Duck Mountain Provincial Park
Come and explore the Duck Mountain The Duck Mountain Provincial Park is enriched with boreal forests, rolling terrain, deep blue lakes, river valleys, lush meadows and wetlands covering an area of 1,424 km2, with the addition of 469 km2 of protected Park land. The Duck Mountains are a segment of the Manitoba Escarpment dating back over one hundred million years and classified as a Natural Park. The shapes of landforms and bodies of water are the work of the last Ice Age and glacial Lake Agassiz's melt waters from 12,000 years ago. The boreal forest consists of an extensive plant life ground cover and a mixture of trees, balsam, jack pine, white spruce, fir and deciduous trees like aspen and birch. In the lower wetland areas are black spruce and tamarack. The eastern slope grows bur oak, elm, Manitoba maple and many berry shrubs. The boreal forests offer great habitat to the birds and wildlife, moose, elk, whitetail deer, black bear, lynx, cougar, coyote, wolves and many small game animals. The calls of waterfowl and songbirds are surpassed only by, the unmistakable bugling of the majestic bull elk. The highest point in Manitoba is located in the Duck Mountains, a place called Baldy Mountain @ 2,727 ft. Visit the two scenic outlooks; Baldy Mountain has observation tower and picnic site and Copernicus Hill has observation deck and monument. There are twelve hiking trails and a few ski trails to explore in the Duck Mountain, Baldy Mountain (3 km), Blue Lakes (5.5 km), Child's Lake, Copernicus Hill (1.2 km), Glad Lake (3.8 km), Interpretive Centre, Mossberry Lake, Roaring River Canyon, Shell River (4.5 km), Shining Stone (1.1 km), Spray Lake (3.5 km) and Wapiti (short loop 2.3 km & long loop 4.5 km). Historic sites to visit are located at Cache Lake and Frank Marvin Forestry Centre. Many deep lakes and rivers have native and stocked fish species offering excellent sport fishing almost year round, Arctic Char, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Lake Trout, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Perch, Rainbow Trout, Splake, Walleye (Pickerel) and Whitefish. With a variety of trout streams it's a fly fisher's dream and you haven't experienced a Manitoba winter until you've gone ice fishing; it's a wonderful sport. The main rivers that drain from the Duck mountains are Roaring, Favel, Duck, Pine, Valley and Shell. To enjoy seeing beaver, muskrats, otter and waterfowl paddle the two canoe routes, Beaver Lakes (6.4 km) and Chain Lakes (5.8 km), a great way to experience the back country. For those who love the wind in your hair, go snowmobiling on the many miles of groomed trails or ATV during warmer seasons. You can take along your GPS and explore by geocaching through the mountain. There are campgrounds, cottage development, cabins and lodges located in the Duck Mountain Park offering a mix of basic and electrical sites, at Blue Lake, Child's Lake, Singush and Wellman Lake. The main park roads are PR #366 and #367. For more information on Duck Mountain Provincial Park visit the Chamber of Commerce in Swan River or contact Swan River District Office (204) 734-3429 or visit to reserve your site call -Toll free 1-888-482-2267 or in Winnipeg 948-3333. Come and explore The Duck Mountain
Submitted by Debbie Soloway | |
