Provincial and national parks cover no fewer than three million acres of Saskatchewan’s territory providing plenty of things to do, which also contains 100,000 lakes filled with about 68 fish species and dozens of canoe routes. The Saskatchewan Outfitters Association can help connect you to the province’s 300+ experienced tour operators who provide accommodations, equipment, and access to northern Saskatchewan’s best boating and fishing spots.
Southern Saskatchewan has become a top-ranked bird watching destination and Lavallee Lake’s sprawling white pelican colony at Prince Albert National Park is just one of the hundreds of species visitors can see during their stay. More than 300 different kinds soar over the Quill and Chapin lakes, both of which are Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve locations. Saskatchewan’s most popular winter sports are curling and, surprisingly enough for a province with such a reputation for being flat, skiing. The area boasts more than a dozen downhill and 25 cross-country skiing spots.
Water covers no less than an eighth of Saskatchewan’s land mass, and many of the province’s lakes are situated in its northern Precambrian Shield. There are at least 55 mapped canoe routes in Prince Albert National Park alone, many of which have remained the same since the first fur traders arrived in the area. Missinipe’s Horizons Unlimited Churchill River Canoe Outfitters is just one of many companies that rent cabins for multi-day excursions or boats for daytrips.
Many canoe outfitters like the Great Excursions Company also organize kayak trips across the province’s countless bodies of water. The Churchill River, which travels across the 55th parallel, is one of northern Saskatchewan’s most challenging paddling destinations, but it is also connected to many more serene lakes and streams suitable for beginners.
The Churchill River is also among northern Saskatchewan’s most popular fishing spots, along with Lac La Ronge and Reindeer Lake. Northern Nights Outfitters and Ubiquity Lake Outfitters are just a couple of the tour companies operating across northern Saskatchewan. Many of the prime fishing locations can only be reached by air, where the walleye, northern pike, and other species beneath the surface far outnumber the human population on land. The popularity of winter ice fishing also helps to extend the season from May to March.
A Wolf Adventure, based in the northern community of Macdowall, is one of Saskatchewan’s most unusual wildlife watching tours. This eco-lodge and wolf outreach program encourages respect for the animals and their natural habitat while allowing visitors to get up close and personal with gray wolves. Some visitors may even catch a glimpse of the rare Arctic wolf, famous for its snow-white fur.
Prince Albert National Park’s Waskesiu Marina Adventure Centre offers bird watching excursions as part of its canoe and pontoon boat tours, but those who prefer watching Saskatchewan’s hundreds of different species on land can take one of the Ducks Unlimited Canada Nature Watch Self-Drive Tours. Although many of the bird watching hotspots lie within the province’s rural regions, even downtown Regina has its own waterfowl park with more than 60 types present.
Skiing is a very popular winter activity. The Canoe Ski Discovery Company offers winter cross-country expeditions alongside its summer canoe trips. The Wapiti Valley ski area, half an hour north of Melfort, the Mission Ridge Winter Park, and the Duck Mountain Provincial Park contain many of Saskatchewan’s 25 cross-country ski trails and over a dozen downhill slopes.