Manitoba National Parks

Canada is laden with national parks that serve as the country’s precious natural gems. These gems are aimed at preserving Canada’s wildlife and natural landscapes within its 39 regions. Manitoba, Canada hosts two of these: Riding Mountain and Wapusk.

Riding Mountain National Park

Sitting on top of Manitoba’s escarpment, the Riding Mountain National Park is a 2,973-square kilometer forest parkland, with the south entrance located in the Wasagaming town site. It was first cosseted in 1929 and from then on, it became a protected home to a number of Manitoba’s wildlife, including hundreds of bird and insect species, black bears, wolves, elks, deer, cougars, porcupines, Canada geese, beavers and moose. It is also home to rich vegetation, which includes wild flowers.

Standing tall against the surrounding farmland, this protected sanctuary hosted a Prisoner of War camp during the Second World War. In 1986, UNESCO designated the area as a biosphere reserve.

Riding Mountain is ideal for various outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, cycling, horseback riding, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, fishing, boating, canoeing & kayaking, sailing, swimming, scuba diving, camping, picnicking, golfing and skateboarding.

Wapusk National Park

Covering about 11,475 square kilometers of muskeg, tundra, rivers and lakes, Wapusk National Park is a protected home primarily to woodland caribou, Canada goose, snow goose, Arctic fox, red fox, swans, and of course, the largest polar bear concentration in the world.

Established in 1996, Wapusk is the country’s seventh largest park, stretching along the shores of Hudson Bay to its lowlands. The park was named in reference to its bears, with “Wapusk” being the Cree term for “white bear”.