Manitoba is mostly known for its cold winters and lack of attractions, causing many people to discount it as a destination worth exploring. This is a misconception. Manitoba is home to many beautiful landscapes, has amazing sunsets and provides opportunities for adventure. Growing up in Manitoba, I was lucky to experience the province firsthand. Here are my recommendations for must-see places in Manitoba.
Riding Mountain National Park
Riding Mountain is a National Park located about three hours from Winnipeg. This beautiful park is a must-see place in Manitoba. The park contains the townsite of Wasagaming, a great place to begin exploring. In the summer, the townsite comes alive and is home to restaurants, shops, accommodations, and a movie theatre. You can also enjoy the Clear Lake beach, where visitors can rent paddle boats, take a cruise on the Martese or just enjoy lounging on the beach.
Riding Mountain is also home to over 400 km of trails ranging in difficulty and length. My personal favourite hiking trails are Bald Hill (difficult), Kinoso Lake (moderate) and the Omnik Marsh (easy). There are also many trails suitable for biking and opportunities to explore the park on horseback.
In the winter, trails are available for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. While many of the businesses in the park are closed in the winter, it can still be a great time to explore the beauty of the park without the crowds. Visiting in the winter also allows you to skate through the trees at Wasagaming and admire the snow sculptures along the way.
Additional amenities in the park include a golf course, a boat launch and a spa.
Manitoba’s Desert
Spirit Sands is a trail in Spruce Woods Provincial Park that is a must-see place in Manitoba. Walk through the forest, and you’ll feel like you’ve entered another world. When hiking Spirit Sands, you’ll truly feel like you’ve left Manitoba and entered a desert. The temperature spikes to about 10 degrees warmer than outside the desert area.
Walking along the trail, you’ll be surrounded by sand dunes. You’ll need to pack lots of water, and I recommend hiking this trail early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the heat.
Spruce Woods Provincial Park offers opportunities for camping and many other trails you can pair with Spirit Sands to extend your adventure. If you don’t want to camp, Spruce Woods is also located near the city of Brandon, where you can stay and explore a more urban environment.
Spirit Sands Trail. Photo by Torie Wotton.
Asessippi Provincial Park
Asessippi Provincial Park is home to Asessippi Ski Area and Resort, the province’s largest ski hill. In the winter, visitors can enjoy three aerial lifts, the bunny hill and the tubing hill, before warming up with some food and drinks in the chalet.
For summer, the ski trails are transformed into mountain bike trails, making this a fun destination in either season. Beyond the resort, the park is home to Lake of the Prairies, a popular destination for fishing in both winter and summer. The park also has campgrounds, mini golf and a beach.
Sunset over Lake of the Prairies. Photo by Torie Wotton.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg is Manitoba’s capital city and perhaps the most well-known destination in the province. While I think there are many benefits to exploring other areas of the province, it is true that the capital city and its surrounding area offer many attractions.
The Royal Canadian Mint location in Winnipeg is unique because it is where coins for circulation are minted. The location in Ottawa is primarily used for specialty coins, so tours in Winnipeg allow visitors to see where the money they use every day is made and how that process works.
The Assiniboine Park Zoo is another fun experience for all ages. The zoo is large and has a wide variety of exhibits to explore. My favourite exhibit is Journey to Churchill. In this exhibit, you can learn about Manitoba’s north and observe polar bears and seals. There are many different viewing points of the polar bears, giving visitors the opportunity to see them swimming above them or lounging in their enclosure. The seals are very playful, making them fun to watch. Nearly all of the zoo is outside so make sure to dress for the weather when you visit.
It is also possible to stay in the city and still get some outdoor adventures. Grand Beach is a beautiful sandy beach located about an hour from Winnipeg. The beach is often very busy, so I recommend arriving early in the day to get a spot. The beach also has options to purchase food and some small souvenir locations. The primary attraction is spending time in the water, so bring your bathing suit!
Another location near the city is Birds Hill Provincial Park. Birds Hill is only about half an hour out of the city and is home to a man-made beach and lake. Similar to Grand Beach, there are some locations to buy snacks, but we often enjoy bringing our own picnic lunch. In addition to the beach, Birds Hill Park is also home to hiking trails and campgrounds to round out your visit.
Birds Hill Provincial Park. Photo by Torie Wotton.
On My Manitoba Bucket List
Despite growing up in the province, there is still more of Manitoba that I would like to explore. Hikes that remain on my bucket list include Gorge Creek Trail, Coca Cola Falls Trail, the Mantario Trail and McGillivray Falls.
Churchill, Manitoba is also very high on my bucket list. Home to more polar bears than people and with northern lights 300 nights of the year, Churchill is a destination it’s hard to believe exists in Manitoba.
Find more ideas in Canada here.
Torie is a policy analyst who loves to write and travel. Recently graduated from the University of Ottawa, Torie is excited to invest some of her new free time into both of these hobbies by writing for Little Miss Ottawa!
Torie has loved adventures and trying new things for a long time. Family trips both close to home and abroad fostered this mentality and set the stage for future adventures both big and small. Moving to Ottawa from Manitoba gave Torie the opportunity to explore a new area in depth and emphasized the fact that every day can be an adventure if you bring the right mind set.
When she’s not out on an adventure, Torie can be found at the rink practicing with her synchronized skating team or coaching skating.
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