Manitoba Peaks

There is a lot more to this ‘flat’ landscape than first meets the eye! by Ron Schirlie, Winnipeg

- Ron Schirlie

When she first moved to Manitoba from Quebec, my wife Sue was a rather reluctant Prairie girl. She was used to seeing hills mainly from the front porch of the family cottage. In order to introduce her to both me and Manitoba, I made a point of showing her every hill I could find in my home province. Luckily, she enjoyed exploring and hiking, or the next 25 years would have been a lot less interesting!

Most people think of Manitoba as being flat, the way farmers like it. That’s not the whole story, of course. If you look at a provincial map, you’ll find parklands pasted over patches of higher ground with names ending in “mountain,” such as Riding Mountain, Turtle Mountain, Duck Mountain and Porcupine Mountain.

The parks follow the Manitoba Escarpment, which is the western shore of the ancient glacial Lake Agassiz, and the source of several scenic surprises.

Riding Mountain National Park, for example, is known for the resort area around Clear Lake, which is enormously popular during summertime, but we think the best times to visit are in fall and winter. Those fabulous fall hiking trails become cross-country ski trails in winter.