge of the behaviour and biology of these animals – or a good guide. The more you know about wildlife the better are your chances to see them close up (without getting into trouble) and take brilliant pictures. One good source to learn how to watch wildlife is www.WildlifeWatcher.com. It lists most of the species that we have here on the Southside and a few extras that you’ll find further west or east.
Wilderness Camping
Forestry Campgrounds or the free Rio Tinto Alcan Spillway campground are a good compromise of camping in the wilderness and having the amenities of a fire pit and an outhouse. If you can do without even that and just want to spend a night or two at the river bank where you caught the 3lbs rainbow trout or in the poplar glen where you spotted more morels than you could pick, you are welcome to put up your tent (know your bear rules?). If you suspect that you’re on private property (fences? gates? cows? driveway with fresh tracks?) go look for the farmhouse and ask for permission. Your chances are good that you’ll get a yes with a big smile and a cup of coffee.
