ciao ! travels
Directions :
The trail head is about 160 km east from the city of Winnipeg , taking either Highway # 15 and # 44 or highway # 1 and # 44 ( West Hawk turn off ), and about 11km west of West Hawk Lake MB on Hwy 44 . There are two optional trail head starting places . One is at McGillivray Falls hiking trailhead , the other , just a few minutes by bike / car away , is Caddy Lake Resort campground . Both have ample parking .
7 . Take an urban forest or rural desert hike
City Woods : Inside the city , traverse the 700-acre Assiniboine Forest , one of the largest urban woodlands of its kind in Canada , on any of its six trails . Varying in length and scenery , the trails stretch more than 10 combined kilometres . Linking a handful of routes together is a surefire way to cover the most ground . The Aspen to Preston trail makes use of five distinct pathways . After strolling the paved Sagimay Trail from its Grant Avenue entrance , head down the tree-lined Aspen Trail passage and across the bustling Harte Trail . Return down the forest ’ s eastern edge on winding Preston and Oak Ridge trails .
Local Tip :
Punctuate your hike with a culinary adventure at nearby Park Café within Assiniboine Park ’ s lush greenery .
Blue Highway
Desert Trail : Though masquerading as a parkland hike , a journey to the Spirit Sands in Spruce Woods Provincial Park , presents adventurers with towering sand dunes reminiscent of desert terrain . This is the most singular , unexpected outdoor experiences Manitoba has to offer where the boreal forest meets the Assiniboine River . Formed by glacial meltwaters more than 15,000 years ago , the Saharan like landscape is a delta of the river , opening to 4 square kilometres of open sandy land . Opt for the approach that leads to the lookout if you can climb stairs . The excellent view is worth the thigh burn . Another wonder is found at the nearby Devil ’ s Punchbowl , a bluegreen lake formed after underground streams collapsed and eroded hills in the surrounding area . The trail offers many beautiful vistas at which to stop for a bite , and the self-guided route can be hiked in as little as 90 minutes or 3 hours if meandering .
Photography : Emily Payne , Travel Manitoba
Local Tip :
Enjoy the scenery sitting in an old western style horse drawn carriage scheduled three times daily . Spiritsandswagonoutfitters . ca
Directions :
Take Highway 1 nearly two hours west of Winnipeg , or nearly one hour east of Brandon on Trans-Canada Highway until you reach Highway 5 . Follow it south for 30 kilometres .
Spruce Woods Spirit Sands
ciao ! / summer / two thousand twenty-four 17