Walking through the tall grass

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/10/2010 (5505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Beaudry Provincial Park

The end of summer meant time to scale-back the road trips and buckle down for the current school year. There will be no more 13-hour drives and no more camping, but the journey isn’t over. Thirteen parks remain (of the original 77) to be explored. After a two-week absence, we’re back with this week’s stop at Beaudry Provincial Park.

Beaudry Provincial Park is located 10 kilometres west of Winnipeg, on Roblin Boulevard. The park follows the meandering Assiniboine River as it cuts through woods filled with towering basswood, cottonwood, and maple trees. Beaudry Provincial Park also has one of the few tall grass prairie restoration areas in the province.

When the first Europeans arrived in Manitoba, the prairies were covered in many varieties of tall grass. The fertile soil left behind by glacial Lake Agassiz provided the basis to support prairie tall grass. This fertile soil would also prove ideal for wheat cultivation. As more settlers ploughed the land and planted crops, prairie tall grass was pushed to near extinction. Wheat and flax replaced the tall grasses and the prairie landscape was altered forever.

Today, a concerted effort is underway to preserve the remaining tall grass prairie areas of Manitoba. The most established sites are the Living Prairie Museum, in the northwest section of Winnipeg, and the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve at Tolstoi, on Highway 59 near the American border. In 1990, Manitoba Conservation began to restore prairie tall grass at Beaudry Provincial Park. Since then, the tall grass prairie section of the park has slowly expanded, as more plants take root. A trail, that follows a former railway bed, allows visitors to the park to explore a small section of what the prairie looked like before European settlement.

The park is also an excellent spot for Winnipeggers to enjoy a leisurely walk or to take your dog for some exercise. A network of trails winds through the forest that lines the Assiniboine River. 

We wandered down the Wild Grape Trail, a riverside trail that meanders through 40-foot cottonwood and basswood trees. Grape vines growing along the trail’s edge give the trail its name. Although the majority of leaves have already fallen off the trees, the walk still provided some excellent fall vistas. There are other hiking trails to choose from on both sides of the river.

Come winter, Beaudry Provincial Park is a popular cross-country ski destination for Winnipeggers. When the snow arrives, the hiking trails are tracked and made ready for the skiers. I know we’re enjoying great fall weather right now and I know winter is the last thing on most peoples’ minds — but keep Beaudry in mind for an easily accessible place to get out for a ski.

Now that school is in full swing for me, I don’t have as much time on my hands as I did during the spring and summer. Instead of blogging every week, I’ll be switching to every two weeks. Next time out, it’s back to the Interlake to take advantage of more of the beautiful fall weather.

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Park visited in today’s post:

 

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