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June 2025

S M T W T F S
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Cycle Assiniboine Park to Kildonan Park

Cycle Assiniboine Park to Kildonan Park

Outdoor Activities: 

Event Date: 

June 4, 2025

Trip Rating: 

INTERMEDIATE

Contact / Registration: 

Marilyn Hurrell -- register at marilynh@mymts.net

Location / Time: Meet at Assiniboine Park Duck Pond at 9:45 for a 10:00 AM departure.

Description: Cycle Assiniboine Park to Kildonan Park - exploring the seldom-cycled north-west, riding through both industrial and residential areas on roads, bike lanes, and bike trails, even the occasional sidewalk where connectivity fails us. Our route out takes us by Red River College, through Tyndall Park and Amber Trails, to Kildonan Park for a picnic lunch. The return route will be slightly shorter and will include the North West Hydro Corridor Trail.

Distance: 45 km. We will be back to Assiniboine Park Duck Pond by 3:00 PM.

Bring: Your name tag, water, picnic lunch, sunscreen, and a sense of adventure.

Activity Type: 

Jun 4 2025
 
 
Paddle Seine River, Dumoulin Park to Morier Park

Paddle Seine River, Dumoulin Park to Morier Park

Outdoor Activities: 

Event Date: 

June 4, 2025

Trip Rating: 

NOVICE

Contact / Registration: 

Kevin & Anita Miller -- register at k.a.miller@mts.net . There are 14 participants as of June 2.

Notes:
On June 1 we observed the Red River from Esplanade Riel. It is high – almost up to the River Walk.
We also observed the Seine River from the Dumoulin Park launch site, 700 metres from the Seine's mouth at the Red River. It is fairly high. The current was very slow because of the high water level on the Red River.

Time: Meet at 9:30 AM. Launch by 10:00.

Launch location: Rue Dumoulin & Rue Maisonneuve. There is a large grassy area to launch from. This is point #40 on the Paddling the Seine map.

Description: We will paddle a completely different section of the river than we paddled on May 21.
From the launch location, paddle upstream to Morier Park, have lunch, and then paddle downstream back to the launch location. 12K.  But the Red River (mouth of the Seine River) is only 700 metres further downstream, so we could also do it out-and-back. We will pass under bridges 12 times.
This is section 1 plus the north third of section 2 on the Paddling the Seine map. During low water levels, the Tessa Rapids (point #39 on the Paddling the Seine map) is a difficult obstacle, but water levels are currently rising on the Red River, so it probably won't be a problem. There is an established portage on the east bank if it is.

Boats: If you don’t have a canoe or kayak, we can try to partner you with a canoe owner who is looking for a bow paddler.

Mandatory safety equipment for all Grey Hares paddling activities:
• A Personal Floatation Device (PFD).
• A sound signalling device (AKA "whistle").
• A bailer.
• A buoyant heaving line (AKA "rope") at least 15 metres long.
• Extra warm clothes.
A sponge is a good idea (especially for a kayak) because it helps you completely drain your boat.

Rating: Novice (bow paddler in the canoe of an experienced stern paddler) to intermediate.

Bring: Lunch, water, sunscreen, your name tag, and extra warm clothes.

Activity Type: 

Jun 4 2025
 
 
 
 
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[cancelled] Camping/Paddling/Hiking in Spruce Woods Provincial Park (was Nopiming Provincial Park)

[cancelled] Camping/Paddling/Hiking in Spruce Woods Provincial Park (was Nopiming Provincial Park)

Outdoor Activities: 

Event Date: 

June 9, 2025 to June 12, 2025

Trip Rating: 

NOVICE

Contact / Registration: 

Kevin & Anita Miller -- register at k.a.miller@mts.net  The deadline to register for this activity isn't until June 8.

This activity was cancelled on Wednesday June 4 because Manitoba's State of Emergency implemented travel restrictions on May 30 that are still in effect (and probably will be for some time).
gov.mb.ca/sd/parks/fire_restriction.html says:
Travel Restrictions
Backcountry travel is prohibited in all provincial parks without a travel permit.
• All hiking trails and water routes are closed.
• All watercraft (canoes, kayaks, boats) are restricted to developed front-country lakes only (road accessible) and landing and launching is restricted to developed shorelines only.  No travel or portaging to backcountry lakes permitted.  Shore lunches are prohibited.
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The Nopiming Provincial Park closure has been extended to June 12, so we have moved this activity to Spruce Woods Provincial Park: Camping / Paddling / Hiking at Kiche Manitou Campground in Spruce Woods Provincial Park. Manitoba Parks has told everyone with a Tulabi Falls campsite reservation that their reservation has been cancelled and their campsite fees will be refunded, including the reservation fee.
    
Our Spruce Woods dates, plans, and agenda will be the same as Tulabi Falls … with a few differences because the area close to Kiche Manitou Campground has slightly fewer paddling opportunities and significantly more hiking opportunities than Tulabi Falls.
• Paddling is on Kiche Lake (the oxbow surrounding the campground), and the Assiniboine River. We are not sure if water levels are a factor, but the water was very good during the Grey Hares 3-day trip there in early June 2016.
Other paddling opportunities are a half hour away: The Assiniboine River at Wawanesa, and Noble Lake south of Wawanesa. An email conversation with a town staff person – a paddler – was very positive.
• Hiking opportunities range from a handful of short interesting interpretive trails to out-and-back Epinette Creek (up to 40K!) to the iconic Spirit Sands & Devil’s Punchbowl.
• With ~30 people attending, you will have many options about how much paddling vs hiking you want to do, who you want to do it with, and where you want to do it. We will facilitate discussion about this every day.
• Rather than us documenting a list of possible hikes, we invite you to send us your favorites (or do research and tell us what appeals to you). We will then compile a list and present it to you.
 
The Kiche Manitou Campground is huge and sprawling! There are currently ~200 sites available for June 9th to 12th. We suggest sites in the “lower campground” in the area surrounded by the oxbow lake (the nicest campsites in the campground), specifically where Bays 1/2/3/4 join each other so that basic and electric sites are close to each other. We personally are not going to reserve (no reservation fee, avoid choosing a site occupied by a weekender who doesn’t leave until 2:00 PM check-out time on Monday, and choose a site that looks good in-person), but it is your choice.
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This year's follow-up to the successes of car-camping / day-paddling / day-hiking  trips at Rushing River in 2022 (24 Grey Hares), Caddy Lake in 2023 (32 Grey Hares), and Black Lake in 2024 (31 Grey Hares) is a car-camping / day-paddling / day-hiking trip at Tulabi Falls in Nopiming Provincial Park from Monday June 9 to Thursday June 12 (4 days / 3  nights).  Grey Hares last camped / paddled / hiked at Tulabi Falls in 2018; here are some photos.

The Tulabi Falls Campground has 36 campsites and 6 yurts. It has vault toilets. It does not have a showers building. It also does not have potable water, so we will have to bring our own for drinking and washing. The nightly camping fee is $11.55 or $15.75 (electric) per night per site.  Campsite reservations open on Friday April 11 at 7:00 AM.  In early April we will initiate a discussion about campsites with everyone who has registered, so everyone has the opportunity to share a site with someone, and everyone knows which part of the campground they should try to reserve their site (etc). 

A Manitoba Provincial Park Vehicle Permit is not required in 2025.

A beach is located at the edge of the campground. It is a perfect canoe and kayak launch into Bird Lake / Bird River, which is downstream from Tulabi Falls.
There is also a nice launch spot into Tulabi Lake / Bird River. It is located just upstream from Tulabi Falls.

Key features of almost all Grey Hares camping trips include carpooling, sharing of campsites, canoe partnering, and cooperative suppers at Grey Hares' Eureka Northern Breeze screen tent.

Paddling and hiking activities include:

  • Paddle Tulabi Lake and Bird River upstream.
  • Paddle Bird Lake and Bird River downstream.
  • Hike the moderately challenging Tulabi Falls Trail. It is only 500 metres out + 500 metres back, but very scenic along/above Tulabi Lake. The trailhead is in the campground.
  • Hike Granite Groove Out on Thursday on our way back to Winnipeg.

Activity Type: 

Jun 9 2025 to Jun 12 2025
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cycle from The Forks to east Transcona (intermediate) / Cycle from Kildonan Place to east Transcona (novice)

Cycle from The Forks to east Transcona (intermediate) / Cycle from Kildonan Place to east Transcona (novice)

Outdoor Activities: 

Event Date: 

June 11, 2025

Trip Rating: 

INTERMEDIATE

Contact / Registration: 

Yvette Berube and Rhonda Lambert -- register at yvettel3208@gmail.com

Description: Cycle from The Forks to Kildonan Place mall to the east Perimeter Hwy in Transcona ... and return (intermediate).
Cycle from Kildonan Place mall to the east Perimeter Hwy in Transcona ... and return (novice).

Intermediate

Location: Meet at The Forks, under the canopy.

Time: Depart at 11:00 AM.

Distance: 30 km return.

Pace: 20 km/hr.

Return Time: 2:00 PM.

We will follow the completed-in-2024 bicycle route through north St Boniface and Elmwood (residential streets and paved pathways), and stop at Kildonan Place mall. The novice group will join us there.

Novice

Location: Meet at Kildonan Place mall, NW corner (Reenders Ave and Stapon Road).

Time: Depart at  ~11:45 AM.

Distance: 16 km return.

Pace: 16 to 20 km/hr.

Return Time: 1:15 PM.

We will follow paved pathways (Crossroads Trail, Marianne Cerilli Trail, Sir Wilfred Laurier Park Trail, Transcona Trail) to the end of the Transcona Trail at the east Perimeter Hwy.

Both groups

Lunch: Bagged lunch at Rotary Heritage Park, 735 Kildare Ave West, beside historic CN 2747.

Bring: Helmet, sunscreen, water, lunch, and your name tag.

Activity Type: 

Jun 11 2025
 
 
Paddle Devil's Creek

Paddle Devil's Creek

Outdoor Activities: 

Event Date: 

June 11, 2025

Trip Rating: 

INTERMEDIATE

Contact / Registration: 

Kevin & Anita Miller -- register at k.a.miller@mts.net

Location: Devil's Creek is located north of Winnipeg, immediately south of Lake Winnipeg near its delta. The Devil's Creek launch location is a gravel boat launch located at the corner of a farmer's field, 30 metres from Road 85N, 2.5 km west of PTH 59, a bit SW of Libau. It is 45 km / 30 minutes from the North Perimeter Hwy & PTH 59. Grey Hares has launched from there 3 times in the previous 6 years.
Map

Time: Please arrive at the launch location by 9:30 AM so we can launch by 10:00.

Description: It will be an out-and-back paddle … upstream for as far as we can go before the creek becomes impassable (or as far as we want to go), then reverse and go downstream for however far we want to go, then reverse and go upstream back to the launch location.
15K GPS track from August 2023  
Photos from August 2023

Lunch: Lunch will probably be at the launch location. It won't/can't be along the shore by the forest because of travel restrictions.

Toilets: There aren't any formal toilets at the launch location or along our paddling route.

Boats: If you don’t have a canoe or kayak, we can try to partner you with a canoe owner who is looking for a bow paddler.

Mandatory safety equipment for all Grey Hares paddling activities:
• A Personal Floatation Device (PFD).
• A sound signalling device (AKA "whistle").
• A bailer.
• A buoyant heaving line (AKA "rope") at least 15 metres long.
• Extra warm clothes.
A sponge is a good idea (especially for a kayak) because it helps you completely drain your boat.

Rating: Novice (bow paddler in the canoe of an experienced stern paddler) to intermediate.

Bring: Lunch, water, sunscreen, your name tag, and extra warm clothes.

Activity Type: 

Jun 11 2025
 
 
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Cycle Matlock to Gimli

Cycle Matlock to Gimli

Outdoor Activities: 

Event Date: 

June 18, 2025

Trip Rating: 

INTERMEDIATE

Contact / Registration: 

Yvette Berube and Marilyn Hurrell -- register at yvettel3208@gmail.com

Location / Time: Meet at the Matlock Beach parking lot on Hwy 232 at 9:45 for a 10:00 AM departure.

Description: Cycle Matlock to Gimli, mostly on paved roads through cottage country. Picnic lunch, and then return the same route. Total distance is about 45 km.
You may want to consider cycling one way and having a ride available for your return. Depending on the wind, our pace will be from 16 km to 21 km per hour.
We require 2 sweeps: 1 on the way to Gimli and another on the way back.
Our planned time of return to the Matlock Beach parking lot is 2:30.

Lunch: We will stop for an hour at around 11:45 to have lunch in Gimli. Pack your lunch or source out a pickerel burger in the area.

Toilet: There is a porta-potty at Matlock Beach, a washroom at Winnipeg Beach (7 km down the road), and also in Gimli.

Bring: Bring lunch, water, sunscreen, spare tube and repair kit, name tag.

Activity Type: 

Jun 18 2025
 
 
 
 
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Nature Manitoba acknowledges we are on Treaty 1 Territory and that Manitoba is located on the Treaty Territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk Nations. We acknowledge Manitoba is located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis. We are committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.

 

Upcoming Mantario Trips

Jul 25 2025 to Jul 28 2025
Aug 4 2025 to Aug 8 2025
Aug 11 2025 to Aug 15 2025

Upcoming Outings

Repeats every month on the second Tuesday 2 times.
Jul 8 2025
Jul 25 2025 to Jul 28 2025
Aug 4 2025 to Aug 8 2025
Aug 11 2025 to Aug 15 2025

Upcoming Birding Outings

There are no upcoming trips scheduled at the moment.