Dry Island Buffalo Jump Off-Trail hike on 4-Jun-2025

I had been wanting to visit this place for several years, but schedules and weather had never aligned, so when on short notice Yolande was free and agreed to co-host with me, I was a happy Rambler! As forecasted, the weather was dry and not overly hot. You would not want to visit on wet or hot days. The terrain was even more unique and beautiful than I had imagined, and I was thankful for Yolande's experience to guide us, as there really are no obvious trails, and the footing was challenging at times due to the combination of very hard packed, then very loose variations, along with not being able to judge in advance where deep valleys were vs. ridges that connected. We arrived at the top of the "dry island" (I didn't realize this was an actual feature) at exactly 12:01 so perfectly timed for "union lunch". We enjoyed the gentle breezes and sunshine before making our way back to the parking area picnic tables where Yolande surprised us with watermelon, rosemary crackers and fancy cheese. Does a day get any nicer??

Thanks to my relaxed and happy companions, to Yolande for making the day both easy and memorable and to Cathy for driving us, and taking/sharing the photos: Yolande, Cathy, and Agnieszka

Note to those planning a hike here in future, the Cross Iron Mills RONA does not mind folks parking in their lot (at the far north east end) and it's an easy exit from there to the destination.