Ask a travel writer to identify their favorite travel destination and many will describe azure-blue waters of a tropical beach, but two of Canada’s best travel writers, Jenn Smith Nelson and Doug O’Neill, make the case for a pair of oft-overlooked provinces in their new book, 110 Nature Hot Spots in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
With inspiring quotes (John Muir’s“Keep close to Nature’s Heart”) and vivid photos that will have you saying, “That’s in Canada?”, this book gives you a reason to visit Canada’s center. Smith Nelson and O’Neill pepper the pages with surprising facts (Saskatchewan has the world’s most northerly sand dunes), reasons they recommend a visit (60,000 beluga whales in Churchill), access methods, and facilities.
How well do you know Canadian geography?
If you’ve visited Canada’s prairies and limited your stops to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park or Riding Mountain National Park, you’ll be drawn to names like Wildcat Hill Provincial Park, Creighton Limestone Crevices, or Caribou River Provincial Wilderness Park.
You might be surprised to discover there’s a marl lake called “Manitoba’s Caribbean” because of the blue colour or that there’s a preponderance of wolverines near the Manitoba/Ontario border in Opasquia Provincial Park. With 110 places, many of them undiscovered by tourists, you’ll have new reasons to visit Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
So many choices, so little time
The biggest problem with this book is the abundance of information. After reading several sections, I realized I was twenty years too old to have enough vacation time left to see everything described. Fortunately, Smith Nelson and O’Neill have added special interest sections grouped by activity. For Manitoba, sites that appeal to birdwatchers, hikers, paddlers and waterfall aficionados are listed together. The Saskatchewan special interest pages highlight spaces with bird watching, common and unique animal species, paddling, sky viewing and waterfalls offering a quick way to zero in on possible destinations.
Where to read more
If you’re ready to explore some of Canada’s lesser-known wild places 110 Nature Hot Spots in Manitoba and Saskatchewan is published by Firefly Books www.fireflybooks.com Its also available on Amazon.ca or at your favorite bookstore.
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