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Stocking Lake Trail
The Stocking Lake Trail intersects with the Heart Lake Trail, the complete loop is an 11.5k round trip trek. From the trailhead up the Stocking Lake side is only about six kilometres and is primarily a well maintained road used to upkeep the towns water supply. This makes for an easy walk up the 300m+ incline, aside from a few snow and icy patches to navigate through. As you start to reach the lake, the snow gets deeper. The time of year I hiked in there was about 2ft of snow in some sections making for an interesting hike without snow shoes. Coming over the ridge and into the viewpoint of the lake is a stunning sight, especially in winter when the entire lake is frozen over and the sun causes all the snow to shine and twinkle in the light. After passing around, or over Stocking Lake, the walk to Heart Lake is a quick kilometre through the winding trail, well worn down by previous hikers. The second lake, much like the first, completely freezes over in winter and was covered in snow, providing the same stunning sight of the snow glistening and sparkling in the sunlight. Soon after Heart Lake the steep decline back to the trailhead begins. Navigating alongside a small creek for most of the way down, the trail is well worn and complete with small waterfalls and iced over sections of creek. About a third of the way down a small detour to the viewpoint has an exceptional view of most of the town of Ladysmith, a clear view out towards Vancouver, as well as down the coast of Vancouver Island to Saltspring Island. Located at the end of Battie Road right off Davis Road in Ladysmith, this relatively short hike has quickly become one of my favourites. I will definitely be going back again while the lakes are frozen, and many more times throughout the year.