MANITOBA PARKS
1. RIDING MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
Start Canada’s 150 celebrations in one of the most Canadian ways possible — at an outdoor winter festival in Riding Mountain National Park, the 3,000 square-kilometre protected area of boreal forest, aspen parkland and fescue prairie atop the Manitoba Escarpment. During the Winter Adventure Weekend (Feb. 11-12, 2017), honour Canada and its beloved winters by participating in a plethora of cold-weather activities, including boot hockey, crosscountry skiing, quinzhee-building and even the park’s own version of the Winter Olympics. The park also offers plenty of showshoe trails, wildlife viewing opportunities, skating, ice fishing and, new for 2017, fat bike rentals throughout the winter. After a day of fun, snuggle up in an OTENTIK, one of Park’s Canada’s comfortable winter shelters, the log Cairns Cabin on the Ochre River Trail, or pick a spot in the backcountry and camp out under the northern lights. pc.gc.ca
2. ASSINIBOINE PARK
A nearly 450-hectare, year-round urban oasis in the heart of Winnipeg, Assiniboine Park boasts a zoo, conservatory, Art in the Park program, forest, trails and much more. The Assiniboine Park Zoo at the park’s west end was Canada’s first, established in 1904. It continues to draw crowds looking for a glimpse of the nearly 200 animal species, including two new rescued polar bear cubs from Churchill housed at the zoo’s Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre in the award-winning Journey to Churchill exhibit. On Feb. 26, 2017, bundle up and hit the pavement for the second annual Polar Bear Run, a family-friendly race through the park, with all proceeds supporting the Assiniboine Park Conservancy’s Polar Bear Rescue Team. assiniboinepark.ca
3. WHITESHELL PROVINCIAL PARK
French explorer La Vérendrye was the first European to stumble on this picturesque patch of Canadian Shield near the present-day Manitoba-ontario border in 1733, though Indigenous Peoples had inhabited the region for thousands of years. Their presence can still be seen throughout the park, including in petroforms, or rock arrangements, in the shapes of animals at Bannock Point east of Nutimik Lake. Outdoor adventure seekers will love the hundreds of lakes in the park, which make for excellent ice fishing for walleye, trout and northern pike. Visitors can also whisk along the cross-country ski trails near Falcon Lake, watch for chickadees and other wildlife while hiking or snowshoeing the trails at Jessica Lake, or explore more than 200 kilometres of snowmobile routes through the rugged wilderness. Park interpreters lead walks, snowshoe expeditions, campfire talks and more throughout the winter. gov.mb.ca