Capturing the Art of Nature
Alice Lake
After driving past the park for years I felt it was finally time to see what was hiding with the park boundaries. So on September 1, 2007 we set off to explore the area.
Category
Serendipitous Discoveries
2007
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The park is definitely a popular place for both day users and over-niters. The campsites were fully filled for the week-end and people were getting well into the camping out mood. Those like me who were just here for the day were increasing in numbers by the hour and the grassy picnic area next to Alice Lake was getting crowded. Seeing this, I had to find out why this group of small lakes is so popular.
On leaving the parking area I noticed that the lake is nicely situated between a few hills which offered a picturesque setting accentuated with lovely reflections of the local peaks. The walk around the lake is quite an easy walk amongst the trees with numerous views of the lake as one makes it around. The far side of the lake offers a second picnic area with a small dock to walk out over the water. Though it is quite peaceful I found it a bit too cultured for my taste and definitely too crowded.
Once we had circled Alice Lake we stopped for a bite then we headed out for Stump Lake. This lake is a bit bigger than Alice and definitely not as polished not anywhere near as popular. The lake was covered in Lily Pads and marsh grasses interspersed with fallen trees. This was more the way I like it. There was a father/daughter fishing team at the far end of the lake enjoying a cool sunshiny day while waiting for the nibble from amongst the pads.
Stump Lake offered far more interesting textures and viewing angles than did Alice. Alice Lake was pretty much an oval whereas Stump had an irregular shape with a small islet in its middle. I do feel that the various fallen logs added the most interest to the views around the lake. Some logs were quite small while others were more than big enough to walk along. Next time I come to the park I will need to hike up to the remaining two of the major lakes and see what they offer the photographer.
After the park we headed down to Squamish and then up to the southern entrance of Garibaldi Park. The view from there of the North end of Howe Sound was quite lovely. But even more interesting were the signs in the parking area warning of video surveillance. I couldn’t see any cameras – perhaps the signs were all that made it into this year’s budget and the cameras come next year! The day brought us some new sights and I felt well worth the time to explore. As to why Alice is so popular, all I can say is that it offers easy access to a lovely setting making the outdoors accessible to all.