ciao ! travels
Local Tip :
Pack plenty of water , refreshments and snacks to stay comfortable all day long in nature and remember that everything you bring in must be carried out to keep the wilderness pristine .
Directions :
Head north on Hwy 59 past Grand Beach .
4 . Cast for Pickerel
If anyone knows where the good fishing is , it ’ s a pelican . These big white birds greet fishers at the shallow , rocky rapids where the Whitemouth and Winnipeg rivers meet , showing off how it is done . Whitemouth Falls Provincial Park offers an impressive view of Seven Sisters Dam , a beautiful backdrop for angling walleye , northern pike , rock bass and yellow perch . Whitemouth Falls is a stellar site to spend the day picnicking , fishing and observing wildlife , such as the noted American White Pelican which frequent the falls . This is also a significant staging and migration area for the Great Gray Owl .
Directions :
3 to 3 1 / 2 hours from Winnipeg , drive west on TransCanada Highway one hour until the Yellowhead route junction , highway 16 past Portage La Prairie . Drive northwest on Hwy 16 to highway 10 . Drive north the rest of the way .
3 . Chill out on a Beach
In the land of one hundred thousand lakes options abound for making a splash along a spectacular sandy shoreline . For those willing to put some sweat to reach beachy bliss , embrace an adventure filled daytrip to Sandy Bay Beach and Elk Island . Climbing over sand dunes , wading to a beautiful island , hiking around it and swimming are all woven into a day of chillaxin . Park on Highway 504 , strap on your day pack and trapse down Olafsson Boulevard to climb stairs that lead up and over the dunes to a long stretch of beach . Walk across exposed sand bars ( wade , swim or boat if the water level is high ) to reach beautiful and remote Elk Island Provincial Park . Hike the 16-kilometre Elk Island loop trail or portion out and back before taking a dip to cool off .
Local Tip :
There are three known archaeological sites of significance adjacent to Whitemouth Falls . Research into these sites indicates that they were used as campsites and were frequented as much as 4,800 years ago .
Park Directions :
Whitemouth Falls is located 90 kms north-east of Winnipeg , just north of the community of Seven Sisters Falls off Provincial Road # 307 .
5 . Dig for Fossils
Discover two of the largest marine reptile fossils in the world , on display at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in the town of Morden . Charmingly named Bruce and Suzy , the 43-foot Mosasaur skeletons date back 136 million years . Present day paleontology enthusiasts can try their hand at excavation during the summer months on the museum ’ s “ On the Dig Tour ” program . Participants excavate marine vertebrate fossils at the Manitoba escarpment alongside experienced paleontologists who are actively exposing and collecting 83-million-year-old fossils as part of their field research . A full 8 hour day tour includes transportation , lunch and training in field techniques , and of course hands on work on the ground contributing to ongoing discoveries .
ciao ! / summer / two thousand twenty-four 15