The official trail starts at Ryan Place Gate and then forks to go up to Heart Lake via a connector trail or over to Stocking Lake. I turned left to go to Stocking Lake. That lead along the power lines for a few hundred metres. You can cut out this section by going further down Davis Road in Ladysmith then up Hall Road and Thetis Drive. You’ll find the trailhead in the next photo and get to skip the powerline walking. 

The actual trailhead to Stocking Lake with some interesting houses next door. 

A wet day. Even the ditches next to to the road were lush and full of water for photos. 

The access road ends and turns into rough double track at a Ladysmith water supply pond. 

The old pipes coming out of the ground are wood wrapped in wire. They aren’t used any more but a lot of old water supply pipe is still in the ground.  

Not sure what these were sticking out of the ground. I think they are vents or access points to the water pipes that run along here. 

A steep section. 

And a convenient bench right after to rest. 

Favorite spot of the day. I could have sat here for hours and watched the stream run by. The ferns hanging into the water and the wide shallow stream made me think of a place I spent a lot of time as a kid. 

The dam. The access road comes up to this point and forks to go both ways around the lake. 

Hard to miss these signs. 

Some days I can’t wait to see the end of the rain. Others I appreciate it to no end because it creates places like this. 

Della waiting for me. She’ll wait if I’m standing but if I crouch down then she comes running. 

Perfectly still water. You could see the tiny leaves of the plants in the reflections. 

Our other hiking buddy we found near the end of the hike. 

Another view of the lake before heading back down.  

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