A hike from Yellowknife River to Hidden Lake? The hikers club has it, and more trails, mapped

A group of avid hikers from Yellowknife have marked and mapped over a hundred kilometers of hiking trails along the Ingraham Trail.

Per Lunder is the founder of the new Ingraham Trail Outdoor Ramblers Club.

Lunder has been walking the bush around the Ingraham Trail for years.

He and others have mapped many trails, which the public can now find online at Trailfork.

« At first, I really didn’t care if I shared it or not, » Lunder said with a laugh.

« And then I thought, this is so good it makes sense to share it, doesn’t it? I’m not trying to keep it to myself. »

Lunder said there are about 25 hiking access points along the trail.

He said the group had mapped 137.4 kilometers of trails and still had 50 kilometers in their « back pocket ».

This includes a trail from Big Hill Bottom to Cameron Falls, Hidden Lake, and all around Plant Lake.

He also said there is a continuous trail between the Yellowknife River and Hidden Lake, which means the 52 kilometer trip can be turned into 110 kilometers of hiking.

« You can see so many different versions of the North, » Lunder said of the benefit of making the trip on foot.

The trails are marked with red and yellow one meter markers in difficult areas.

Lunder said his favorite part of the hike is the tranquility and the ability to disconnect from technology for a bit.

He said growing up he was part of an outdoor club in his hometown of West Vancouver, but « the poor part, not the rich part, » he explained.

« We used to go hiking to Squamish in the mountains every weekend, » Lunder said.

He now wants to bring that experience to Yellowknife with the Ingraham Trail Outdoor Ramblers Club.

The club is holding an inaugural public meeting at the Top Knight in Yellowknife on October 2.

Lunder said it would be a chance for people to organize regular hikes and coordinate any maintenance the trails might need.