Summer Explorations in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan

There are so many ways to have fun outdoors. Here are some suggestions.

In the City
Look for songbirds or learn to identify butterflies (Saskatoon Nature Society)

Visit the College of Education’s Prairie Habitat Garden

Admire the cougars, wolves, and deer; take a walk around the 100-year-old former forest nursery station; or smell the roses at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo

Rent a bicycle and head out on the trails along the river

Admire the pelicans at the weir

Help pull weeds every Wednesday evening at the Garden Patch

Participate in a riverbank clean-up with Plastic Smart Saskatoon

On the Water
Explore the history of Saskatoon’s river on a day-long canoe trip and corn roast (CanoeSki Discovery Company)

Take an overnight canoe trip on the City’s doorstep (CanoeSki Discovery Company)

Explore Chappell Marsh, a 148-acre wetland conservation area (Ducks Unlimited Canada)

Look for medicinal plants or explore Redberry Lake by canoe (Clearwater Canoeing)

On the Prairies
Visit one of our few remaining patches of native prairie at Saskatoon Natural Grasslands. Keep your eyes open for red-tailed hawks and blanket flowers (gaillardia)

Take a walk at Wanuskewin Heritage Park and keep a look out for one of the 184 species of birds or 37 different animals you may see as you walk along the creek or the cliffs

Enjoy the sun on the beaches at Cranberry Flats Conservation Area or take advantage of the wheelchair accessible boardwalk overlooking the river

Go for a walk at Beaver Creek Conservation Area. If you’re lucky, you may see a beaver or a sheep grazing demonstration

Grasslands National Park

Further Afield
Take a walk around the Kerrobert Reservoir

Walk or cycle the Trans Canada Trail as it winds its way up a hill, through a tunnel, and across the river at North Battleford

Visit the Crooked Trees whose branches twist and loop and reach out in all directions

Take a walk on the largest set of active sand dunes in Canada

Study the passive solar design, straw bale walls, and other green building techniques at the Craik Eco-Centre

Take a hike or pick berries at Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve – you’ll find Buffaloberries, Hawthorn, and Rosehips at summer’s end

Participate in one of the Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental Education Association’s workshops or camps

Provincial and National Parks
Plan a backpacking adventure in Grasslands National Park

Visit Grey Owl’s Cabin in Prince Albert National Park

Check for cacti as you walk among the active sand dunes in Douglas Provincial Park

Admire the stars at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park

Rent a canoe at Pike Lake Provincial Park

Additional Resources
Nature Viewing Sites in and around Saskatoon, Saskatoon Nature Society (available from the Saskatoon Public Library)

Saskatchewan’s Best Hikes & Nature Walks and Saskatchewan Scenic Drives, Robin & Arlene Karpan (available from the Saskatoon Public Library and McNally Robinson Booksellers)

Nature in our Backyard: Saskatoon’s Naturalized Parks

The Northeast Swale: Ancient River Valley, Urban Nature Reserve

Heading out on the Water: Saskatoon Kayak/Canoe Training and Tours 2013

Pine Cree Regional Park

Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary

Come Out and Play: Cypress Hills Eco-Adventures

Canoe the Bagwa Loop

Saskatchewan Tourism: Our Natural Heritage

Heading out on the Water: Saskatoon Canoe/Kayak Training and Tours

There are lots of opportunities to get out on the water this summer with training and tours for canoe or kayak. Let us know if we missed an organization or activity, and we’ll add it to the list.

CanoeSki Discovery Company
CanoeSki Discovery Company specializes in wilderness canoeing and cross-country skiing. They offer a 12-hour Learn to Canoe course as well as Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Paddling workshops.

A weekend Whitewater Primer in August helps participants make the transition from lake to river paddling. CanoeSki also offers Wilderness Navigation and Orienteering courses and private canoe lessons for individuals and groups.

CanoeSki offers a wide variety of different canoe trips from a fly-in rock art archaeology camp, to a women-only trip on the Churchill River, and short overnight or day trips near Saskatoon.

Clearwater Canoeing
Clearwater Canoeing has made their canoes available for rent at Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve. Visit the Research Centre to make arrangements. The Centre is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm from June 1 to September 5.

Clearwater offers various tours, including an overnight tour to Fort Carlton, The Hobbit tour on the McLennan Lakes chain, and a Women’s Reconnect with Nature Retreat.

Coldspring Paddling
Coldspring Paddling offers short introductory paddling courses as well as Paddle Canada Certified Kayak Courses, Intermediate Kayak Clinics, and Level 1 Sea Kayak Skills.

Maskwa Paddle Co.
Mark Lafontaine has just opened Maskwa Paddle Co. He’s offering three Learn to Paddle workshops in June as well as 16-hour Paddle Canada certified canoe courses at the Intermediate and Advanced Tandem level in July. Private individual and group lessons are also available. Ask Mark to show you his hand-carved paddles.

Meewasin Canoe Tours 
Canoe tours in Meewasin Valley Authority’s 25-foot, voyageur clipper canoes are an opportunity for novice canoeists to learn about the river from the river. The tours run out of the Beaver Creek Conservation Area from June through August and last approximately 3 hours.

Tours must be booked in advance (call Gillian May at 306-665-6887) and work best for groups of 8 or 16 people (using one or two canoes). The cost is $200/canoe, but tours are free for non-profit groups.

SOEEA
The Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental Education Association is offering a canoe certification course from May 18 to 20 in Saskatoon. The course will include tandem and solo lake water canoe skills with an opportunity to reach Introductory and Intermediate levels.

Saskatoon Canoe Club 
The Saskatoon Canoe Club is a group of paddling enthusiasts. They offer courses and canoe trip opportunities for members. The Club has two divisions for Recreation and Marathon. They’re holding an Open House at noon on May 5 at the Victoria Park Boathouse.

Saskatoon Racing Canoe Club 
The Saskatoon Racing Canoe Club provides training in sprint canoe and kayak racing. They offer various summer classes and day camps for youth at the introductory, developmental, and high performance level, as well as a winter training program.

They also offer a two-week, evening Adult Learn-to-Kayak program, and a Masters program for people who wish to continue paddling throughout the summer.

See also:
Canoe Kayak Saskatchewan is the provincial sport governing body for canoe and kayak.

Canoe Saskatchewan provides information about routes and trip planning.

Tourism Saskatchewan will help you include canoeing and kayaking in your holiday plans.