Saskatchewan, the land of the living skies’. The province of Saskatchewan encompasses the largest portion of the Canadian Great Prairies, and all of its major cities are scattered across this endless plains, where bison graze. The northern part of the province is as rich in lakes and forests as the rest of central Canada. During your trip to Saskatchewan, be enchanted by the region’s beautiful natural landscape and pretty prairie towns, whose history is linked to frontier exploration.
Saskatchewan’s major cities, Regina and Saskatoon, are within a three-hour drive of each other. The landmark of Regina, the provincial capital, is the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, a magnificent seat of the provincial legislative assembly dating back to 1912. After visiting this important institutional building, explore the parks and museums surrounding Lake Wascana in the centre of the city.
Saskatchewan’s largest city is Saskatoon, located northwest of Regina. Prestigious historic buildings reflect Saskatoon’s nineteenth-century origins and are scattered throughout the city, with a greater concentration on the picturesque campus of the University of Saskatchewan. Walk or bike the Meewasin Trail, which traverses 60 km through the Meewasin Valley.
Saskatchewan’s fascinating natural landscapes are protected by two separate national parks: see the beautiful Canadian prairies at Grasslands National Park. Here, the landscape of the green Frenchman River Valley is dominated by the surrounding hills, and further east the colourful slopes of the Killdeer Badlands hide a site where many dinosaur fossils have been found. Further north, in Prince Albert National Park, you can visit the southern fringes of Saskatchewan’s boreal forest or taiga. Inside the park is the lakeside cabin that belonged to Grey Owl, a 19th century British ecologist who went to live with Native Americans, assumed their identity and became one of Canada’s leading advocates for environmental issues.
Another of Saskatchewan’s main attractions is the history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The southwestern region of Cypress Hills is home to the Fort Walsh base, established in 1875, while Regina is home to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy and a nearby museum that traces the history of this police force.
