Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/55101
NOR TH O F 5 3 ° Credit: Parks Canada-Dan Harper 128 Spectacular Parks and Outdoor Places BAKERS NARROWS PROVINCIAL PARK This spot is ideal for camping, fishing and boating. There are also playgrounds, boat launches and three beaches. a scenic tower with interpretive signs accessed by a short climb, allows one to see for miles in all directions. open may to september. location: 19 km/12 mi south of Flin Flon on hwy. 10 p: 204-945-6784 toll free: 1-800-214-6497 CHURCHILL The Polar Bear Capital of the World is the only human settlement where polar bears can be observed in the wild. The bears tip the scale at over 1,300 pounds, stand 10 ft tall and can move with surprising speed and agility. best viewing time is october to early november. churchill, population 1,000, is accessible by air or the hudson bay railway line, which was built over permafrost and muskeg in 1929 and required a crew of 3,000 to complete. The two-night, one- day trip on via rail from winnipeg to churchill (1,600 km/1,000 mi) provides comfortable bedrooms or roomettes and fine manitoba cuisine in the dining car. calm air and Kivalliq air run regular scheduled air service from winnipeg, Thompson and Gillam year-round. in summer, white beluga whales surface and plunge in the blue-green waters of the Churchill River. You'll be talking distance of the most vocal whales in the world. more than 3,000 beluga whales come in early July to feed and calve. seals can also be seen in the harbour and caribou are frequently sighted along the coast. visitors are awestruck upon seeing the haunting beauty of our aurora borealis (northern lights). blue, green and white in colour, they swirl and dance in the still northern sky with performances that can be seen on clear nights. according to legend, the northern lights will dance their way down to earth if you whistle at them. why not give it a try? churchill is a birdwatchers' paradise— some 250 species of birds including the rare ross Gull, nest or pass through on their yearly migrations. Bird Cove is an excellent spot for bird-watching. The wreck of the Ithaca, caught in a windstorm in 1960 while carrying nickel ore from rankin inlet to montreal, is at the western tip of the cove. Akudlik Marsh and Harbour Board Ponds are also very good spots for birdwatchers. on the tundra, lichens and miniature shrubs and flowers bloom each spring and fall. a short distance inland are patches of taiga (subarctic) forest, with black spruce, scattered white spruce and a thick mat of lichens. Twin Lakes is an island of boreal forest rising out of the surrounding subarctic tundra. established in 1957, the Churchill Rocket Research Range is a national historic site located at the geographic centre of northern light activity. The skyline of the area is unique with the shapes of four launchers from which more than 3,000 rockets were fired into the atmosphere. Trilobite Beach is a fossilized tropical beach nestled below the billion year old cliffs of churchill quartzite. Four million years ago, this was the shoreline of a warm tropical sea located near the equator. The world's largest trilobite fossil, 72 cm long, was excavated in 1998. e: town@churchillmb.net w: www.churchillchamberofcommerce.ca Boreal Gardens are green houses and gardens growing local produce. Free tours are offered sunday 2 – 4 p.m. in July and august, other times by appointment. admission charged for groups. location: 1.6 km/1 mi east of town on shore rd. p: 204-675-8866 (6 – 9 p.m. monday to Friday) f: 204-675-2660 Cape Merry Battery features the remnants of a gun powder magazine from the fur trade era (1746). strategically misplaced, the battery was dismantled and rebuilt in 1749 on its present site. Designed to supplement the defenses of PwF, the battery was constructed with six cannon emplacements. one lone cannon stands today, a stark reminder of its intent. Plaques honour rev. rasmus Jensen and the Fort churchill fur trade post. Guided tours are available, please check Parks canada office for tour times. location: on the east shore of the churchill river across from Prince of wales Fort p: 204-675-8863 f: 204-675-2026 e: mannorth.nhs@pc.gc.ca w: www.parkscanada.gc.ca Cape Merry Battery – Churchill