With the arrival of spring, it’s time to start planning some day trips, and it’s not too early to take that first one.
Even before the leaves are out or the grass is green, a drive around rural Manitoba can be an interesting experience. Just be sure, that if you do venture off pavement and onto gravelled roads, that they have dried up after all our winter snow.
Day trips can be planned in advance, or they might be at random where you drive as your fancy takes you, but I prefer to do some planning so I can explore several interesting spots in one drive. To plan in advance, an excellent resource is the Backroad Mapbook for Manitoba.
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Now in its third edition, this book features not only highways, but also all the side roads – for which I find it invaluable. It also includes information on hiking trails, campgrounds, paddling routes, hunting and fishing areas, etc. It can be ordered online or look in some filling stations such as many Co-op gas bars, at the Riverbank Discovery Centre in Brandon, or at bookstores such as McNally Robinson in Winnipeg. A digital version is also available.
If you want a scenic drive, consider a trip south of Manitou into the Pembina River Valley. If you prefer to stay on main roads, go south via Highways 3 and 31, then east on 201 towards Winkler. This will take you twice through the valley and past Holo Crossing (where birders gather for the annual hawk watch). If side roads are in good shape, several offer excellent views of the valley as well.
For other scenic trips to the Pembina Valley, check out a Manitoba road map, or the Mapbook. You might consider the following routes: Highways 23 or 18 into Ninette; Highway 253 towards Pleasant Valley; Highway 5 south from Glenboro; or Highway 342 south from Cypress River. A little planning could incorporate several of these in one trip.
Of course, many other highways have scenic routes. A drive through Minnedosa and north on Highway 10 provides two great views of the Little Saskatchewan River Valley. A day trip to seek out the Assiniboine Valley could include a drive west from Brandon on Highway No. 1 and then north on Highway 21 from Griswold through Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, and then back south via Highways 463 and 254 to Oak Lake. Some planning could arrange this sightseeing tour.
Another scenic route is from Eden (north of Neepawa on Highway 5) west on Highway 265 to the village of Polonia. This drive is particularly great in the fall, but spring is worthwhile, too. Stop partway down the hill for a lovely photo.
If you are eager for wildlife and migratory bird sightings, many rural areas offer opportunities for that. A drive on country roads, once they’re dry, often produces picture-taking opportunities. You may not have to drive too far to spot geese, swans and a variety of ducks. Marshy areas such as the Delta Marsh, north of Portage la Prairie, the Kaleida Marsh south of Manitou, the pothole areas around Minnedosa and Erickson, and the various roads around Whitewater Lake (southwest of Boissevain) are all top spots in spring for various water and shorebirds. By early May, you might even catch sight of some baby geese. Wild turkeys are becoming more numerous, so you might spot those in several places, too.
If you’re snapping photos of birds, let your car act as a sort of blind. I often photograph birds directly through my car window. As you drive, be sure to watch for bald eagles; as they migrate north, they often perch near a road or might be feeding on roadkill.
Birders wanting to catch sight of a great grey owl take day trips east of Winnipeg towards the forested areas. Farther west, there have been frequent sightings this past winter and spring around Riding Mountain National Park. A drive through the park in early spring might also surprise you with animals along the highway − moose, deer, bears just out of hibernation, or even – if you’re very lucky − a lynx. Last spring many bears were lunching on dandelions along Highway 10.
Depending on how warm it gets, a late-April or early-May drive might let you find our provincial flower, the prairie crocus. Try a drive to Arden (stop on the north side of town) and check out the crocus statue (south side) while you’re there.
Wherever you decide to go, do a little planning, keep your eyes peeled, and take binoculars and a camera with you, if you have them.
