Saskatchewan
Welcome to big sky country and riding at a country pace. The province of Saskatchewan provides a surprising mix of riding terrain and landscapes. This is far from only pancake flat farm roads through endless stretches of canola fields. Yes, there will be some rather ho-hum stretches of flat, straight prairie riding (fingers crossed the wind is at your back), but there are also long stretches of more dramatic pedaling. Where the west is still a little wild. One predictable thing is sunshine, as Southern Saskatchewan boasts an average of 321 days of sunshine per year.
Highlights Include:
A journey, mostly on dirt, through Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, a land of large forests, fescue prairie, wildflowers, deep valleys, roaming mammals, wild flowers and slow moving streams. Also one of the largest Dark Sky Preserves in the world. Some would say an oasis among the prairie landscape. A place where bikepackers and cougars can roam free.
Riding for days among big sky prairie landscapes
The iconic seven bridges road into Lumsden
All the small prairie town charm you can handle
A sampling of the trail system in Buffalo Pound Provincial Park. Yes, we found some singletrack in the prairies.
A scenic trip through the Qu'Appelle Valley, an area brimming with picturesque countryside, nature reserves, rolling grasslands, open marshes, and tempting swimming beaches.
A visit to Old Wives Lake, a Federal Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Ending the Saskatchewan journey in Duck Mountain Provincial Park, which is praised for its rolling hills, and boreal forest setting.
The Tough Stuff
In the wide open landscapes, the wind can be your savior or archenemy. The wind is known as the prairie mountains. Generally, when you are going north in the prairies, it is a crosswind, and when riding east it is a tailwind, but this is not always the case.
Agricultural dirt roads can become impassable peanut butter during stormy weather. In these cases, riding on paved alternatives might be the best option. The route file provides numerous options for dirt road bypasses when necessary. In areas with low population density, traffic on paved highways and secondary roads should be fairly light.
With little shade, riding on some stretches can be like moving through a sauna during hot summer months. Make sure to follow hot weather riding protocols, including maintaining good fluid intake. Some people will avoid riding during the peak heat hours of the day.
The route file contains several Control POIs that offer routing alternatives. These can be handy when weather conditions turn the farm roads into impassable peanut butter, or when riders are looking for a shorter ride option between certain points.
Certain sections of the route are very sparsely populated, where cell signal availability is spotty at best.
If you have any questions about the Saskatchewan segment of the GNBR please feel free to use the contact page.
