Adventures for Wilderness – Lost Knife Creek Trek

September 29, 2025

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• Adventures for Wilderness
• South Ghost
• Wildwater

Text and photos by Sara Heerema, led by Heinz Unger

It was a perfect fall day when we set out along Lost Knife Creek, located near the Waiparous Creek Provincial Recreation Area. Heinz led us along game trails and the occasional bushwhacking route to see some of the best colours that fall had to offer. As beautiful as it was, it was also a good day to talk about how multiple land uses can have cumulative impacts on our environment.

We discussed the impact of OHV use in the Ghost area as we passed obvious signs of erosion, and took a look at the failing culvert systems that are intended to keep the creek flowing under the road. As we crossed the creek, we noted that cattle had been watered along the banks, which can have serious impacts on water quality and habitat for our native fish. He told us about the history of logging in the area, bringing us to a small clearing where tiny seedlings were finally beginning to regrow after a cut, and pointed across the valley to where recent cuts had left jagged holes in the landscape. The Ghost Valley has fewer formal protections than many similar landscapes in Alberta, making the area more susceptible to damage.

There were signs of a healthy environment too, as we crunched dry leaves and noted the bunchberries growing sparingly along the hill, before stopping for lunch in the shade. We found multiple types of mushrooms and fungi that we could not identify, saw flocks of mountain and boreal chickadees singing in the willows, and followed tracks and scat patterns of deer, elk, wolf, and more. The difference was startling as we crossed from the South to the North side of the creek on our return journey. As we meandered past a beaver dam along the creek, our feet sank down into sphagnum moss and wet ground. The Northern slopes were covered in thick moss and mushrooms, showing just how much more moisture stayed on the landscape on that side.

Returning to the car, we contemplated what we had discussed, and enjoyed the bright aspens, poplars, and willows – just as stunning as the fall larches in our minds.