Manitobans and visitors are invited to take advantage of fabulous winter conditions in our provincial parks, Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie said today.
“Perfect snow conditions exist for excellent cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling in many of the provincial parks across Manitoba,” said Blaikie. “Winter creates new and unique opportunities for families and individuals to enjoy the beauty of nature and have a lot of fun.”
While enjoying the great outdoors this winter, everyone is reminded to dress for the weather and check for changing trail conditions, especially snowmobile trails, the minister noted.
Parks outside the Winnipeg area feature a variety of cross-country experiences:
• Spruce Woods Provincial Park has diverse terrain with excellent views and offers three different trail systems: the Yellow Quill, the Seton and the Épinette, each with its unique setting. There are forest runs and valleys.
• Turtle Mountain Provincial Park trails are double-tracked and have a different feel from the single-track typically found in parks. Attractions in the park include the gently rolling hills and the excellent wildlife viewing.
• Whiteshell Provincial Park offers close to 10 different trail systems across the park. Several resorts provide a comfortable wilderness retreat, some with trails leading out from their front doors.
• Camp Morton in the Interlake features easy trails with views of Lake Winnipeg as does Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park.
Provincial parks close to Winnipeg offer a ski experience in a natural setting:
• Grand Beach Provincial Park has about 37 kilometres of trails, half of which are intermediate. Some trails feature warming shelters along the way.
• Birds Hill Provincial Park offers shorter, child-appropriate ski trails as well as sleigh rides and snowshoe trails.
Despite the abundance of snow, many snowmobile trails have yet to open in provincial parks. Caution is advised as snow cover can be deceiving and sometimes hides open water. The insulating snow cover paired with the milder temperatures has prevented the ground and water from freezing.
Trail opening and closure information on designated trails is updated weekly. Before venturing out for snowmobile or cross-country ski trail activities, visitors are encouraged to visit manitobaparks.com.
