A Grand Beach getaway
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/08/2024 (595 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
We had heard and read about the rush on campsite registrations, and how frustrating it could be to hover over the computer on the opening date, select a preferred site in a preferred campground, only to be put in a queue, wait for a long time, and ultimately fail to book a campsite.
So, when my husband and I spontaneously decided to go camping one balmy summer weekend, we expected finding a spot to be quite challenging.
Contrary to our expectations, the Manitoba Parks Reservation Service worked almost perfectly. The website’s “Reserve Online Here” link led us to all the available campgrounds in Manitoba. With a few inputs — the campground, dates, number of nights, number of people, and type of equipment (tent or trailer size) — the site revealed which campsites were reserved and which were open. An added perk was the inclusion of photos of individual campsites, giving us a clear idea of what to expect. We booked the site two days before our arrival.
Photo by Helen Lepp Friesen
Booking a campsite at Grand Beach on the spur of the moment proved to be a simple and satisfying experience for correspondent Helen Lepp Friesen.
The beautiful campground at Grand Beach was far from packed. We shared our quiet bay with only a few other campers and perhaps a bear or two.
Grand Beach Campground has a long history, over 100 years, of welcoming campers. According to Grand Beach Tourism, a train called the Moonlight Express transported people to Grand Beach in the early 1900s, for a 50-cent round trip, with frequent daily departures from Winnipeg. In 1917, a dance hall was constructed along with a boardwalk. Entrance to the dance hall was just five cents but increased to 10 cents in the 1940s. Unfortunately, the hall burned down in 1950 and was not rebuilt. The Grand Beach Hotel, built in 1920, was torn down in 1962. Train service to Grand Beach was discontinued in the 1960s.
In the 1940s, there were 600 campsites at Grand Beach Campground. Today, it maintains about 400 campsites, continuing its legacy as a cherished camping destination.