STEWART VALLEY, Sask. – Big lake. Big views. Big country. That’s how Dave Silversides sees the 5,735 hectares of Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park, which straddles the west end of Lake Diefenbaker.
“A person could feel small here,” said Silversides, who is also the park manager.
Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park is in Stewart Valley, about 50 kilometres north of Swift Current in southwest Saskatchewan. As you head north on Highway 4 from Swift Current, the park comes into view.
Coulees, which are like a series of ridges or hills leading down into the valley, rise out of the prairie. The lake stretches in front, beckoning boaters.
“I don’t even want to use the word ‘rolling’ because you’ve got to be practically a mountain goat to get up some of these things,” Silversides said of the coulees.
The serene surroundings belie the fact that Saskatchewan Landing was once a bustling Metis river crossing.
But the story is there, from the Red River carts used to cross the river in the 1800s, to the ruts left by those carts, to the teepee rings, trails and Goodwin House.
Goodwin House, which was built in 1897 by Frank Goodwin, a former North West Mounted Police officer, is a large stone building that sits near the edge of the lake.
Silversides says when the house was built, Saskatchewan Landing became more of a stopping area and the house a bit of a hotel. Twenty-five years ago, it was restored and turned into a visitor and interpretive centre.
“Before that it hadn’t, like most farmhouses, been lived in for several years, decades, and it was getting pretty dilapidated,” said Silversides.
A celebration marking its reopening is planned for July 16.
It’s a good place to stop, soak in the vastness of the park and get a geocaching or a trail guide.
Then lace up your shoes for the 2.6-kilometre Rings, Ruts and Remnants trail or the 3.5-kilometre hike to the lookout on the Prairie Vista trail. The guide does caution that the 1.2-kilometre Ridges and Ravines hike has a sharp decline that could be difficult for some hikers.
But Silversides says, for him, the lake is the lure.
“We’re on Lake Diefenbaker, which is one of the No. 1 recreational and fishing lakes in the province. Whether it’s fishing, boating, whatever, the lake is a big draw, of course.”
There’s a beach where people can catch some rays. There are campsites where people can catch some rest. And there’s the lake, where people can catch 11 different species of game fish. The website http://www.lakediefenbakertourism.com boasts that there have been several world record-breaking catches on the lake, including a 21.8-kilogram rainbow trout.
The marina, on the north side of the lake, rents fishing boats, pedal boats and kayaks.
There’s also an 18-hole golf course and a mini-golf course.
Silversides says the area has been a very popular spot for hundreds of years and it’s easy to see why.
“The history here is very interesting … the scenery, the countryside, you just don’t see that in too many places,” he said.