Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/514227
80 paradise ramatic water features are prominent in the North, from Clearwater Lake Provincial Park's true-blue waters and shoreline caves to the Karst Spring surging out of solid rock at Grass River Provincial Park. Head to Pisew Falls Provincial Park to admire Manitoba's second-highest waterfall, then cross a suspension bridge over the Grass River to embark on an 11-kilometre hike to the majestic Kwasitchewan Falls, the highest in Manitoba. In the east, Nopiming Provincial Park lives up to its name — an aboriginal word meaning entrance to the wilderness. Camp at Tulabi Falls or enjoy secluded fishing at Beresford Lake, where you can imagine life as a trapper at a preserved cabin in the campground. Then visit the Whiteshell Trappers Museum at Whiteshell Provincial Park, home to sandy beaches, rushing river rapids and the rocky outcroppings of the Precambrian Shield. Manitoba Parks offers year-round interpretive activities at Whiteshell, Birds Hill and Spruce Woods provincial parks, with weekly summer programming related to wildlife, history and natural wonders in nine parks. Take a guided tour of restored 19th century homes at St. Norbert Provincial Park, or follow self-guided trails to see the sights — sometimes from great heights. In Western Manitoba, a viewing tower overlooks Adam Lake at Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, and you can hike to the highest elevation in Manitoba at Baldy Mountain in Duck Mountain Provincial Park, where an observation tower provides fantastic views of the Manitoba Escarpment. Known locally as The Ducks, the park draws anglers, hikers and scuba divers who appreciate the clarity of East and West Blue lakes and Childs Lake. While its desert is a draw in summer months, Spruce Woods Provincial Park has a beautiful winter recreation area with a huge skating oval and toboggan hills, and you'll find cross-country ski trails in every corner of the province, with warmup shelters in 12 provincial parks including Birds Hill Provincial Park, which is home to the Winnipeg Folk Festival every July. In Pembina Valley, Stephenfield Provincial Park offers swimming, fishing and boating on the Boyne River, within close driving distance of the Carman Golf Course. And the Manitoba Escarpment enhances the scenic golf course in Morden near the Lake Minnewasta Recreation Area. Do whatever comes naturally in Manitoba's provincial parks. Laze the day away on a sandy beach, tackle whitewater river rapids in a kayak, fish in lakes so clear you can see the bottom, or dig up nuggets of history at old mining and fur-trading sites. On the BEACH Hot sand, cool water and bare feet are an unbeatable combination. Every Manitoban has a favourite beach, and 100 years ago, Lake Winnipeg's most famous retreats were so popular they were serviced by up to 13 trains a day from Winnipeg. On the lake's eastern shore, Grand Beach is regarded as one of the best in North America. Trip across its soft white sand, fish off the causeway and go birdwatching in the marsh, where enclosures protect nests of endangered piping plovers. On the western shore, the lawns and boardwalk of Winnipeg Beach separate the surf and sand from the resort town's small shops and restaurants. You'll find provincial park campgrounds at both beaches, along with rental cottages and private resorts. North of Winnipeg Beach, there are more white-sand beaches at Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park, along with hiking and biking trails, boardwalks and a restored Icelandic fishing village, complete with a church and fishing station. > manitobaparks.com or pc.gc.ca D park paradise GRAND BEACH 80