ciao!travels
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Willow & Deadwood Loop
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South
WILLOW & DEADWOOD LOOP
Morden, MB
3.4km •
3
3
14
Assiniboine Forest
3 Step onto the Willow &
Deadwood Loop minutes
southwest of Morden for an
exceptional view of Lake
Minnewasta. The trail can
be followed down the lake’s
northern bank, along Deadhorse
Creek and across to the southern
bank, but this particular loop
circles back 200 metres past the
mouth of the waterway. Head
north there and turn east in
the direction of the trailhead.
A stroll through a denser, treed
area awaits and the lake view is
more obstructed, but the variety
of backdrops is what makes this
loop a worthwhile hike.
City
ASSINIBOINE FOREST
Assiniboine Park (Aspen to
Preston Trail, Harte Trail)
5.5km •
4 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 get
the best out of the Assiniboine
Forest. The lengthy 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.
SEINE RIVER GREENWAY
Bois-des-Esprits Window Park
3.1km •
5 Tucked inconspicuously
into Winnipeg’s Royalwood
neighbourhood, this hidden
gem is an urban escape like few
Bois-des-Esprits
Window Park
others found throughout the city.
Entrances off Shorehill Drive
and John Bruce Road bookend
the main route, but the secrets
of Bois-des-Esprits lie off the
beaten path. Trek off the wide
and well-populated trail onto the
wooded pathways leading to and
winding along the nearby Seine
River. Waterfowl, whitetail deer
and other wildlife are frequent
sights here, and Woody, a carved
spirit elm, overlooks one clearing.
Yielding to bikers on the narrow
path will be necessary at times.
Photography: Peter Marrier, Google Maps,
Allyson Krawec/Travel Winnipeg, Heather Caners
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ciao! / summer / two thousand twenty