Dancing skies and rolling hills
Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park makes a perfect setting for family camping trip
GRASSLANDS NATIONAL PARK, SASK.—“Is there going to be anything to do?” My eldest son interrupts my count of Swainson’s hawks atop passing power posts.
His worry is tied to the increasingly vast prairie vista complete with coulees and rolling, soft hills greeting us — one completely devoid of play structures and stores and stuff. I urge him to keep an open mind, reminding him this isn’t a typical trip.
It’s a beautiful day, with light, fluffy, white clouds dotting an azure sky. After nearly four hours driving southwest, my two sons, partner and I stop briefly in the Gateway to the Grasslands, Val Marie, Sask.
Grasslands National Park, our end destination, is an impressive expanse divided into two blocks — east and west.
Visitor maps in hand, we realize we’ll only be able to fit in a few activities over the few days in the park’s west block, as most require driving.
Our cracked windows allow in a slight breeze carrying the sweet smell of sage-y grasses as we follow the Ecotour Rd. and happen upon a roadblock — a few hundred, in fact.
Bison as far as our eyes could see litter the panorama. Sunning, sauntering and grunting, young calves mosey alongside 1,000-kilogram giants. Spread out like hay bales, the herd is unfazed as our slow-moving vehicle weaves along.
We arrive at the Frenchman River Valley campsite area and cart gear to our teepee while the boys head off for a welltimed, Parks Canada Junior Naturalists program. Eager to be free, they excitedly begin searching for evidence of life in the park, armed with lists and digital cameras. Once unpacked, we sit and rest, taking in the camp’s panoramic prairie view.
It’s midday when they return, grins wide, eager to share what they’ve learned. It’s scorching at more than 30 C, so we take refuge in the teepee, grabbing a snack before hopping back in the van to drive to 70 Mile Butte to hike and take in the sunset — a spot we’ve been told is the park’s best vantage point.
Heading back the way we came, we race a badger roadside for a distance before it dashes, disappearing into tall grass.
Then, just before the road-blocking bison, we spot a burrowing owl glaring at us from atop a black-tailed prairie dog burrow.
A sign warning of wildlife I didn’t want to see — rattlesnakes — greets us at the entrance to the butte’s upward-winding five-kilometre trail.
Scaling the fence, the boys jet off and keep a steady pace ahead as we meander along, stopping to read signs identifying indigenous plants and to admire lichen-covered rocks.
An hour later, we are rewarded with an incredible view.
Spinning 360 degrees, we marvel at the sprawling green landscape while waiting for the sun to set. Building small rock Inukshuks cliffside, my boys make me nervous as they creep too close to the edge for my comfort.
Soon, the sun begins to dip; golden rays descend quickly along the prairie horizon. We head back knowing the dark will follow, but unexpectedly the sky comes alive.
Hues of blue from the sunset deepen against rich tones of pink and strokes of violet, stopping me in my tracks — frozen by the display. Wispy clouds shift shapes, dancing across the sky. The boys who are ahead of me finally notice and stare, mesmerized.
Camp is dark when we return, and the sky decides to put on another dazzling display. This time, it’s the green swirls of aurora borealis amid a clear, starry night in Canada’s darkest dark-sky preserve. My eldest oohs and ahhs before heading in to sleep, completely tuckered.
Sitting out in the dark, we attempt to name constellations in between revelling in our day full of wildlife, skies and sights.
Soon after, we head inside the teepee, snuggle up in our sleeping bags and nod off to the yips and howls of nearby coyotes. Jenn Smith Nelson was hosted by Parks Canada and Tourism Saskatchewan, neither of which reviewed or approved this story.