20 August, 2025 11 comments Leave a comment

My husband and I have traveled through Saskatchewan many times on our way to the west coast, observing the mostly flat scenery of the province, as viewed from the Trans Canada and Yellowhead Highways.

Other than a fantastic camping trip to Cypress Hills Inter-provincial Park years ago, we had not seen much of Saskatchewan.

This summer we decided to remedy this omission and spent five weeks exploring and camping in the southern half of Saskatchewan, along with good friends who have been our camping buddies for the last 50 years.

Pictured above is our campsite at Grasslands National Park, just after a rain shower produced a spectacular rainbow. (I should have checked for the pot of gold under that picnic table at the end of the rainbow...)

The rainbow was filled with 'spokes' that are called anticrepuscular rays (or antisolar rays). They are a meteorological phenomenon, and appear to converge at the antisolar point, directly opposite the sun in the sky.

We stayed four days in this gorgeous park and one evening saw more of the rays, in the opposite direction to the sunset.

The really cool thing about the skies of Saskatchewan is that one can see them from horizon to horizon, without many trees or buildings blocking the view.

This makes the skies appear to be very vast, compared to those in my home province of Ontario.

Shown here is the Frenchman River, which has carved the distinct valley that dominates the West Block of Grasslands National Park.

The thing that struck me most about this extraordinary park is that, as soon as you step out of your vehicle on arrival, the sound of birdsong fills the air, even though there are no trees in sight. (Apparently the birds nest in the prairie grass or underground.) 

After ten or fifteen minutes spent absorbing the smells and sounds of this naturalized area teeming with life, its profound peace and serenity seeps into your bones. It is one of the most relaxing places I ever have visited.

Saskatchewan has lots of hilly terrain, and we got to climb one of the more significant hills called 70 Mile Butte, pictured here. The 2 km trail had switchbacks and steep grades but was well marked.

70 Mile Butte is a prominent landmark (highest point in the West Block of Grasslands National Park), and is known for its panoramic views of the surrounding prairie landscape.

In this photo, our friends are taking pictures near the summit.

Since we were traveling in July, we had the pleasure of viewing many flourishing farm crops of wheat, barley, oats, flax, canola, mustard, peas, lentils, and field beans. 

I used to assume the yellow fields were canola in bloom, but I discovered that mustard fields also bloom with yellow flowers. It is difficult to tell them apart when viewed from the roadway. Can you tell the crops in these two photos?

We were proud to learn that, (according to a very informative sample farm plot in Yorkton), Canada is the world's largest producer of mustards, flaxseed, red lentils, yellow peas, and canary seed.

Learning about farming and the agricultural history of the province was one of the highlights of our visit.

If your travels take you to Saskatchewan and you want to know more about it's multi-ethnic, hard-working people and their rich history, I highly recommend visits to the four branches of the Western Development Museum. 

The travel route for our entire trip was based on visits to these four sites in Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Saskatoon, and Yorkton.

Together they tell the remarkable story of human settlement in the province, and reveal how and why the province has become a vital part of our country. 

The Western Development Museum began in the 1940's when people realized the collection of abandoned and unused farm equipment (for scrap metal for the war effort) threatened the survival of machinery that had transformed prairie sod into productive farmland.

The fledgling museum set about preserving some of this farm equipment and has grown its collection of artifacts to include all facets of farm, rural, and indigenous life.

Today the Museum has the largest agricultural collection in Canada, with thousands of vintage objects, restored historic buildings, treasured documents, and their stories, displayed in world-class exhibits.

We found each site has a different theme and focus, but together they tell a spellbinding story of an important time in the formation of Canada. 

For example, Canada's national healthcare system, Medicare, has its roots in Saskatchewan's pioneering public health insurance programs. In 1947, the province introduced the first universal hospital insurance program in North America. This initiative, and subsequent expansion of public medical coverage, served as a model for the rest of Canada. 

I hope my account of our trip, and the photos I have shared, do justice to Saskatchewan. Our visit there was eye-opening, and I have the utmost respect for the people who have contributed to the success of, not only this province, but all of Canada. 

I end this post with a sunset photo I took in Regina, at the end of a beautiful Canada Day celebration in the capital city of Saskatchewan.

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