With more kilometres of roads than any other province, Saskatchewan excels as a place for backroad adventures. When we take the road less travelled, the journey becomes every bit as important as the destination. We discover hidden secrets missed by those rushing along the Trans Canada Highway. Plus we never have to contend with heavy traffic. Here are three of our favourite routes that reveal little-known gems in southern Saskatchewan.
1. Qu’Appelle Valley
The Qu’Appelle Valley is a defining feature of southern Saskatchewan. Carved by ancient glacial meltwater, the broad valley is flanked by scenic slopes of natural grasslands and forest, while the twisting and turning Qu’Appelle River meanders along, occasionally expanding into a series of lakes.
Parks, resorts, and cottage developments near popular parts of the valley draw many visitors. But what a lot of travellers don’t know is that you can drive almost a third of the way across Saskatchewan while staying entirely in this pleasant valley.
The route parallels the Trans Canada Highway, only a few kilometres to the south, but is a world away. The roads are a mix of paved highways, good gravel roads, and some sections of minor roads that should only be taken in dry weather.
Begin by heading to Fort Qu’Appelle and the Fishing Lakes, less than an hour’s drive northeast of Regina. From here you can head east following roads in the valley to just short of the Manitoba border.
Fort Qu’Appelle, the largest and busiest community in the valley, serves as the gateway to the attractive Fishing Lakes — Echo, Pasqua, Mission, and Katepwa. Two provincial parks, Echo Valley with its large campground and splendid views, and the popular beach at Katepwa Point lie in the heart of lakeside cottage developments.
History abounds. Fort Qu’Appelle was an early Hudson’s Bay Company post and site of the signing of Treaty 4 with the Cree and Saulteaux. Nearby Lebret, dominated by an impressive stone church, was founded in 1865. A must-do here is walking to the hilltop chapel for commanding views over the valley.
Fort Ellis Trail to Crooked Lake
At the eastern end of Katepwa Lake, our route changes dramatically as we leave the pavement, traffic, and cottage scene behind to follow the valley on the Fort Ellis Trail. While it stands out as among the prettiest parts of the valley, it should only be travelled in dry conditions. The tiny, picture-perfect community of Ellisboro, with two churches dating to the 1890s, makes a great spot for a roadside picnic.
After crossing Highway 47, our route runs along paved Highway 247 as the Qu’Appelle River expands into Crooked and Round lakes. Here we find Crooked Lake Provincial Park as well as a string of other recreation areas, resorts, and scenic lookouts over the lakes.
Eastern Qu’Appelle Valley
The route turns back to a gravel road shortly after Round Lake, and the valley becomes more heavily forested. Watch for stands of Burr oak, the only oak tree indigenous to the Canadian Prairies and near the western extent of its natural range here.
While the eastern stretches of the Qu’Appelle Valley seem quite remote today, historic markers remind us of a rich past. Roadside plaques commemorate Fort John, one of a series of fur trade posts established along the Qu’Appelle River, and the former village of Hamona which played a pivotal role in Saskatchewan’s cooperative movement. The now-defunct village of Hyde had grandiose plans to become a British-style estate until the expected railway took a different route.
The valley route ends at Road 600, about four kilometres from the Manitoba border. We can visit nearby Fort Esperance National Historic Site on the south side of the valley. Built in 1787, it was the North West Company’s chief pemmican provisioning post during the fur trade. It brings home the important historic role played by the Qu’Appelle River.
To return to the Trans Canada Highway head south on Road 600 to Rocanville, then south on Highway 8, meeting the Trans Canada at Moosomin.
2. Souris River Valley
Starting at Estevan, this route takes us east through the Souris River Valley in Saskatchewan’s southeast corner. Estevan claims to be the Sunshine Capital of Canada, with more hours of sunshine than anywhere in the country.
It’s also called Saskatchewan’s Energy City. While oil and gas have become increasingly important, for most of its history Estevan was a centre for coal mining and coal-fired power plants that produce much of Saskatchewan’s electricity. Plans call for phasing out coal over the coming years, but we can still see massive drag lines operating in the area to access coal seams just below the surface.
Roche Percee
When we visit this area, we always stop at the impressive sandstone formations just outside the riverside hamlet of Roche Percee, about 20 kilometres southeast of Estevan. Rather than taking the main highway, our favourite route goes along Highway 18 east of Estevan, then south onto Shand Road just outside the city. It passes the entrance to Shand Power Station, then crosses to the south side of the Souris River.
After crossing the bridge, take the first road heading east as it winds along a scenic stretch of the valley on the way to Roche Percee. Just before entering the community, a cairn commemorates Short Creek Camp where the North West Mounted Police camped on their historic March West in 1874.
Continue east for less than one kilometre to the impressive Roche Percee formations for which the community was named. The hilltop outcrop once supported a window-like hole, hence the French name “roche percée” meaning “pierced rock”. However, the upper portion has long since collapsed.
Over the years, the rock served as a prominent landmark for First Nations peoples, then for Mounted Police, surveyors, rumrunners, and settlers. Besides the obvious main formation near the road, exposed sandstone covers a large area, so be sure to explore farther back into the woods.
Bienfait Bound
From the rock formations, follow the gravel road heading east along the valley. It’s worth taking a short detour to the north when you come to a sign indicating “Heritage Cemetery”. It passes the site of the former coal mining town of Taylorton and provides a vantage point for picturesque views over the valley. The road crosses the river and then winds around a hill known as Sugarloaf because of its distinctive shape.
Everywhere you look, small hills of dirt and rocky debris cover much of the landscape. These are spoil piles left from the early coal mining days when topsoil was dumped in piles to reach the coal beneath. Today mining companies must reclaim the disturbed land, but there were no regulations years ago.
We can also take our detour a bit further north to the town of Bienfait where the Bienfait Coalfields Historical Museum features extensive exhibits on coal mining history. Another must-see in Bienfait is the cemetery where the headstone for three men buried here says that they were “Murdered by RCMP”. It dates to the 1931 coal miners’ strike in nearby Estevan when a riot broke out during a march. Three miners were killed and many were injured.
The Eastern Souris Valley
Back on the road through the Souris Valley, we can continue travelling east for another 36 kilometres or so. Sandstone formations on both sides of the road make this a particularly scenic part of the valley. For much of the way, grassy hills used for grazing alternate with crops and hay on fertile river flats. This area has a more remote feel to it; on our last trip we passed only one other vehicle.
Roads in the valley continue all the way to Highway 9. Heading north we come to Highway 18 where we can return to Estevan, making for a nice loop trip. Alternatively, going farther north on Highway 9 eventually brings us to the Trans Canada Highway at Whitewood.
3. Ravenscrag Road and Middle Bench Road Loop
This ranks as one of our favourite backroads scenic drives in Saskatchewan. The 50-kilometre or so loop route starts in the town of Eastend, so named for being at the east end of the Cypress Hills.
Beautifully situated in the Frenchman River Valley, Eastend itself is worth a look around. A highlight is the T.rex Discovery Centre with everything palaeontology-related and home to Scotty, the world’s largest T.rex. The Eastend Historical Museum has extensive displays on the heritage of southwest Saskatchewan. Then there’s the boyhood home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wallace Stegner, now preserved as a writer’s retreat.
Ravenscrag Road
Begin the drive by heading west of Eastend on Grid Road 614, then after 2 km, turn left onto Ravenscrag Road which winds along the Frenchman River the entire way with one spectacular view after another. The more heavily eroded north slope of the valley reveals several seams of bright white mud containing kaolin, which is highly prized in making ceramics because it retains its white colour after firing.
Near the start of the road is a pyramid-shaped hill known as Chocolate Peak. Many years ago, some miners had the bright idea that it would be easier to access the kaolin if they burned off the coal seams in the hill. It didn’t go as planned. The coal smouldered slowly for years, baking the valuable clay and turning everything brown.
Another nearby spot is thought to be the site of a camp of Crazy Horse’s followers. In 1876 Lakota Chief Crazy Horse helped Chief Sitting Bull defeat Colonel Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in nearby Montana. Soon after, Sitting Bull and many of his and Crazy Horse’s followers took refuge in southern Saskatchewan.
About halfway along you can see Jones Peak, the highest point along the north rim, marked by a communications tower, which we will visit on the return leg of the route.
Middle Bench Road and Jones Peak
Ravenscrag Road ends at a T-intersection with a grid road near the tiny community of Ravenscrag. Turn north, cross the river, then take the first road east, which is Middle Bench Road. This route climbs higher into the hills, across open rolling pastureland of native prairie.
The main feature of this scenic route is Jones Peak. Watch for an approach road leading to the communications tower, and follow it to the valley rim. It’s named for Corky Jones, a local resident and amateur paleontologist who unearthed many fossils, which in turn led to the area’s famous dinosaur discoveries.
The views from the peak are breathtaking, especially close to sunset when a warm glow sweeps across the valley. Also check out some of the impressive sandstone formations near the top.
Continue east along Middle Bench Road until it ends at a T-intersection with Grid Road 614, about 4 kilometres north of Eastend, completing the loop trip.
Final thoughts
As you can see, many discoveries await once you get off the beaten path. We like backroad exploring in Saskatchewan so much that we did a travel book, Saskatchewan’s Best Scenic Drives, dedicated to mapping out road trips throughout the province. It’s time to hit the road.
If you’d like to learn more about travel in Saskatchewan, check out our guides below:
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