photo courtesy and copyright of Ducks Unlimited Canada/Brian Wolitski

Take a Detour Through a Prairie Paradise
- Opinion by Wendy Lawrence
Saskatchewan holds a secret that often eludes travelers who insist on cutting through the “boring” landscape via the Trans-Canada Highway. A few short kilometres off the main highway, the prairie province reveals a stunning beauty and variety of landscape and wildlife that make it a paradise for nature enthusiasts.

To truly appreciate Saskatchewan, you must get out of the cities. About half-way up the province, the prairies of southern Saskatchewan give way to forest and the Canadian shield. North of Prince Albert is pristine Prince Albert National Park, home for many years to the famous Canadian naturalist “Grey Owl”. The park preserves samples of boreal forest, prairie grasslands and aspen parkland. Hiking, fishing, cycling, cross-country skiing, canoeing, nature viewing and golfing are a few of the activities available to the visitor. In summer, canoeists and hikers make the 30 kilometre trip to the site of Grey Owl’s cabin. Further north along Highway 2 is beautiful Lac LaRonge and spectacular forests, lakes, rivers and streams just waiting for hikers, canoeists, cross country skiers, birders, hunters and fishermen.

The Trans-Canada Highway snakes across southern Saskatchewan. From Moosomin on the Manitoba border, onward to Regina, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Maple Creek and then across the Alberta border towards Medicine Hat. This stretch of road goes directly through the heart of the prairie grasslands.

Most travelers see only the vast expanse of flat prairie. They should stop to absorb the spectacular oranges, pinks and reds of the prairie sunrises and sunsets, the green and yellow grain fields silhouetted against a clear blue sky, and the black clouds running across an otherwise clear blue sky just before a prairie thunderstorm.

Think about the meadowlarks singing from a fence post or the geese calling to each other as they blacken the skies on their twice-yearly migration. Sadly, many people do not detour and learn more about the treasures off the main highways.

Just north of the Trans-Canada highway is the Qu’Appelle Valley, stretching from Whitewood to Katepwa to Fort Qu’Appelle, to Regina then to Lumsden, Craven and Last Mountain Lake. The valley – which is about 2.5 kilometre wide and on average 120 metres deep – was carved by glacial meltwater that flowed from Alberta and Saskatchewan into Glacial Lake Agassiz in neighbouring Manitoba about 10,000 – 12,000 years ago.

Legend has it the valley got its name from a young Indian brave canoeing home from a hunting trip one evening when he thought he heard someone calling his name. “Who calls?” he asked aloud. There was no reply. “Qu’appelle?” he tried again, this time in French. A reply came from the hills on the other side of the placid, moonlit lake: “Qu’appelle?” It was his echo.

On his return home the following night, he discovered the maiden he was to marry had died suddenly the previous evening. With her dying breath, she called out his name.

According to Saskatchewan place-name expert Bill Barry’s People Places, Indians of the region told Metis trader Harmon in 1804 they often heard what they believed to be a voice crying out to them as they travelled the valley. “Ka-tewet?” – “who calls?” or “qui appelle?” – was their response, in Cree, English and French.

The late Mohawk Canadian poet E. Pauline Johnson romanticized the story in her poem The Legend of the Qu’Appelle Valley. In part:

I am the one who heard the spirit voice,
Of which the paleface settlers love to tell;
From whose strange story they have made their choice
Of naming this fair valley the “Qu’Appelle.”

Today, the Qu’Appelle Valley is one of southern Saskatchewan s most popular playgrounds. Katepwa, Mission, Echo and Pasqua Lakes are fed by the meandering Qu’Appelle River and aquifers beneath them. Fishing, boating, skiing and sailing are popular summer activities, and the valley is considered one of the best hang-gliding locales between Ontario and the Rockies. The trails along the valley give the hiker an excellent view of the plants and wildlife in the area.

Continuing west along the Trans-Canada Highway to Regina, brings the traveler to Wascana Creek and the beautiful park around the Saskatchewan Legislature grounds, part of the Qu’Appelle Valley.

From Regina the valley extends north and west to Lumsden on Highway 11 then up Highway 20 past Craven and along Last Mountain Lake. Last Mountain Lake is approximately 100 kilometres long and is the host lake for many provincial and regional parks.

Approximately 20 kilometres west of Bulyea on Highway 220 is Rowan’s Ravine Provincial Park, which has excellent camping facilities. Boating, fishing and just plain relaxing in the beautiful Saskatchewan summer with its long twilights will make your trip along the eastern short of Last Mountain Lake memorable.

At the far north end of Last Mountain Lake is a 15,000-hectare bird sanctuary, created in 1887 and recognized as the first Federal Bird Sanctuary Reserve in North America.

More recently, the Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area has been designated a wetland of national importance. Its good habitats and strategic locations in the heart of the central flyway of North America make it an important migratory stopover for hundreds of thousands of birds traveling across the Great Plains of North America, between their northern breeding grounds and their southern wintering grounds. More than 280 different species of birds, some traveling through as many as 25 different countries, have been observed at Last Mountain Lake.

In the fall, hundreds of birds lifting almost in unison from the water is an awesome sight. Walking trails in the bird sanctuary give a visitor the opportunity to enter the marsh and observe the birds in their natural habitat.

Last Mountain Lake is home to numerous wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, badger, coyote, fox, and three species of ground squirrel. A number of rare and endangered species have also been seen, including the Peregrine Falcon, Burrowing Owl, Ferruginous Hawk and Whooping Crane.

The beauty of the Qu’Appelle Valley is only one of Saskatchewan’s secrets. Also noteworthy is Greenwater Lake Provincial Park, located in a beautiful aspen forest; Cypress Hill Provincial Park, located south of Maple Creek.

For information about Saskatchewan, visit: www.sasktourism.com.
For more information about Rowan’s Ravine Provincial Park and other Saskatchewan Provincial Parks, visit: www.saskparks.net.
For more information about Prince Albert National Park, visit: www.parkscanada.gc.ca/albert