Mapgirl Adventures

We rolled into Elk Island National Park for the weekend in Benny, our trusty motorhome, ready to soak up some quiet nature time. Tucked just outside Edmonton, this little gem of a park always feels like a deep breath of fresh air—and this visit was no exception.

On Saturday, we hit the Moss Lake Trail, a peaceful 14 km loop through boreal forest and wetlands. It didn’t take long before we were rewarded with a pair of trumpeter swans gliding gracefully across the water. These incredible birds were reintroduced to the park back in 1987, and it’s amazing to think we might have seen descendants of that early effort. There’s something pretty special about watching them in a place where conservation success is written right on the landscape.

The trail had signs of beaver activity everywhere—freshly chewed stumps, narrow water channels, and muddy slides leading down to the ponds. We stopped for a quiet lunch break beside a massive beaver dam, taking a seat on a boardwalk built by the park to protect the dam, and just listened to the rustle of wind through the trees.

After we finished up—with just a little complaining from me about the length of the trail—we made our way back to Benny, tired in the best way. We curled up for the late afternoon with a glass of wine from Off the Grid Winery, one of our favourites from our Okanagan winery trip. Sipping that familiar flavour while surrounded by the hush of the forest felt like the perfect full-circle moment.

Here’s to long trails, big dams, and quiet nights with a glass in hand—Elk Island, you were just what we hoped for.

Learn more about how Elk Island National Park was ‘founded on a bet’ in the great blog History Research Shenanigans.