Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/59721
PHOTO: STAN MILOSEVIC WWW.MANITOBAPHOTOS.COM EAST E RN Like its Aboriginal name suggests, Nopaming Provincial Park really is an entrance to the wilderness. Visit the fly-in and drive-in fishing lodges and camps along several of the 700 lakes. Enjoy wildlife including woodland caribou. Camp at Beresford, Bird, and Black lakes and Tulabi Falls. p: 204-945-6784 toll free: 1-800-214-6497 w: www.manitobaparks.com This resort-like community of Pinawa offers adventures for every season. Hike, bike or golf in summer. Ski the cross- country trails and take the snowmobile trails that connect with the Can-Am Trail in winter. While in the Pinawa Dam Provincial Park, visit the Pinawa Generating Station – Manitoba's first year-round hydro generating plant along the Winnipeg River on the edge of the Canadian Shield. The 193 ha park lies in the heart of "Cottage Country". A short 1.5 hr drive from Winnipeg. location: 8 km north of Pinawa toll free: 1-800-806-0412 w: www.pinawa.com Pinawa Heritage Suspension Bridge is a breathtaking stop. Cross the 50m bridge from the Pinawa Channel connecting with hiking and skiing trail areas and a picnic shelter. location: Alice Chambers Trail off Hwy. 211 w: www.pinawa.com The Pinawa Ironwood Trail follows the historic Winnipeg River and is a multi- use trail for walking, running, cycling or cross-country skiing and bicycling with a self-guided trail highlighting flora, fauna, historical and geographical interest. The Ironwood Trail connects the Trans-Canada Trail to the Pinawa Heritage Channel Walk. w: www.pinawa.com Sprague/Northwest Angle Provincial Forest is the gateway to the Lake of the Woods and the Northwest Angle. Camp, picnic and play in Moose Lake Provincial Park and Birch Point Provincial Park. See Buffalo Bay, a bay bordering Manitoba, Ontario and Minnesota. location: access via Hwy. 12 or the Trans-Canada and PR 308 Pinawa Dam 55 The friendly-family St. Malo Provincial Park features a man-made lake created by the damming of the Rat River, a large family picnic area, children's playground, sandy beaches, water craft rentals and campgrounds. location: on Hwy. 59 S in St. Malo p: 204-945-6784 toll free: 1-800-214-6497 Much of the land in Tall Grass Prairie Preserve was originally settled in 1896 by pioneers from Bukovinia in the western Ukraine. Over 2,000 ha of tall grass prairies are protected in the preserve near Tolstoi. See over 150 plant species in constant transition from April to October. Hike and walk the 1.6 km self-guided trail. Vehicle access and other activities may be limited. location: 3.2 km/2 mi southeast of Tolstoi on PR 209 p: 204-943-9029 w: www.naturemanitoba.ca Visit Whiteshell Provincial Park with spectacular waters and lush forests year-round. In the summer, hike, cycle, play tennis, explore the quiet beaches and enjoy water sports or fish some of the over 200 lakes full of walleye, northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass and lake trout. location: off the Trans-Canada Highway p: 204-945-6784 toll free: 1-800-214-6497 w: www.manitobaparks.com Come and see the goslings in spring and the fall migration at the Alfred Hole Goose Sanctuary and Visitor Centre. Visit the exhibits, walk to self-guiding hiking trail, and go to the observation gallery overlooking the pond. Open daily from May to September and weekends and holiday Mondays from September to Thanksgiving. Group bookings and school programs. location: east of Rennie on Hwy. 44 p: 204-369-3157 Bannock Point features petroforms – stones once laid out on the bedrock in the shapes of turtles, snakes, a Thunderbird and geometric designs – by Aboriginal people for teaching and healing ceremonies. location: North of Pine Point Rapids p: 204-369-3157 b Bannock Point Petroforms