These 3 Sask. regional parks are treasure troves of memories, history and natural splendor
CBC
CBC's virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories explores the hidden gems across Saskatchewan.
Summertime means camping. And many of us have certain parks we flock to with campers, tents and barbecues in tow.
Regional parks hold a special place in the hearts of many people — some have been going to the same regional parks for most, if not all, of their lives.
So pack up your picnic baskets and beach umbrellas. It's time to hop in the car and travel to three of Saskatchewan's most beloved regional parks.
Pine Cree Regional Park — 17 kilometres north of Eastend, in southwestern Saskatchewan — is a small but magically natural park in the Cypress Hills. It has 27 non-serviced sites, many of which are situated along the headwaters of Swift Current Creek.
What strikes guests first is how dense the park is with trees, said Don Lundberg, vice-chair of the Pine Cree Regional Park board.
"People from Vancouver Island to the Maritimes ... land in Regina and drive down here, and there's not a tree. There's hardly anything to be seen," Lundberg said.
"But then they drive to the top of the hill and start down into here, and they can't believe it. They can't believe how that exists, right in the middle of … southern Saskatchewan."
Lundberg has lived in the area all his life, and the park holds special memories for him. When he was a child, his school would go to Pine Cree for end of year field trips.
"Now today kids, heck, they'll go to Italy or go to England. My kids did. But we would come to Pine Cree. We were really excited. Like, that was a major event."
About 60 kids would swarm around the regional park during those trips, taking in all the trails and wildlife.
"We'd always come out in the bus in the morning and have a wiener roast in time to catch the buses in the afternoon to go home. And oh, we ran wild!"
Saskatchewan legend Everett Baker had a lot to do with the creation of Pine Cree Regional Park.
In 1917, Baker came up to southern Saskatchewan from his home state of Minnesota to sell books door to door, according to Hugh Henry, president of Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society.