During our 7 day stay at Charleston Lake Provincial Park, we hiked almost of all the trails at the park and thoroughly enjoy each and every one of them. One of the highlights, that we actually hiked twice, was Charleston Lake’s Sandstone Island Trail. The trail was 2.6 kilometre long and it took us past enormous slabs of sandstone which broke away from the cliffs nearby. We walked under a natural shelter with the exposed remains of an ancient beach composed of small boulders, pebbles and sand, which is called a conglomerate. We learned that there was evidence that 12 hundred years ago the shelter was used by hunters (remnants of pottery, bone tools and a firepit), and we could see why it would make such a fantastic shelter, even now.
We saw ancient beach sediment on the cliff faces that washed up during the Paleozioc age, and the sifted sands that pointed to quiet waves in shallow water. On our second time around the trail, we were sure to look for the semi-circular section of the rock face that was once a waterfall.
The hike was absolutely stunning and educational. If you want to learn about the geology and history of the trail the Friends of Charleston Lake produced a very nicely written and informative brochure that you can use during your hike. You can pick up a copy at the beginning of the trail or check their website for an electronic version.
