[Updated 2012]

It’s not likely you’re travelling to Saskatchewan’s East Central Region in search of furs, like explorer Henry Kelsey did 300 years ago. But the beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife and promise of adventure he experienced three centuries ago remains intact today.

In the early 1690s, when Kelsey first arrived in the region, one of the few available modes of transportation was the horse. You can see the area as Kelsey saw it—from atop your mount—with a visit to the Coyote Creek Stables (80 km northeast of Yorkton, 306-542-3439), in the scenic Duck Mountain Provincial Park. After a day or three in the saddle, a visit to the amenities of civilization offered in Yorkton (pop. 15,574, 200 km northeast of Regina) may be just what your bottom requires.

Fall into a plush theatre seat, grab a bag of popcorn and watch some of the finest short films and videos in the world at North America’s oldest, continuously-running short film festival, the Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival (held each May).

Or check out the story of the immigrants who chose to make the Prairies their home at the Western Development Museum (open May to September). Most of the immigrants who settled the area took up farming, and their turn-of-the-century farming techniques and equipment are on display each summer at the annual Thresherman’s Show, also held at Yorkton’s Western Development Museum.

Learn about the Doukhobors, a pacifist group who came to Western Canada to escape religious persecution in Russia, at the remarkably well-preserved National Doukhobor Heritage Village in Veregin (75 km northeast of Yorkton, 306-542-4441). Don’t miss the Doukhobor bread.

Bird lovers shouldn’t miss the Quill Lakes Interpretive Centre (175 km north of Regina, where nearly 200 species share wetlands so vital to migrating shorebirds they’ve been designated part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

Set your binoculars and camera aside and take a relaxing dip in one of three heated mineral pools, or enjoy a full-body massage, at the Manitou Springs Resort near Watrous (pop. 1889, 150 km northwest of Regina.

If you feel the need to get back to nature once again, perhaps without a horse this time, Greenwater Lake Provincial Park (250 km east of Saskatoon), offers a full range of outdoor activities, including boating, camping, golfing, hiking, and, yes, even more horseback riding, if you’re up to it.

Whether it’s avian extravaganzas or down-to-earth hospitality, Saskatchewan’s East Central Region offers first-class seating on an unlimited basis.

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