Grasslands National Park

I visited the east block on November 18,2023. The experience was very cool since the landscape paired with snow made it look super unique (kind of like Antarctica). I recommend anyone to visit grasslands NP & do the ecotour drive like I did.

Canada has 47 national parks and this expanse of prairie is a walkers’ paradise, located in the south of the province, near the border with Montana. One of the most captivating walking routes is the back-country Valley of the 1,000 Devils in the East Block of the park. There are plenty of places to rest your head (and legs) when you’re done, with camping and RV parking at the Rock Creek Campground.

Bison, prairie dogs, coyotes, blue moutainbirds, you name it. This area shows why grassland are needed and why we need to protect it against invasive agricultural methods.

We just visited it the day before. Driving down gravel road, no sign, no directionary, nothing. Ended in the no WiFi, no washroom, no National Park sign, indeed, it's Free! Only one or two farm houses kilometers away. Won't come back, won't recommend it to anyone!

Take a drive out here and experience the beautiful serene landscape that has the abundance of history for any adventure. We loved the path, there are rental cabins here, probably try another trip. There is some gravel near the last mile or so, please no Lamborghini.have a safe trip if you go!

So glad we checked out West Block. Bison, pronghorn, deer, coyote, ground squirrels, meadowlarks, sunsets, dark skies, history of human habitation.

This is a pretty special place - amazing night sky and phenomenal examples of badlands and prairies. I thought this was going to be a one time only visit but I think we will return to visit the west block.

Beautiful national park spent two days there and stayed overnight in the campground in the West Block.
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Have never hiked here but it's definitely on my bucket list after watching the YouTube videos posted by Cyclops the Explorer. Simply amazing. Make sure to check them out.

Three of us went for bird watching in grasslands National Park. We had a very positive experience and thoroughly enjoyed our trip.

Beautiful! We saw prairie dogs and Bison! Only complaint is the bugs, they’re everywhere lol. But still highly recommend:)

It feels very hot here, even at 22 degrees. There are no trees or shade, so the sun is a big problem. “The barren plains” is an apt description. Not sure what is special about this area vs all the other beautiful areas in Saskatchewan (except for perhaps dinosaur fossils and the stars).

This park is huge! Make sure you bring a hat, sunscreen and lots of water! There is nowhere to get out of the sun. We didn't see bison during the day but went back at dusk, and there they were.

Wasn't what my wife and I expected, we also got harrased in the park by the local RCMP for stopping for some lunch at one of the villages in the area.didn't see that coming. I can think of many awsome places to go other than here, I'll spend my vacation money somewhere else. Hope you like bugs.your vehicle will never be the same

Le bloc Est et Ouest sont différents en terme de paysage. Les campings sont bien aménagés, avec eau potable (possibilité de faire le plein de sont réservoir de roulotte) et dump station. Un parc à visiter sans faute

A somewhat hidden gem of a park. Enjoyed backcountry hiking in the badlands of the east block.

One of the most beautiful parks I've visited on my XCanada roadtrip. A must see. We stayed in the Frenchman Valley Campground.

Grasslands National Park is one of Canada’s least visited wild spaces, and that’s both so very good and too bad at the same time.

It’s so very good because this unique and hauntingly beautiful ecosystem is fragile and would be damaged irreparably by too many intrusive visitors. And the lack of visitors - particularly relative to the immensity of the space - only enhances the emotive power of the place. Put simply, too many humans here would be a crime.

But it’s too bad because the grandeur of the immense spaces reaches deep into one’s soul, acting as a balm against the manic pace of modern life and reminding us of nature's healing powers. More people need to experience these feelings; if they did perhaps they’d feel more connected to this fragile planet we call home and be more inclined to take better care of the natural gifts we’ve been given.

During our three says of say hiking (we stayed at The Convent Inn in Val Marie) we lost ourselves (metaphorically) in the beauty of this place. Within 15 minutes of setting out on our first hike we caught a quick flash of movement in some rocks adjacent to the trail. Lo and behold, here was an endangered Greater Short-horned Lizard scampering about a mere metre off the trail.

As if that weren’t enough, a few minutes later we had a reasonably close encounter with another endangered species - a Pronghorn Antelope scampering along a series of hills below the high trail we were tramping. This beautiful animal teased us with its presence for about ten minutes before disappearing for good.

After about 30 minutes of walking the groomed trail gave way to cross-country trekking with no distinct trails to follow. Instead, one is expected to look for one metre high plasticized, painted trail guideposts spaced out at random intervals and distances. For the most part these are reasonably visible, but there were a number of times when we had to stop and stare - sometimes for ten minutes or longer - to find the next marker. While this can be disconcerting we managed to find all the markers and continue on our way with reasonable certainty that we were on the right track. *Note: this is a place where you want to bring a compass (and know how to use it) just in case you lose track of the trail.

We hiked to our turnaround point, which just happened to overlook a vast Prairie Dog town (yes, they’re called towns). We set up for lunch and just listened to the sound of the town’s residents calling back and forth, their calls carried on the ever present breezes that also brought the scent of prairie grasses and wildflowers to our high perch.

Finally, a word about the beautiful quiet of this place. You can spend hours walking, or sitting, and hear nothing more than the hum of pollinators, the rustling of grasses touched by the breeze, the occasional “yip” of Prairie Dogs, or the cry of a hawk gliding overhead.

It’s one of the most magical and therapeutic places we’ve ever hiked. Highly recommended - but not for too many people!