Saskatoon Island Provincial Park

Saskatoon Island Provincial Park lies about 25 kilometres west of Grande Prairie, on the shores of Little Lake. The "island" stopped being one when the lake levels dropped, leaving a wooded peninsula reachable by road. The park is small, easy and the most pleasant slice of nature within reach of the city — birdwatchers come for the trumpeter swans that nest here in spring and gather again in autumn before migration.

The trails wind through old-growth balsam poplar and white spruce, with viewpoints looking out across the lake. Wild saskatoon berries (which give the park its name) ripen in late July and early August and draw both bears and pickers, so check current advisories before heading in. There is a sandy beach and a campground with serviced sites for anyone wanting to overnight rather than day-trip from town.

things to do sight park wildlife
A story
The endangered trumpeter swan, North America's largest waterfowl, was reduced to fewer than 70 known birds by the 1930s. Little Lake at Saskatoon Island became one of the most reliable nesting sites in the Peace Country, and conservation work here helped the species recover. There are now several thousand trumpeters again — but it is still a thrill to watch a pair come in to land, wings beating audibly across half a kilometre of water.