If you fly over Manitoba in summer, you will see more water than land: lakes, big and small, so many that they could not possibly be counted.

It has been estimated that Canada has one-seventh of the world's fresh water. In addition to the Great Lakes, which it shares with the United States, Canada has many large rivers and lakes.

Manitoba is known as the land of 100,000 lakes, a legacy of enormous Lake Agassiz, which covered much of the province after the glaciers retreated.

Winnipeg is within an hour drive of some of the world's best freshwater beaches, and naturalists, canoeists, hunters, fishermen and modern-day adventurers thrive on Winnipeg's proximity to aspen parklands, boreal forests, rushing rivers and innumerable lakes.

There are excellent fine-sand beaches and sand dunes at Grand Beach Provincial Park (on the southern end of Lake Winnipeg) and more spectacular scenery at Grass River Provincial Park (northwest of Lake Winnipeg).

All of the province’s parks offer a range of activities and facilities, and some offer overnight accommodations, as well. Contact the provincial tourism bureau for more information.

Located in Grand Beach Provincial Park, it rests along the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg. This very white, powdery sand beach and dunes is considered to be one of North America's top ten beaches. The park also offers self-guided walks, campground, picnic areas, fishing and concession kiosks.

Dunes 12 metres high and kilometres of inviting warm sand beach receive the gentle waves of the great prairie sea. This is Grand Beach, located on Lake Winnipeg, the sixth largest lake in Canada. The beach, situated in the 2,460 hectares/6,079 acre park, beckons the sun worshipper in all of us.

Grand Beach has been a tradition since the days of the carousel, the dance hall and train rides to the beach in the 1920's. Nowadays, nature's strong summer potion of sun, sand and water draws thousands of people from miles around.

Days are filled with leisurely swims, strolls along the boardwalk, beach volleyball, and sand castle creations. Brightly coloured sails of surfers fly by on the warm winds.

A natural lagoon offers a world of adventure for children and adults alike. Hundreds of birds make up a kaleidoscope of colour and song. The calm waters are ideal for water skiing, boardsailing and boating.

While the beach may be front and centre, don't miss the chance to explore the backstage landscape, carved from the ice age, now offering gentle inclines, berry-filled forests and raw rocky ridges.

Hiking:

Six trails varying in length from 1.1 km/0.7 mi. to 13.3 km./8.3mi. give you the choice of an easy stroll or challenging scramble, with wonderful views as your reward.

Self-guiding Trails

Wild Wings and Ancient Beach - two easy trails as intriguing as their names, with a total trail distance of 3.1 km/ 1.9 mi.

Skiers and snowmobilers alike wait for a good base of snow and then head for the trails of Grand Beach, a popular winter destination.

Cross-country Skiing

Glide along some of the best cross-country ski trails in the province, ranging in distance from 2.6 km/1.6 mi. to 13.3 km/8.3mi. Choose from novice routes through gentle landscapes to more demanding trails for the intermediate and expert skier.

Snowmobiling

Make Grand Beach your starting point for a great day's ride over 23.0 km/14.3 mi. of park trail. Grand Beach trails connect with longer distance touring trails to destinations such as Gimli and Whiteshell Provincial Park.

Where to Stay

Grand Beach campground, located north on HWY 12 offers basic and electrically serviced sites. Cottage rentals are available adjacent to the park.

When an erupting volcano threatened their homes in 1875, a number of Icelanders left their homeland and ended up around Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba (they even formed their own short-lived nation, the Republic of New Iceland).

Today, Gimli and Hecla Island are two of the vestiges of this settlement.

The Gimli Historical Museum relates the story of the Icelandic exodus and also has displays on the area’s Ukrainian heritage and the local fishing industry. Every August, Gimli celebrates its heritage in the Islendingadagurinn (Icelandic festival).

The 2003 Western Canada Summer Games are going to be hosted jointly by Selkirk and the neighbouring towns of Beausejour, Gimli, and Stonewall.

Hecla Island's name comes from the volcano in Iceland that spurred the area’s settlement.

Hecla Provincial Park, a popular recreation area, has a restored Icelandic fishing village. A self-guided trail through the village (past a church, an icehouse, fishing boats and homes) highlights the persistence of the settlers through difficult times.

Gull Harbour Resort, built to reflect Icelandic architectural influences, is also in the park (it has an 18-hole golf course, a gym, a sauna and a marina).

The Whiteshell Provincial Park, in the haunting lake-studded beauty of the Precambrian Shield, is a favorite weekend destination for Winnipeg cottagers and excursionists, offering both full-service facilities and primitive campsites.

Manitoba’s largest provincial park, the Whiteshell has 236 lakes and the photogenic Rainbow Falls and Pine Point Rapids.

Within the park is Alf Hole Goose Sanctuary, a wonderful place to watch Canada geese. You can take self-guided tours of the marsh areas.

Featuring hills and ridges formed by ancient glaciers, this 8277 acre park has an artificial lake, oak and aspen forests, native prairie wildflowers (including several species of rare orchid), deer, waterfowl and songbirds.

Facilities include camping, picnic sites, a riding stable, a restaurant, a beach concession and a convenience store. There are 30 km of trails for walking and cross country skiing and a 7.2 km paved bicycle androllerblading trail.

Bur Oak Trail is wheelchair accessible.

Interpretive programs are available on a year-round basis.

The province’s waterways are a wonderful blend of heritage and wilderness. For thousands of years, Manitoba’s Indians used these transportation routes, as did the European explorers, traders and settlers. Today, you can have many different experiences from canoeing on small, lazy rivers and big lakes to rafting on fast-flowing waters with rapids. Outfitters can supply all of your needs, including transportation to the launch site by car ferry or plane. They’re listed in the provincial government’s publication Manitoba Fishing and Hunting Adventures.

The town of Berens River is the embarkation point for many white-water rafters. The Berens River itself is part of the Eastman Precambrian System, which includes numerous rivers in Northern Canada.