South Central Canada Road Trip
 

I'll be making a Canadian road trip in late Juily and early August. I'll be coming into Canada at Sweetgrass, MT on US I-15. I'll make stops in Moose Jaw, Regina, Winnpeg, and Thunder Bay before coming back into the US at Grand Portage, MN.

I'll be taking it easy, usually driving less then 5 hours per day so I'll have time to make stops as the fancy strikes me. I'll also use Winnipeg and Thunder Bay as a base for several days for the surrounding areas. My primary interest is nature photography (landscapes, animals, bird, etc). Does anyone have suggestions for must-see's along or near this route?

Given your stated interests, and to get you started, before you get to Moose Jaw, you should probably want to visit Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Grasslands National Park and the Great Sandhills.

Thank you. I'll add them to my list.

I have not yet had a chance to visit Grasslands National Park (one of ron's recommendations) but as a birder it has been recommended to me as an excellent destination for grassland/prairie bird species.

Around Thunder Bay - Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is very nice, also Ouimet Canyon and Kakabeka Falls - and if you can fit it in (6 hours from Thunder Bay so would require an overnight maybe in Wawa) the scenery of Lake Superior Provincial Park is spectacular.

Thanks for the suggestions and comments. It's been a long time since I was considered a "youngster" being I was 70 at my last birthday. Over the years, I've spent quite a lot of time in many parts of Canada but not in the part I'm traveling through this time.I'm looking forward to it.

Although I have never made it there myself, Riding Mountain National Park would be the obvious deviation on the drive between Regina and Winnipeg.

If you can tolerate 36 hour train trip, take the ViaRail train from Winnipeg to Churchill. In July you might be able to photograph a polar bear with a guide.
The train stays in Churchill for 12 hours and then starts back toward Winnipeg. If you wait for the next train you will be in Churchill for 36 to 60 hours.
I have been to Churchill twice, returning on the same train I came on. Both times I/we were there in late October.

On the way to Thunder Bay from Winnipeg the landscape changes quite dramatically from the prairie farmland you'll have been driving through since MT, to the rocky and forested Canadian Shield. Probably the most beautiful area to spend some time in (and you'll be going right through it) is the Whiteshell/Lake of the Woods area. It's heavily forested and has thousands of absolutely gorgeous clear lakes - real postcard material. Kenora is a good place to stop and stretch your legs as it's just over the border into Ontario and is the largest center in any direction. Parts of the town can be a little boring but down on the docks by the lake there are some nice souvenir shops, restaurants and I think a short boat cruise/tour. If you're interested in a day hike there are plenty of photo opportunities the area around the Rushing River Provincial Park just east of Kenora or the Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba.

Just a word of caution though - the Trans-Canada Highway from the Manitoba/Ontario border - east can be a little hairy to drive on from time to time. You're going at a good time of year as the weather will probably be hot and dry but some parts of the highway haven't been twinned yet - there are many logging and transport trucks, impatient city cottagers and wildlife sharing the road and it's not uncommon to hear of some really terrible accidents resulting from it. If you're careful of course you'll be just fine, but please don't push yourself to continue driving too long after dark or if you're tired.

As for nature-oriented day trips from Winnipeg, I can recommend the Oak Hammock Marsh and Interpretive Centre about 30 mins north of Winnipeg, as well as the Fort Whyte Centre which is only five minutes from the city limits. Some other Manitoba recommendations:
-Spruce Woods Provincial Park near Carberry, MB for the sand dunes in the Carberry Desert and some really nice hikes;
-St. Alphonse, a picturesque hamlet south of Carberry, with rolling green hills, ravines and a little white church (but not much else);
-Gimli, MB, a town 45 minutes north of Winnipeg on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, which has a small boardwalk, beaches, marina and the usual nick nack and icecream shops, plus a recurring Viking theme as most of the town is of Icelandic descent.

I hope I'm not making your head spin! It's a real pleasure to hear of someone choosing to travel the route you are and there are plenty of hidden gems if you look for them. Don't hesitate to ask if you need some clarification or if you'd like some other recommendations.

Hey, do they still have the ultra-cool <b>Hoito</b> restaurant in Thunder Bay with the <I>dreamy sun-streaked blond babes</I> (typically of Finnish heritage) making up part of the waitstaff?

It is a <I>no-frills</i> environment, but worth a visit if you're going to be in Thunder Bay.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

I had thought of a side trip to Churchill but my timing does not work with ViaRail's schedule.

Some of these spots near Winnipeg sound great and I've added them to my list. I'll also be careful driving on the shield - I appreciate the warning.

After you enter Alberta from the border, you'll come to the small town of Milk River. Just east of there is Writing on the Stone Provincal Park, which the Milk River goes through. It has one of the largest concentration of rock art in the Northern Plains (seen on guided tours to preserve them). You can also see a diverse variety of birds and animals & coulees and prairies. You don't say how you're traveling, but there is a nice campground with showers (that take loonies). Otherwise you could visit the park & continue to Lethbridge for a room. Just outside of Milk River there is a visitor center where you can get lots of information about Alberta. Watch for the dinosaurs on the side of the road. I'm familiar with Southern Alberta and hope to someday visit further east. Enjoy your trip.

Thank you. Just to make things clear about how I'm travelling, my idea of roughing it is having to stay at a Marriott instead of the Four Seasons. My camping days are long gone.

Are there any other suggestions?

<<Hey, do they still have the ultra-cool Hoito restaurant in Thunder Bay>>

The Hoito is still going strong. Breakfast at the Hoito with big Finnish pancakes is a Thunder Bay tradition.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...rticle4250466/

As it turned out, I was not able to make the trip to Canada that I had planned for but I do thank all of you for your suggestions.