Ladybug at the Big Rock LbNA #70396
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Add Location| Owner: | CarrieOnThePrairie  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jul 18, 2016 |
| Location: | Okotoks Erratic |
| City: | Okotoks |
| County: | Alberta, CAN |
| State: | Alberta, Canada |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Not yet found! |
|---|---|
| Last found: | N/A |
| Status: | a |
| Last edited: | Aug 1, 2016 |
This letterbox is about 8 km west of Okotoks on the north side of Hwy 7. The "Okotoks Erratic" is the largest known rock in the Foothills Erratics Train, a group of rocks that were carried by ice along the mountain front and let down as the glacier melted more than 10,000 years ago. The erratics lie in a narrow band extending from Jasper National Park to northern Montana. The Okotoks Erratic weighs an estimated 16,500 tonnes. It measures about 9 metres high, 41 metres long and 18 metres wide. The rock has broken into pieces, but is still a large landmark on the flat prairie.
This letterbox is easily accessible, almost a drive-by.
After leaving your car in the parking lot, descend down the stairs/ramp. Count 155 steps from the base of the stairs and notice a grouping of large rocks on your right. You'll be about halfway to the "big rock", a little over halfway from the stairs to the blue informational plaques. Depart from the walking path across the grass to that group of rocks. Notice that the north side of this bolder is very straight and perpendicular to the ground. You'll find The Ladybug on the northwest corner where that straight rock face meets the ground, under two reddish rocks.
There's not really much to see at the Okotoks Erratic, but you might as well journey on to "the big rock" and read about the geological importance of it, while you're here. I drive by it often, and no matter what time of day or night, there is ALWAYS someone there! People just seem to be drawn to this centuries-old rock. Indeed, the Blackfoot people's word for "rock" (ohkotok) inspired the name for the now bustling town of Okotoks.
Hike length: 0.1 miles
This letterbox is easily accessible, almost a drive-by.
After leaving your car in the parking lot, descend down the stairs/ramp. Count 155 steps from the base of the stairs and notice a grouping of large rocks on your right. You'll be about halfway to the "big rock", a little over halfway from the stairs to the blue informational plaques. Depart from the walking path across the grass to that group of rocks. Notice that the north side of this bolder is very straight and perpendicular to the ground. You'll find The Ladybug on the northwest corner where that straight rock face meets the ground, under two reddish rocks.
There's not really much to see at the Okotoks Erratic, but you might as well journey on to "the big rock" and read about the geological importance of it, while you're here. I drive by it often, and no matter what time of day or night, there is ALWAYS someone there! People just seem to be drawn to this centuries-old rock. Indeed, the Blackfoot people's word for "rock" (ohkotok) inspired the name for the now bustling town of Okotoks.
Hike length: 0.1 miles