There are many places to visit in Saskatchewan, but I wanted to find out from some local Saskatchewanians where their favourite spot is to travel in Saskatchewan. These travellers have explored so much of the province and have found some hidden gems and off the beaten track places that most people don’t even know about.
I also know from living in Saskatchewan, that there is so much to explore if you are willing to look with fresh eyes at what an amazing province Saskatchewan is. With over 100,000 lakes in Saskatchewan, there is never a shortage of things to do in Saskatchewan if you love outdoor adventure.
Saskatchewan is located in the middle of Canada and offers such a variety of landscape and topography to explore. Although most travellers who visit this province equate Saskatchewan to the wheat fields and breadbasket of Canada, which it is, there is so much more if you are willing to discover it.
Explore Saskatchewan and see what else it has to offer!
After all the travelling we have done with our family, we have usually found that the true heart of the country is where it is a bit harder to get to and fewer tourists around. These 4 places in Saskatchewan are prime examples of what Saskatchewan is all about and places that should be on your list for the next visit to Saskatchewan. They might just surprise you!
What You'll Find in This Post
Gem Lakes – Narrow Hills Provincial Park
Ashlyn – The Lost Girl’s Guide
Ashlyn George is a travel writer and content creator with a focus on outdoor adventure activities and a passion for her home province of Saskatchewan.
The Gem Lakes might just be the best hidden gem in Saskatchewan for an easy yet stunning backcountry hike. The 5.5-kilometre trekking loop winds around a series of seven lakes named after different gemstones: Pearl, Opal, Jade, Diamond and Sapphire in Narrow Hills Provincial Park. The lakes were formed from calving blocks of ice when Saskatchewan was covered by a glacier 10,000 years ago. They’re spring-fed with sandy bottoms, which is the secret to the beautiful colouring.
There are three first-come, first-serve backcountry campsites along the kettle lakes with plenty of tree cover to pitch a tent or hang a hammock. Fish are stocked in the lake and it’s fairly easy to haul in a canoe or paddleboard and hop from lake to lake.
Keep an eye out for bears and make sure to hang your food at night. Otherwise, bring a good book, a fishing rod and take the weekend to chill out and explore this wonderful hiking destination in Saskatchewan.
Prince Albert National Park
Kenton – Kenton de Jong Travel
Kenton de Jong is a Regina-based travel blogger with a love of history and the bizarre. When he isn’t in Saskatchewan, he’s travelling internationally to some of the strangest places in the world.
Regardless of the time of year, Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan is nothing short of beautiful. With everything from summer sunsets to fiery autumn trees to dancing northern lights, the park is the epiphany of all things Saskatchewan.
Due to its remote location, the park is also the perfect place to get away from the noise of modern life. Once you leave Waskesiu, all access to the outside world is gone. That means no phone calls, no emails, no tweets, no chats, no snaps and no annoying DMs. Instead, you can put your feet in the cool lake water, sit around a roaring campfire or hike through the winding trails of Kingsmere Lake.
The park is also home to Grey Owl’s Cabin, a bucket-list destination for any Saskatchewan traveller. You can arrive at the cabin on foot or by water, but it’s a forty-kilometre round trip either way. Grey Owl lived out here because of the solitude, claiming it was far enough for silence, but not too far for visitors.
Prince Albert National Park is also one of the two national parks in the province, automatically making it one of the top places for any Saskatchewan traveller to visit.
The Great Sandhills
Christine – Cruisin Christine
Christine Broderick is a small town girl who loves travelling and trying new things. In an effort to explore close to home, she started blogging about her Saskatchewan adventures.
Located south of Sceptre, Saskatchewan, the Great Sandhills seem to come out of nowhere. An enormous dune greets you as you pull in to the parking lot. Take off your shoes, and feel the fine sand between your toes. Crazy carpeting does not always work well, but depending on the texture of the dunes that day, you may be able to slide down the steep side.
There is the ever changing ripples and patterns in the sand to admire. If the wind isn’t too strong, you’ll see many footprints giving clues to the wildlife in the area, including the kangaroo rat that only comes out at night. Bones of these animals become visible as the wind shifts the dunes.
This first set of dunes is worth a visit, but be sure to hike to the west set. You’ll see them in the distance as you stand at the unique boot structure, a tribute to one of the original ranchers. With dips and peaks, this set of dunes will have you feeling like you are in a real desert.
Sceptre has an impressive museum with a beautiful old country church nearby and don’t forget to pose by Leader’s Larger than Life sculptures! With a golf course, swimming pool, and the South Saskatchewan River, there’s a lot to see and do in the area.
Qu’Appelle Valley
Nicole – The Passport Kids
Nicole Fiorante (that’s me) spent years living and exploring Saskatchewan with her family and although she has moved away, Saskatchewan will always be home to her. She is a family travel blogger and always looking for another adventure to take her kids on.
The Qu’Appelle Valley is home to a channel of four lakes including Katepwa, Mission, Echo and Pasqua lakes. This is an area of Saskatchewan where you will find locals living their best lives all year round.
The lakes are carved through the valley and the change of seasons brings out the beauty of the valley with the white covered hills, fresh green spring and autumn fall colours.
The lakes are a place for fishing, boating, kayaking, hiking, paddle boarding and spending summer days at the beach. Enjoying long summer days and campfires while camping at one of the campsites or cabins is summer in Saskatchewan. So many fun things to do in Saskatchewan around the Qu’Appelle valley. This is lake life for Saskatchewan people in the summer.
The Qu’Appelle Valley offers so much to be explored in the winter in Saskatchewan too. Including ice fishing, sledding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and downhill skiing at Mission Ridge.
If you happen to be visiting Regina and only have a short stay in Saskatchewan, this is one of the best places to visit near Regina since it is approximately 1 hour away.
Map of Saskatchewan, Canada
Where is Saskatchewan?
Saskatchewan is in the western provinces of Canada. It is a large province and driving from the top to bottom will take approximately 20 hours and across the province takes 6 hours from one side to the other. With having so much space there is so much left to be explored in this province.
Places to Stay in Saskatchewan
Cabins – You may want to consider searching for an Airbnb in some of the areas for cabins. For example, there are great cabins on the lakes if you search for Fort Qu’Appelle to find a place to stay.
Camping – A great resource to use in Saskatchewan for Saskatchewan Provincial parks is SaskParks to find out more details about camping.
Hotels – If you need a quick stopover in any of the cities or towns in Saskatchewan you can use the map function in this booking website that we use for all our hotel reservations.
Booking.comSaskatchewan Travel Tips
- Looking for the latest festival, events or other tourist attractions happening in the Saskatchewan? Check out the Tourism Saskatchewan website here for more info.
- Saskatchewan has limited public transportation outside of the major cities in Saskatchewan, so you will have to rent a car to get to all of these great points of interest in Saskatchewan. We use this rental car company to find the best deals from all the car hire operators in Saskatchewan.
- Flights to Saskatchewan usually come through the two major airports are in Saskatoon (YXE) and Regina (YQR).
- Our 12 Best Road Trip Tips!
- Although the mobile service coverage is very good throughout the province, the more remote you go to some of these places the likelihood of limited cell coverage, so be sure to have a Saskatchewan map for the roads and a guidebook along. This is our favourite guide book written by a Saskatchewan resident.
A special thanks to Ashlyn, Kenton and Christine for sharing the secret places they love to go to in Saskatchewan.
Do you have a favourite place to see in Saskatchewan? If so, add a comment below so others can explore those places too!
Looking for more Things to do in Saskatchewan?
- Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
- Southern Saskatchewan Road Trip Itinerary
- RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan
- Western Development Museum in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
- Train rides in Ogema, Saskatchewan
- See the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL football in Regina, Saskatchewan
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