Although being 100 km away from Brandon, the trip makes an excellent day journey. Along the way you’ll drive through the wide Souris Valley, go through the Brandon Hills and finally make a run through the Turtle Mountains. Don’t forget to stop in Boissevain and get a picture with Tommy the turtle, you can’t miss him.

One of the amazing things about the park is that you do not need a passport to enter but can drive freely in the United States when entering the park. Note that you will have to go through border control on the way back through Canada. (Just mention you were in the Peace Gardens.)

Make sure to go in the summer when all the flowers are in bloom. There are some short hiking trails on the Canadian side that wander by a group of lakes and you’ll be sure to see loons on the lake and possibly some deer on the trails. You can see a wide variety of animal life all through the park so make sure you drive slow and see everything.

At the far end of the park there is two large structures that are the peace towers. Along the pathway to the towers are pieces of the World Trade Center. Beside the towers there is a remembrance hall for the 911 attacks. Not far from there is the North American Warden Museum, a small museum dedicated to game wardens and nature conservationism.

The whole area is beautifully arranged and a great place to take the family for a warm summer day.

It’s located 100km South of Brandon on Highway 10.

For more information call 1-888-432-6733

Just because Brandon is located thousands of kilometers from the nearest ocean it doesn’t mean we don’t have any beaches, it just means we just don’t have many. However one of the best and closest beaches in the area is located only half an hour North of Brandon Mb.

Cool sand and warm waters are exactly what you’ll find at Minnedosa beach. With over 200 meters of sandy beach front sitting by the side of the scenic Minnedosa lake, you’ll be sure to enjoy this wonderful beach. The water is very clean, although not too clear. Occasionally you’ll find that some leaches have attached themselves to you, but this is Manitoba and that’s a given.

Just behind the beach there is a play structure for the little ones as well as a large field to play in. The beach also has a boat launch and a large parking area. There are no animals allowed on the beach but if you want to go check out some animals, you’ll find a herd of plains bison just a few minutes away from the beach at the bison enclosure.

Also situated around the beach is a great marshy walking path, the flag walk which represents the various flags of the people of Minnedosa and a look out tower over the marsh and bison enclosure. A round-trip walk from the beach will only take at max 1 hour and you’ll be amazed at all the things you’ll see. It’s common to find deer in the middle of the path ways as you walk on the trail. There is also a small swinging bridge in the middle of the marsh.

To see the exact locations of all the nearby attractions, please reference the map.

Less then half an hour South of Brandon, there is a small town by the name of Souris. The city itself is not the most well known of places and isn’t a bustling metropolis, however it does contain one of the star attractions of Westman, the Souris Swinging Bridge.

Spanning 582ft it is the longest swinging bridge in all of Canada. It was built in 1904 by Squire Sowden and local developer who owned much of the land in the area. By building the bridge, he could connect the two sides of the city more efficiently and cut the time in half that it took to go from one side of the city to the other.

The bridge has been a staple of the community and is a well known local attraction. The longest distance between spans is over 200ft, so while you stand in the middle of the bridge over the Souris River, you feel the bounce. So take care if you have small children as even they will create large movements in the bridge.

After you cross the bridge, take a right and follow the road by the river until you reach the iron bridge. From there you can enter the bird sanctuary or maybe take a look at the museum by the bridge.

Directions: Drive South on 18th st., it will become Highway #10. Then turn right (West) on Highway 2 and continue on for about 20km.

Time Required: An afternoon.

What Else to Enjoy: Souris has a fantastic, large, open park where peacocks roam freely and many wild birds are kept in a large enclosure. Be sure to bring some bread.

Thousands of years ago, most of Manitoba was covered by a great lake. Lake Agassiz was a glacial lake around 12000 years ago that formed by melting and retreating glaciers in Canada. The lake grew to be so huge that if it were to exist today, it’d be bigger then the Caspian Sea.

The lake flooded and retreated multiple times. So much so, that some scientists suspect that the drainage of the lake could account for early human flood stories as the amount of water that would have reached the sea would have actually increased the sea level.

The lake finally drained around 8000 years ago leaving some remnants such as Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba and Lake of the Woods. It also left over is sandy shores, which became known as the Spirit Sands.

This Manitoba’s only “desert”. Not really a desert due to the amount of precipitation it receives. The provincial park that surrounds the area allows you to hike through the sands, in your barefeet if you want too, and observe this unique place. The trails will lead you to the Devil’s Punchbowl where underground running water have caused the surface to collapse and create this unique depression.

On the trail you can also expect to see Manitoba’s only cactus and our only lizard the blue tailed skink. There have also been some unconfirmed sightings of cougar in the area.

Total Time to Hike: 2-5 Hours

These are a set of large hills located South of the City of Brandon. Their exact origins are unknown but are thought to be created by glacial processes, however the exact process is unknown and there are a variety of theories to explain their existence.

At their highest point they stand over 300ft from the farmlands below and can be seen from the North Hill in Brandon. They are the home of a variety of different animals such as white tailed deer, coyotes, black bear, various amphibians, various birds and there have been some sights of cougar! No worries though, none have ever been confirmed.

The hills offer many kilometers of trails for hikers and bikers, however due to low maintenance of the area many trail markers are missing and it is sometimes easy to become lost. Make sure to always bring your cellphone and travel with friends. For some generic maps of the hills, go to http://brandonhills.org/

Fishing-assiniboine

No better way to finish a long days work then to head out with your pals and go fishing.

Thankfully the city of Brandon offers many great spots to catch any kind of fish that you want. Fishing from the banks of the Assiniboine river has brought in over 3000 master anglers since 1991. The river has also been stocked with sturgeon, although if caught you can not take it with you.

The river is well known for containing bullheads, who are readily available to catch. It has it’s fair share of channel cat, the longest being 43″. The Assiniboine also runs it’s way through a lot of cities and towns, meaning it’s very accessible to anyone looking to fish. Even in Brandon there are plenty of locations, each with their pluses and minuses.

I got four spots in and around town for you. The most Southern spot is great for catching sturgeon. The other two allow you to catch pretty much anything.

In my opinion, the best fishing spot in Brandon is the location by Riverbank Park, for a couple reasons.

1.) It’s quiet. By being out of town even by a few minutes, there are much less people fishing there then any place in the city.

2.) It’s scenic. Nestled in the Assiniboine River Valley it’s secluded and when the sun is going down, the small forest by the riverbank lights up beautifully making for a spectacular place to view the sunset.

3.) It’s secluded. There are no buildings near by, no power plants in view, you can barely hear the traffic on Veterans Way when your by the river and it is just a better spot then the others.

The most common fish species of the Assiniboine are:

• Waleye (Pickeral)
• Sauger
• Northern Pike
• Sturgeon
• Bullhead
• Channel Catfish
• Goldeneye
• Mooneye
• Freshwater Drum
• Yellow Perch
• Whitesucker
• Rock Bass
• Carp
• White Bass
• Burbot

Grandvalley

Located only 10km West of Brandon, this park is on top of an important archeological site in the Westman area. The area was used for hunting bison hundreds of years ago by the aboriginal people of the area and many artifacts and bison bones have been found.

The park offers a short 2km interpretive trail which tells you about the methods used to hunt the bison and the relationship between the animals and the people. Also featured is a bison enclosure that was used to trap and kill the animals. At the end of the trail there is a watch tower that will give you a great panorama over the Grand Valley.

Directions: Head West on Grand Valley Road from 18th st. until you reach the #1 highway. The park lies right beside the #1.

Cost: Free

Time to see everything: 1-2 hours
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Located along the scenic banks of the Assiniboine river, these trails wind for over 4.5km all over the Northern riverside area of the city. They are exceptionally maintained and can be used by any roller blader, cyclist or pedestrian alike.

Along the trails you can expect to see a whole variety of wildlife that will come alongside the trails with little fear of the pedestrians. You can expect to see deer, beavers, Canadian geese, red winged blackbirds, mallards and a whole host of other animals all within a 30 minute walk.

Make sure not to miss these other attractions found on the walking paths.

1. Riverbank Discovery Center, where you kind find more tourism and city information for the Brandon and surrounding area. Plus you can take a stroll in the marsh trails behind the building or feed the fishes and geese from the small dock. You’ll find informative signs dealing with the flora and fauna of the prairies along the path.
2. Eleanor Kidd Gardens, where you can stroll through a beautifully planted garden and enjoy it’s serenity. A walk from the discovery center is around 2km but there is also parking at the gardens via access from 18th st.
3. Red Willow Pedestrian Bridge, a large walking bridge built in 1997 that allows you to traverse the river without getting your feet wet. During June, come watch the cliff swallows nesting underneath of the bridge as they fly out of their nests in the hundreds.