Stop 2 is found inside Echo Valley Provincial Park, up the hill and across the highway from Stop 1. It is located on a point on the south side of the valley that overlooks Sioux Crossing, Pasqua Lake and Echo Lake.

Echo Lake Provincial Park was built in 1960 and was one of the first provincial parks to be built in the province. A lot of development of the area was needed before the park was opened to the public, including the construction of artificial beaches. In order for the beaches to be constructed, a large amount of sand was used to fill parts of Echo Lake and the marshes of Sioux Crossing. Unfortunately the filling of Sioux Crossing destroyed an important natural fish spawning habitat, diminishing the levels of fish in the region for a time.

Currently Stop 2 is a sandy knoll, with very typical Saskatchewan flora. There are plenty of Saskatoon and Chokecherry bushes, grasses, and wild prairie flowers. The west side of the slope is exposed to the elements and is very dry. Local residents have grooved out a mountain bike trail that winds from the top of the hill around to its base. The east side of the hill is more moist than the west side, and drains into a gully that stretches all the way to the base of the hill.

Geology

The Qu'Appelle Valley is actually three valleys in one - with the advancement and subsequent melting of glaciers, the valley area that is now Qu'Appelle has been cut, filled, and covered twice before.

The first of these valleys was the Hatfield Valley. It was cut 68.6 million years ago (mya), and was subsequently filled and covered. After this, the area was cut again to form the Muscow Valley. After 18,000 years, the Muscow Valley was filled and covered.

Finally, 15,500 years ago, the Qu'Appelle area was cut by still another glacier, and 14,000 years ago the glacier melted. It left behind a unique valley which cuts through the Saskatchewan landscape. However, as with all valleys, the Qu'Appelle Valley is also in the process of being filled.

Aerial Photo

Click here to see an aerial photograph of stop 2.

Plant species found at stop 2:

Alfalfa	Green ash	Rough fleabane
Alumroot	Hairy golden-aster	Sand bladderpod
American elm	Harebell	Saskatoon
American hedysarum	Indian breadroot	Scarlet gaura
American vetch	June grass	Scarlet mallow
Ascending purple milk-vetch	Kentucky bluegrass	Silverleaf psoralea
Awned northern wheatgrass	Lewis wild flax	Slender wheatgrass
Balsam poplar	Long-headed coneflower	Smooth aster
Bastard toadflax	Loose-flowered milk-vetch	Smooth brome
Bearberry	Low goldenrod	Smooth fleabane
Black-fruited chokecherry	Low prairie rose	Spiny ironplant
Blue grama	Manitoba maple	Spreading dogbane
Blue lettuce	Many-flowered aster	Stiff goldenrod
Bur-clover	Moss phlox	Trembling aspen
Canada buffaloberry	Norhtern awnless brome	Tufted fleabane
Canada thistle	Northern bedstraw	Two-grooved milk-vetch
Compact groundsel	Northern wheatgrass	Western snowberry
Crested wheatgrass	Pasture sage	Western wheatgrass
Dandelion	Pineappleweed	White sweet-clover
Early yellow locoweed	Prairie onion	Wild bergamot
False ragweed	Prairie sage	Wild licorice
Flixweed	Prickly pear	Winterfat
Foxtail barley	Prickly rose	Wolfwillow or Silverberry
Golden-bean	Purple milk-vetch	Yarrow
Graceful (Canada) goldenrod	Purple prairie-clover	Yellow sweet-clover
Great-flowered gaillardia	Purple rock cress	Yellow umbrellaplant