Adventures at Little Red River Park

We spent an afternoon at Little Red River Park. Last weekend, we wanted to go someplace new. We decided to pick a place within a two-hour drive of Saskatoon. After a little googling, we found a spot we’d never been to just outside Prince Albert. Believe me when I say this is a hidden gem to me. I’m sure it’s not a hidden gem to those people who live closer to it, but we felt like it was a brand new discovery. It was the perfect day trip and a beautiful afternoon. I chose Little Red River Park because I saw that it had some great walking trails, but it turns out it has so much more! My sister came with us on our trip, as always, and we met up for a socially distanced visit with a friend that lives in the area. She showed us around, and her little girl showed my son the trails. Spring was here that day so we walked in both snow and some mud trails, but as usual, we had our rubber boots with us for any of the messy areas. There is a hill for sledding, but it was looking a bit bare so we skipped that part.

The kiddos loving the day.

There are so many different walking trails to choose from. We walked along one trail that still had snow and lots of trees surrounding us. I love the smell of trees so it made us both happy. My son found a stick to use along the way, and of course, found me one as well. He really enjoys our new adventures and had a lot of fun all day. He loves exploring his new worlds.

After our first walk, we decided to stop for a snack. Little Red River has picnic tables surrounding it as well as fire pits. They also provide wood. We just had sandwiches so we didn’t need the fire, but it will be on our list for the next time. Throughout the park, you can find spots to sit and eat and most have firepits. It’s quite lovely.

Little Red River Park also has a ski hill. It actually looks like the perfect place to learn how to snowboard or ski. We may try it out with my son next year. It’s a beautiful little hill, and you can purchase lift tickets for the day. They have two different spots for skiing and snowboarding as well as cross-country ski trails.

After our picnic (by the way, eating outside in March is basically a dream), our friends left and we went to find the swinging bridge. My friend did warn me that the big swinging bridge was old in a bit of disrepair. Once we found it, there was no stopping my son from running over it with no fear. We all made it safely across although my son tried to swing it more for me when it was my turn. He loved it.

The suspension bridge led us to even more adventure. We followed the frozen river until we found a sandbank – although with the melting snow it was a big mud hill to climb. We still did it and it was probably my son’s favourite part of the entire day. It was pretty fun. As a kid, I loved hills, and if I’m being perfectly honest, I still do. We made it back to another trail and walked back to another hill before heading back to the car. You can do walks without the hills, we just choose the climbing.

Our day was wonderful. We all loved it, and we didn’t get half of the things done they had available. If you’re planning a trip, give yourself the whole day to explore. We will be back for sure. In fact, I hope to visit once every season so we can explore more. It’s such a great day trip for our family. The drive there is good along the divided highway. We had a great drive there, and a wonderful adventure. We loved every bit of our day. My son’s favourite part was the mud and puddles of course.

Little Red River Park includes:

Kinsmen Ski & Snowboard Centre, Cross Country Ski Trails, on-leash dog walking, snowshoeing, picnic sites and camp kitchens including barbeque pits, firewood is provided at no charge, toboggan hill
The Cosmo Lodge is also located in the park, including the Knotty Pine Bistro. It has a concession, public washrooms, gas fireplace and a large common seating area and a private meeting room.

Next time you’re looking for something fun out of the city, consider Little Red River Park. Lots of nature, and lots of family fun.