
by Dave Yanko
MOOSE MOUNTAIN PROVINCIAL PARK — The term 'provincial park' often
conjures up images of wilderness hikes, early-morning angling, pristine
lakes and streams, and peaceful evenings around a crackling campfire,
perhaps with a ghost story tossed in for good measure. Well, that's
not precisely what Moose Mountain Provincial Park is all about.
Except for the part about the ghost story.
However, if any of the following sounds interesting to you. . .
- two of the finest 18-hole golf courses in the province
- quality riding stables
- 36-hole mini-golf facility
- casino with high calibre entertainment
- nightclubs/cabarets/bars/lounges
- year-round luxury resort
- restaurants
- big waterslide complex
- tennis courts
- shopping
. . . then the Moose Mountain Provincial Park area may well be
your kind of place. Few of Saskatchewan's provincial parks offer
the range and quality of activities and facilities available in
and near this park, located less than two hours southeast of Regina.
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Spring
blossoms in the park. |
Moose Mountain is one of Saskatchewan's five, original provincial
parks established by the province in 1931. But its status as a vacation
spot actually goes back further than that.
"Cannington Manor people started coming into the Moose Mountains
and using (the area) for recreational purposes back in the 1880s,"
says Marlon Klassen, who was park manager at the time of our visit.
Cannington Manor, a village established by a group of English settlers
trying to create a utopian agricultural community on the Canadian
prairies, was abandoned by 1900.
Park visitors curious about a social experiment that brought fox
hunts and cricket to the wild prairie may want to visit the historic
park, just 15 minutes by car from the provincial one.
In fairness, Moose Mountain is a handsome park, well treed with
aspen, white birch and ash. You certainly may boat, fish, sit around
a campfire or hike in this park; our family enjoyed a two-hour trek
around Beaver Lake. But today, the park that most people refer to as 'Kenosee'
is known more as the kind of place where you can get away from it
all, without leaving behind all the creature comforts (and nightlife)
of the city.
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The
36-hole miniature golf facility is well maintained. |
The Resort Village of Kenosee Lake, situated just outside the park
boundary some five minutes from Fish Creek and Lynwood campgrounds,
offers nightclubs (one of them may be haunted), bars, restaurants,
stores and a go-cart track. A waterslide complex open from mid June
to late August features seven slides ranging from a gentle kiddie
ride to an eye-popping, eight-storey free-fall, and a 160-metre
glide (500 ft). There are picnic tables and concessions on site.
Inside the park is beautiful Golf Kenosee, a splendidly-landscaped,
18-hole, grass-green course that's a pleasure to see whether you
golf or not. (White Bear Golf Course, the other first-class course
in the vicinity, is an 18-hole, grass-green, 'championship' challenge
about 15 minutes from the park.) Golf Kenosee's licensed restaurant,
lounge and deck overlook the lake and core area of the park.
This central zone is a lively spot featuring a large food and supplies
store, a modern, four-season, luxury hotel,
and a picturesque stone chalet that serves as the park's visitors
centre. When it was built in the 1930s, the chalet operated as a
hotel. Today, it's the place to go for park information and to learn
about area flora and fauna.
 |
Beaver
Lake is situated near a network of hiking and cross-country
skiing trails. |
Perhaps 200 metres in front of the chalet is Kenosee Lake, although
it wasn't that far away 30 years ago. The lake is replenished by
precipitation and aquifers, together not enough to maintain water
levels in dry years. At one point during the drought of the 1980s,
for instance, Kenosee was down a full three metres from 'normal'
levels. It was never a deep lake.
The lake's condition has improved somewhat in recent years, however, the low levels have resulted in 'winterkills' of
fish populations, and weeds can be a problem during the summer.
The improved situation is bringing more anglers and boaters back
to the park, says Klassen. And while camper numbers are down a bit,
Moose Mountain retains its position as one of the most visited parks
in the province.
We tented during the Victoria Day long weekend in the Lynwood
Campground and found the washroom facilities quite satisfactory and the firewood plentiful (see link at bottom for up-to-date information on campgrounds or to use the online campsite reservation system).
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The
park is a playground for kids, youths and adults. |
Twenty minutes from the park sits the Town of Carlyle, and those who believe every
small town on the prairies is about to fall off the edge of the
map should visit Carlyle on Saturday at noon. Cars angle parked
on either side of a median running down the centre of the main thoroughfare
resulted in a level of bustle befitting a town three or four times
its size (pop. 1,300). Main street and its sidewalks were buzzing
with local shoppers and strolling tourists.
Many people appeared to be cottagers, villagers or campers from
Kenosee who came to town to shop. Others were there to visit one
of the restaurants or fast-food spots on the north edge of town.
Carlyle
is a charming and lively place that was harmed little, I suspect,
by the arrival of the Bear Claw Casino, which we passed on the way
to town.
Bear Claw is one of five jewels in the crown of the Saskatchewan
Indian Gaming Authority, a job engine for Saskatchewan's native
peoples and an economic juggernaut for the province in general.
The casino is one of the biggest attractions in the region, drawing
visitors from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota and beyond.
Games in the 15,000-square-foot facility include blackjack, roulette,
big wheel, and regular and progressive slot machines.
The development includes a lodge, convention centre, restaurant
and gift shop.
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Summer
memories for generations. |
Back at the park, our hike around Beaver Lake and our strolls through
the campgrounds and core area left favorable impressions with all
of us - the only way to feel a place is to walk it. The grounds
around the chalet are particularly pretty.
As its name implies, there are moose in this park (about 400 at last count). There's a similar number of elk, legions of white-tailed
deer, and it's not unheard of to spot bald and golden eagles passing
through on their way to nesting grounds north and west of here.
But above all, Kenosee is a place of human recreation. It's a beautiful and leafy backdrop to a summer
play that's been running for generations, and will continue to do
so for many, many more.
To learn more about Moose Mountain or other provincial parks, or to use Saskatchewan Park's online campsite reservation system, click here.
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