Limestone crevices, geodesic domes and school bus glamping: Exploring a Saskatchewan summer

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to limit international and inter-provincial travel, Saskatchewan’s tourism industry is hoping the province’s people will turn their eyes towards their own backyard.

From one-of-a-kind accommodations to trendy outdoor photo backdrops, Tourism Saskatchewan wants to turn travellers into Saskatchewanderers this summer.

Jonathan Potts, Tourism Saskatchewan’s executive director of marketing and communications, recommended those seeking a unique destination during COVID-19 explore different accommodation options.

“If you want to travel somewhere, people this year are thinking about where they want to stay, what they want to do,” Potts said.

In Rosetown at the Alive Sky Lodge, visitors can choose to stay in the BINcredible grain bins for a night or relive middle school with a night on Schoolee in the Coulee, a school bus glamping experience.

Other quirky accommodations in the province include geodesic domes at Buffalo Pound Lake and yurts at Flora Bora Forest Lodging at Emma Lake or in Great Blue Heron Provincial Park.

“It can be kind of cool too … if you’re staying in a yurt, for example, (you can) see the sky up through the dome,” Potts said.

Of course, those who prefer to “rough it,” might be more interested in some of Saskatchewan’s more rugged landscapes.

“From a natural side, there are so many undiscovered places, there are so many places people take for granted,” Potts said.

Potts suggested Grasslands National Park near Val Marie or the Valley of 1,000 Devils to experience a different type of landscape.

In the Valley of 1,000 Devils, visitors experience Saskatchewan’s Killdeer Badlands, the Frenchman River Valley and hoodoos — thin stone formations — as far as the eye can see.

“You can see literally dozens if not hundreds of hoodoos out in the distance and go exploring out amongst them,” Potts said. “(You) feel like you’re in another world.

“It’s also one of the first places in the country where dinosaur fossils were discovered.”

Hikers can also explore trails in either of the two national parks located in the province.

Prince Albert National Park, in particular, features epic treks and lighter trails.

At Meadow Lake Provincial Park, the 120-kilometre Boreal Trail can accommodate hikers with any length preference from a half-hour to several hours to several days.

“If you’re serious about it, you can spend several days backpacking through the park and make a real trip out of it or you can do it in smaller chunks and just do a day trip,” Potts said.

“I haven’t done it myself … but some of my colleagues have done it and just love it.”

Limestone crevices in Creighton will excite adventurers seeking landscape to explore.

“(They) can be explored carefully but are very cool and … even in July some years you can find snow at the bottom of them because they’re so deep and chilly,” Potts advised.

Saskatchewanderers can also pack their paddles for some canoeing in Lac La Ronge Provincial Park near Stanley Mission.

“There are paintings on the rocks from Indigenous peoples from hundreds of years ago,” Potts said.

“Throughout the Churchill River system, that’s one of the really cool things that it was … like a superhighway for fur traders for hundreds of years.”

Some may prefer to stay closer to the city. Potts recommended the Atlas Hotel in Regina.

The hotel is currently offering different family-friendly and themed packages for staycations. It also has a waterpark and packages include meals delivered to visitor’s rooms.

“Some people aren’t as comfortable getting out and travelling but this gives people the opportunity to stay close to their home or to come visit,” Potts said.

Travelling local is supporting local, Potts said, especially as many local businesses face financial difficulties due to the pandemic.

“People here are proud of their province, they have a profound attachment to it and we want people to stay here and support our tourism businesses,” he said.

“If we stay open to travelling in Saskatchewan we’re going to help those businesses stay open.”

While travelling, Potts offered a reminder to Saskatchewanians to ensure they continue to follow public health guidelines.

“We at Tourism Saskatchewan want people to travel, we’re hoping people will travel and support the business community across the province. But we really stress that we want people to do so safely,” he said.