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Manitoba · Canada
Manitoba national park on an escarpment between forests and prairie, with Clear Lake, the village of Wasagaming, bison at Audy Lake, moose and bears.
In the photo: Moon Lake, in Riding Mountain National Park.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
Riding Mountain National Park is in western Manitoba, about 260 km from Winnipeg. It is a plateau of forests rising above the cultivated prairie, bounded on the east by an escarpment about 400 meters high. From the plains, it looks like a mountain.
The park contains three landscapes: boreal forest with firs and lakes, the broadleaf forests of the escarpment, and areas of native prairie. It is home to moose, elk, black bears, wolves and a herd of plains bison kept in a large paddock beside Audy Lake. The park and the surrounding region form a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Wasagaming, the village inside the park, sits on the shore of Clear Lake, with a beach, a long pier, 1930s wooden cottages and a historic visitor centre. More than 400 km of trails cross the park for hiking, biking and horseback riding, and in winter for cross-country skiing.
It is Manitoba’s most-visited national park, with activity concentrated in summer.
This destination brings together 1 city: Wasagaming.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Boundaries: Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence) / geoBoundaries. Adapted by Cidade Turismo.
✈ Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG), in Winnipeg · 260 km to Wasagaming
✈ Brandon Municipal Airport (YBR), in Brandon · 95 km to Wasagaming
The nearest international airport is Winnipeg (YWG). By car, Wasagaming is about 260 km from Winnipeg and about 95 km from Brandon via Highway 10.
The local experience
Clear-water lake beside Wasagaming, with beach, pier, boat tours and a trail that follows the shore through forest.
About 500 hectares of prairie beside Audy Lake where a herd of roughly 40 plains bison live, visible from a lookout and the road.
A log building from the 1930s, built as part of a Great Depression employment program, with an exhibit about the park’s nature. It is a National Historic Site.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
June to September, with beach, trails and boats on Clear Lake. September brings autumn colours and the elk rut. Winter is cold, with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Two or three days: one for Wasagaming and Clear Lake, one for the bison and the trails.
Wasagaming has hotels, cabins and lodges on Clear Lake and the park’s largest campground. Outside the park there are accommodations in Onanole, just south, and in Dauphin to the north.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
In the Audy Lake paddock, about a 45-minute drive from Wasagaming.
Yes. The park is large and the bison are far from Wasagaming.
Yes, at Wasagaming beach in summer. The water is cool.
Two or three days.
Manitoba time, fixed year-round: UTC−5.
