Our favorite hikes in the Prairie Life & City Lights zone

Here prairie and city sit side by side. The South Saskatchewan River runs through Saskatoon; the Qu'Appelle Valley cuts into the flat country north of Regina. Regional and provincial parks are often set beside a lake or a river.

Saskatoon and surroundings

The Meewasin Trail follows the South Saskatchewan River through Saskatoon, and Diefenbaker Park lies along its banks. South of the city, Blackstrap Provincial Park surrounds Blackstrap Lake.

The Qu'Appelle Valley and the Regina area

Echo Valley, near Fort Qu'Appelle, and Fairy Hill Trail, north of Regina, are in the Qu'Appelle Valley. Fairy Hill, managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, alternates grassland, a wooded coulee and marsh. Buffalo Pound, on the lake of the same name near Moose Jaw, and Rowan's Ravine, on Last Mountain Lake, are two more provincial parks at the water's edge.

East and west

In the southeast, Moose Mountain Provincial Park is a block of wooded hills and lakes rising above the plain. Woodlawn Regional Park, near Estevan, York Lake Regional Park, near Yorkton, and Foam Lake round out the east. In the west of the province, you find The Battlefords Provincial Park, Silver Lake Regional Park, Manitou Lake and Suffern Lake.

Before you go

On the prairie the wind is constant and shade is scarce: carry water, a hat and sunscreen. Coulees and riverbanks are slippery after rain. Provincial parks charge an entry fee; much of the neighbouring land is private, so stay on the trails.