Prince Albert National Park

The 400,000-hectare (1 million-acre) wilderness area of Prince Albert National Park, 240km (149 miles) north of Saskatoon and 91km (57 miles) north of the town of Prince Albert, is one of the jewels of Canada's national park system. Its terrain is astoundingly varied, since it lies at the point where the great Canadian prairie grasslands give way to the pristine evergreen forests of the north. Here you'll find clear, cold lakes, ponds, and streams created thousands of years ago as glaciers receded. It's a hilly landscape, forested with spruce, poplar, and birch.

The park offers outdoor activities from canoeing and backpacking to nature hikes, picnicking, swimming, and great wildlife viewing. You can see and photograph moose, caribou, elk, black bear, bison, and loons. (The moose and caribou tend to wander through the forested northern part of the park, while the elk, bison, and deer graze on the southern grasslands.) Lavallee Lake is home to Canada's second-largest white-pelican colony.

In the 1930s, this park's woods and wildlife inspired famed naturalist Grey Owl, an Englishman adopted by the Ojibwe who became one of Canada's pioneering conservationists and most noted naturalists. For 7 years, he lived in a simple one-room cabin called Beaver Lodge on Ajawaan Lake; many hikers and canoeists make a pilgrimage to see his cabin and nearby grave site.

Entry fees are C$6.90 (US$6.90/£3.45) for adults, C$5.90 (US$5.90/£2.95) for seniors, and C$3.45 (US$3.45/£1.75) for children ages 6 to 16, and C$18 (US$18/£9) families. The park is open year-round, but many campgrounds, motels, and facilities are closed after October. A handful of winter campsites are open for ice fishers or cross-country skiers on the more than 150km (93 miles) of trails.

The town of Waskesiu Lake, which lies on the shores of the lake of the same name, is the supply center and also has accommodations. Open all year, the Hawood Inn (tel. 877/441-5544 or 306/663-5911; www.hawood.com) is a great choice, an elegant lodge with a serene backwoods atmosphere, very comfortable rooms (from C$95/US$95/£48), and fine dining. At the Visitor Service Centre at park headquarters in Waskesiu, you'll find an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, bowling greens, and a paddle wheeler that cruises Waskesiu Lake. The staff can tell you about the weather and the condition of the trails; check in with them before undertaking any serious canoe or backcountry trip. The park's Nature Centre (tel. 306/663-4512) presents an audiovisual program called "Up North" daily in July and August.

More than 30% of the park's surface is water, making a canoe or kayak a great way to navigate and explore this nearly roadless area. Canoeing routes wind through much of the park through a system of interconnected lakes and rivers. Canoes can be rented at three lakes, including Lake Waskesiu, and paddled along several routes, including the Bagwa and Bladebone routes. CanoeSki Discovery Company (tel. 306/653-5693; www.canoeski.com), a Parks Canada licensed outfitter, offers a selection of multiday canoe adventures into the heart of the park. The trips are led by naturalists and certified canoeing guides, including some especially for families and birders. Canoe packages include 2-day, 1-night trips from C$350 (US$350/£175), to 4-day, 3-night trips for C$750 (US$750/£375). There's also terrific fishing in the park, but anglers must have a national-park fishing license available for sale at the information center.

The park has 10 short hiking trails, plus four or so longer trails for backpackers, ranging from 10km to 41km (6.2-25 miles). Several easier ones begin in or near Waskesiu, though the best begin farther north. From the northwest shore of Lake Kingsmere, you can pick up the 20km (12-mile) trail leading to Grey Owl's cabin. The park offers six campgrounds, two with more than 100 sites and two with fewer than 30. They fill up fast on summer weekends; rates are C$15 to C$33 (US$15-US$33/£7.50-£17). The information office in Waskesiu issues backcountry camping permits to backpackers and canoeists.

For additional info, contact Prince Albert National Park, P.O. Box 100, Waskesiu Lake, SK S0J 2Y0 (tel. 306/663-4522; www.pc.gc.ca).