Located only 25 minutes from Brandon, just south of Shilo, this provincial park provides the visitor with a view of life in the Prairies in the 1800′s and also showcases an important figure of the Westman area.

Criddle/Vane Homestead Provincial Park is Manitoba’s 79th newest provincial park and was created just recently in 2004. It features a number of buildings constructed at the turn of the 20th century, Manitoba’s first golf course (which is now free to play, although the experience will be rustic), a number of interpretative signs along a trail and a short 1.4km trail which leads you around the area and mixed prairie-land with a great view of the Brandon Hills towering in the distance.

The site has the original house of the family along with two other buildings used by the family to catalogue and study the area’s ecology. There are many signs which explain the significance of each structure and as well as the family cemetery.

The park is currently asking for volunteers to help with various improvements.

If interested contact:

Paul Criddle (727-8179) Home, (570-2983) Cell

Gary Everard (728-4135) Home

Help is needed to improve golf greens, work small gardens, plant flowers, work ground for vegetables, planting and placing wild flower names by their proper blooming flowers.

To get to Criddle/Vane Park go east from Brandon on Veterans Highway and take it until 340 which you will go South on towards Shilo. Drive past Shilo and you’ll see a sign point to your left (east) towards the park. It takes 25 minutes to drive.

Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is easily on of the most accessible and eventful parks in the Westman region. Filled with tens of lakes and a rich forest cut by dozens of trails the entire park makes for an excellent day or week trip.

The park was created in the 1960′s and since then has been a favorite for Manitobans. The main lakes of the park are Adam lake, Bower lake and Max lake. They are all accessible by vehicle and have camping sites by the lake shore. Many of the lakes are stocked with trout and have been producing thousands of master anglers since the program began. Another key attraction is the International Peace Garden’s which lie on the border with North Dakota. William Lake Provincial Park is also located just to the East.

If your wanting an adventure head over to Max or Oskar lake with your canoe and take one of their many canoe routes. There is a shelter at Oskar Lake that can be used by registered canoers/hikers for overnight stays but can be used by anyone during the day. There is a 40km cycling route with a trail-head at Oskar Lake. For hikers your best starting point is at Adam Lake which has the most trails of the park. Canoers can launch from Max Lake and paddle on the Oskar and explore the area as the lakes are interconnected.

For swimming the best beach in the one at Adam Lake. Adam Lake is also the most civilized of the camps as it offers full service camping with electricity and even showers.

To get to the park, Drive South from Brandon Mb on Highway 10 for 100km and you see the entrance to all the lakes on your right. Note that if you want to explore Max/Oskar Lake you need to turn right (West) on highway 3 and take it for 6.5km then turn left (South) when you see the sign for Max Lake.

A provincial park pass is required to explore the park but for 2011 all admittance is free.

Another beautiful lake in Turtle Mountain Provincial Park. This lake features, fishing, boating, camping, a beach numerous hikes up to 17km in length, a lookout tower, play structures and an interpretive centre. The lake is large and there is still plenty of opportunity to get away from all the noise of city life even when it’s busy at the lake. The beach is packed sand and you can see leeches in the water up to a few inches in length.

For fishermen, you can catch:

• Pike
• Various Trout

For hikers the lake has a lookout tower only 1km from the road system and has a multitude of hiking trails with trail heads all beginning at the same spot. There is also a fitness trail where you will encounter a bunch of fitness challenges such as running across logs and leaping from stumps to stumps. The trail goes along the shoreline and makes for beautiful views of the lake.

To get to Adam Lake, take Highway 10 South past Boissevain and past Bower Lake until you see a sign on your right pointing you to Adam Lake.

Another excellent destination less than an hour away from Brandon. The william lake features many hiking trails, a sand beach, RV camping, a boat launch and a lake stocked with rainbow trout and other species of fish. You must obtain a park pass to enter however for 2011 all provincial parks are free to enter.

Fishing at William lake can be done from the shore or with non gasoline powered watercraft. If you are fishing from the shore, there is a small boat launch by the main beach you can fish from. Right off the dock you will catch perch which swarm at anything that comes near them. So it’s a great way to get kids involved in fishing as there is no way you can get skunked at this lake. The shore is quite weedy off the beach so it can be a problem to fish from there. The fish found at William Lake are:

• Brook Trout
• Brown Trout
• Northern Pike
• Perch (Some Perch are infected with Salt and Pepper disease)
• Rainbow Trout
• Rock Bass (All Bass must be released)
• Smallmouth Bass
• Sucker
• Walleye
• Whitefish

There is also a pleasant trail called the Turtles Back which will bring you to a large lookout tower from which you can see the international peach towers at the peace garden.

To get to William Lake take Highway 10 past Boissevain and you’ll come up to a junction with Highway 3 towards Killarney. Take a left (towards Killarney) and drive down 4 miles until you see a sign which says William lake exit. Take that road straight into the park. There are washroom facilities and a general park office available.

Clear lake/Wasagaming is easily the best known beach in the Westman region. The lake itself is the largest around Brandon and offers ample opportunity  for swimming, fishing, boating, cycling and hiking.

The lake features a small community by the name of Wasagaming (pronounced Wasa’gaming, with the gam rhyming with jam not game). The town has many lakeside restaurants, ice cream parlors and outdoor activity areas. Parking is available all over the place and isn’t hard to find. The beach is sandy and the water is clear. A 25km trail runs around the entire lake along its shore.

There are boat ramps available but not in the city area, just follow the signs and you’ll find an accessible ramp. You may also rent canoes/kayaks and small leisure craft from a boat rental shop on the pier. In order to fish legally you need to purchase a federal fishing license as a normal provincial license does not apply in the park.

Note that you should rinse off each time you exit the water as it has been known to harbor a tiny parasite which can cause Swimmer’s itch, a non serious but annoying rash that people may find as red bumps on their legs. I’ve never caught it swimming there but I know people who have. Don’t stop this from swimming in the water!

Clear lake is found exactly 1 hour North of Brandon within Riding Mountain National Park, so unfortunately you will have to purchase a park pass in order to enter the city. However that pass then allows you to experience the whole area which, if your already there, is well worth your time.

Park passes are $7.80 for adults, $6.80 for seniors, $3.90 for youths and $19.60 for families.

Directions: Take Highway 10 North for 100km and the highway goes straight into the park. Make sure to ask for a free park map at the ticket kiosks.

Typical campsite setting for the lake.

This is the beginning of a series of articles about locations in Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) which can be accessed from Brandon within two hours.

A beautiful pristine lake with a dozen campsites all along the lake shore, located only an hour and a half from Brandon. Each campsite has a small fire pit and access to the lake which offers great opportunities to go canoeing or fishing in the great outdoors. Usually not too busy in the summer although it has become more popular over the years as more and more people start discovering this gem of a lake. There are two trails running by the lake shore, grasshopper valley which will bring you South around the lake and into the rolling hills of South central Riding Mountain, and a short trail flowing North which will lead you to the Central Trail trail-head. The trail going North runs along the Bison enclosure but they are fenced in and it runs through a forest the whole way.

Make sure to pack away your food, especially overnight as it has become common place for Black Bears to wander into the campsites at night and early morning looking for food. Generally they do not cause any problems but one should never take a risk around them. There is a Ranger station 20 minutes South of the lake along the Park’s entrance. You have to buy a park pass in advance as there is sometimes no rangers present at the entrance or at Lake Audy to issue you one, though lately there has been a couple who have been camping out all summer at the lake and can issue park and overnight camping passes.

The lake shore is rocky and not sandy. There is a boat launch and outhouses and a small open air cooking cabin. There are benches and firewood available at the campsites.

To get there, drive North along highway 10 to Riding Mountain National Park and turn West on 354 about 3km South of Wasagaming and follow the road West until you see a sign point North to Lake Audy and the Bison Enclosure. You will have to drive through the enclosure to get to the campsite, don’t worry about the bison they’ll probably avoid you. Just remember, they have the right of way.

This is the bear who woke me up in the morning after the first picture here was taken. Just a few campsites down the road from us

Clear Lake from the North Shore

Located only an hour away, Riding Mountain National Park makes for a perfect weekend day trip. At it’s entrance in the town of Wasagaming is Clear Lake, home of one of the best beaches in South Western Manitoba. The town is nestled into the forest and has all the amenities one would need to enjoy they’re weekend including loads of places to eat, walking paths around the lake, boat rides and watercraft rentals. Parking places are abundant by the beach.

The park itself is massive and has hundreds of kilometres of walking/biking paths throughout it’s expanse. The longest such is the central trail which consists of over 90km of unending trail across the Western region of the park. There are also a multitude of day hiking trips situated throughout the park. There are many rivers and lakes suitable for canoeing. In the winter, snowshoeing and cross country skiing become major attractions for the area. Fishing is a popular pastime throughout the year but remember you must obtain a Federal fishing permit as this is a National Park.

A variety of wildlife can be seen such as grey wolves, black bears, cougars, moose, elk, deer, porkupine and every other large mammal you can think of that lives in Manitoba with the exception of Polar Bear. There are more black bears located in the park than in any other location in North America, and it’s quite common to see one if you frequent the trails or even on Highway 10. At lake Audy, there is a very large bison enclosure which allows you to drive through it and along the bison herds. Remember to treat all animals as wild animals and never feed them, as it is dangerous for yourself and themselves.

Time from Brandon: 1 hour

Time to See it all: 1 day for Wasagaming, Months for the entire park.

Fees:

Daily

Annual

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.