Name: Ward Lake Snowshoe Hike [Registration Required]
Start: 2026-02-21T09:30:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-21T15:30:00-05:00
Location: Thunder Bay Field Naturalists

Ward Lake Snowshoe Hike [Registration Required]

❄️ Join us to explore the beautiful Ward Lake Nature Reserve near Sturgeon Bay, which protects 410 acres of rugged and scenic wilderness. This reserve is located south of the city of Thunder Bay. The reserve includes parts of two inland lakes, some dramatic cliffs, and a small creek that flows from Ward Lake down towards Sturgeon Bay. Participants will snowshoe for 2 km along an old bush road to reach Ward Lake and then continue approximately 2 km along the shoreline, looking for tracks, birds, and other signs of wildlife. You will return by the same trail. This is considered a difficult snowshoe with a total distance of approximately 8 km. Participants should be fit and able to snowshoe for 4 hours in challenging terrain.
📆 Date - Saturday February 21, 2026
🤠 Trip Leaders - Bruce Holmes, Rob Foster and Gerry Racey
🕥Meeting times -
👉 1) Meet at 9:45 a.m. at the SE corner of the Canadian Tire parking lot on Arthur St.; vehicles will leave by 10:00 a.m. for Ward Lake. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. There is limited parking at the trailhead.
👉 2) If necessary to drive directly to the trailhead, follow the directions below and we will meet where the snowshoe will start at 10:45. The drive is approximately 45 minutes from Arthur St.
🚗 We expect to be done around mid-afternoon, and home between 4:00-5:00 p.m.
🧭 Directions – Drive Hwy 61 south of Thunder Bay to Sturgeon Bay Road. Follow Sturgeon Bay Road to the trail starting point, (approximately 3 km past Walker Road). There is no sign. Look for the Trip Leader’s car parked on the side of the road. Please use caution and go slowly on the snow and ice-covered secondary roads, and park as far off to the side as possible.
🎒What to Bring – Warm clothing (layers, will be warm snowshoeing up hill, and cold stopping for lunch), warm winter boots, snowshoes, lunch and water or a hot drink, and binoculars and camera suggested. Hiking or ski poles are recommended.
‼️To Register - Please email Bruce Holmes [email protected] indicating your name, telephone number, number of participants, and whether you will be meeting at the Canadian Tire parking lot (9:45) or the snowshoe starting location on Sturgeon Bay Road (10:45).
This hike is limited to 16 participants.