Saskatchewan Landing and missing The Great Sand Hills

Everything was a little wet in the morning and we were unable to get the same site so we took the road to Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park..along a route with a ferry.

Saskatchewan Landing - cars on the ferry
Parked on the ferry. We were the last two on the ferry.
Saskatchewan Landing - the ferry from Riverhurst to cross the river
Linda and Colin on the ferry crossing from Riverhurst.

It’s a nice drive to the Riverhurst Ferry and a lovely short ferry ride across the river. The ferry leaves the east shore on the hour and we were going to be tight. We were so tight that we were the last vehicles on the ferry and they closed the gates right behind Colin’s car.

Saskatchewan Landing - first view of the campsite
What we saw when we arrived at our campsite.

The rain had not been good to Saskatchewan Landing. We wanted a nice riverside camp and the gate person accommodated that well; however, when we arrived it wasn’t such a good site. According to one of our neighbours, the previous occupant had a large heavy trailer and became stuck in the mud as they tried to power out of the site. They required a tow out and the whole site became a mud puddle. We tried to get a different site in the same campground but it wasn’t possible.

Saskatchewan Landing - the campsite
We managed to make it into the site comfortably.

Once we realized that we couldn’t do much we did what we could to accommodate the muddy site. We learned something after exploring the park…there were other campgrounds that were dry and had showers and since there are a lot of seasonal campers that don’t come up during the week, even though the campground looks busy, it’s not.

Saskatchewan Landing - the fire pit
The morning was sunny.

It was a sunny morning and view of the river was pretty good.

Saskatchewan Landing - panorama of the river
Yet another one of my panos. Remember to click on the photo to see it larger.

The river was nice to look at but not one of my favourite riverside sites.

Saskatchewan Landing - coolie we climbed
The camp’s hike.

As usual we hike. This time we hiked up the above coulee.

Saskatchewan Landing -  cactus
Cactus along the hike…Pierre likes cactus it seems.
Saskatchewan Landing - baby barrel cactus
A different type of cactus along the hike.

I don’t know what it is about cactus but I find it fascinating.

Saskatchewan Landing - coolie selfie
Colin, Linda and Pierre at the top of the coulee.

We made it to the top and the view was worth the short climb.

Saskatchewan Landing - coolie panorama
Yet another pano – this time from the top of the coulee. Remember to click on the photo to see it larger.

The top of the coulee was a nice place to be and we were able to observe the other campgrounds and get an overview of the park. It’s a nice park but definitely another campground next time.

Saskatchewan Landing - Hector on the coolie
Hector was pretty happy racing up the hill.
Saskatchewan Landing - on top of a Coolie
Hector having fun with Linda.
Saskatchewan Landing - Linda on the coolie
Linda did a fine job of leading us up the coulee and the view of the valley behind was lovely too.

It’s interesting to get to the top of the hills that we climb. Often we see things that we wouldn’t and develop a better understanding of the landscape and uses. From the top of the coulee we could see our campground “The Riverside” and the “Bearpaw”. The latter looked so much cleaner and better organized. On the way to the coulee we walked through a meticulously kept private campground called Cactus Blume Campground. It’s a seasonal camper area and all the sites we saw from the walking trail were beautiful and spaced reasonably. I didn’t take any photos out of respect for their privacy.

Saskatchewan Landing - more cacti
I like cactus and this one also shows the sage and the trees as well as the grass that covers Saskatchewan.

The way down was different than the way up. Not as steep but with a different view as well.

Saskatchewan Landing - view from teh coolie
A sweet valley north of the river.

Looking behind you is one of the fun things about hiking. The view can be dramatically different.

Saskatchewan Landing - the south Saskatchewan River
The sky starting to change on our way down.
Saskatchewan Landing - Linda on a trail
Linda exploring different routes.

When we hike we often take varying routes to see different things and sometime we are very surprised that there are little gullies that smell and look beautiful.

Saskatchewan Landing - Moon and flowers
A view from the back of our campsite with a nearly full moon.

Dusk has its moments and with the nearly full moon, it made the setting serene.

Qu Apell sign
Fort Walsh to Fort Qu’Apelle Trail historical marker.

We didn’t make it to the Great Saskatchewan Sand Hills once again. It was a little too far from Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park and we needed fuel so we drove to Swift Current and shopped then headed south to the Grasslands National Park West Block at Val Marie.

Qu Appell trail
Lunch stop at the Fort Walsh to Fort Qu’Appelle Trail historical marker.

A little too far for a single drive, we often stop for lunch and that gives Hector a break and the Puck the cat gets to wander out of the carrier for a bit.