Radius Retreat Forest Therapy Trail

The Radius Retreat Trail is located on the eastern slopes of the B.C. Rocky Mountain trench which, surprisingly, is quite an arid bench land with mountains towering above. The bench is very flat in a north-south axis but gently rises to the eastern boundary and then quickly becomes very steep terrain to mountain horizon lines of 8000 feet in elevation. The sense of underground streams are evident due to groves of Trembling Aspen that reside in shallow gulley’s that then give way to Douglas Fir and Juniper in the flatter zones along with grasslands. Throughout the property are small stumps from Christmas tree harvest and large stumps left from selective logging likely from the 1950’s which are randomly linked by old, grass covered, narrow roads that are charming. There is very little understory of growth other than Labrador Tea, Soapberry, Wild Rose, Saskatoon’s, and Alders making up taller shrubs and lower plants such as Yarrow, Kinnikinnick, Harebells, Ox-eyed Daisy, Columbine, Wild Onion (not Death Camus) , Bull Thistle, and varieties of grasses are all common. Due to dryness there not many Mushrooms and Fungi are mostly associated with old stumps and dead Fir trees but there is a good productivity of Old Man’s Beard which signifies a happy forest environment. Siting’s of Elk and Deer are regular but Black Bears, Grizzlies, Wolves, Coyotes, Badgers, and Cougars are rare to see and mostly expose their presence with scat or tracks. Garter snakes are also around but rarely seen as is the case with Bees, but Wood Ticks and mosquitos are abundant. All in all, the site is of low hazard in landform and animal siting’s are monitored by the Landowners who witness most activity only at the north end of the property which is well away from the trail. Views of the rugged Purcell Mountains to the west are beautiful and in between are some of the most celebrated wetlands in Western Canada that resonates with the imagination and sense of wildness of place.