Glasslands National Park

Grasslands National Park is home to one of the largest remaining intact section of mixed-grass prairie in Canada.  More than “just grass”, this ecosystem is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including some that are found nowhere else in Canada.  The park also plays a role in promoting the respect and protection of cultural resources as it is home to over 12,00 teepee rings and over 3,000 pre-contact cultural resources such as lithic scatter, Cairns and bison drivelanes.

I was warned that it would be windy here, but I must have lucked out because it was a calm day.

Standing on Top of the World, because we are overlooking one of the Northern-most Black-tailed Prairie Dog colonies left in Canada. Grasslands National Park is the only place in the country where prairie dogs still exist in their natural habitat.  Can you see any of them standing on their hind legs outside of the mounds?  I wish I could have recorded their “barking.”  There were thousands of them!

The park has two geographic locations.  West Block (above pictures) and the East Block (the badlands). 

A picture of the wonderful road I had to drive

I don’t have any pictures of the East Block and here is the story:  The parks are about 35 miles apart on Hwy 18.  When I came out of the West Block, I turned on Hwy 18 going west.  I should be going east, but everything I pulled over to check my GPS, it said I was going the correct way.  NOT.  I ended up driving about 4 hours out of my way on some of the worst highways I have ever been on and nearly running out of diesel.  When I finally got as close as Wood Mountain, I pulled into a campground and called it done.  The next day I drove my Jeep over to the East Block (again the GPS was wonky – and it was a different GPS.  Apparently, according to the ranger, this is common).  Anyway, the Badland Highway through the East Block was closed for reseeding.  After all of that – closed.

I was able to “limp” another 20 miles in the coach to the town of Limerick for diesel on my way to Moose Jaw.

The road crews "through" tar all over the roads trying to keep them together, so, unfortunately, I now have tar all over my coach and Jeep.  What a mess!

Sometimes I just have bad luck with my sightseeing.  I drove 50 miles to the St. Vincent Petroglyphs Provincial Park and it was closed!  The ranger at Grasslands NP gave me the directions, so why didn't she tell me it was closed?

I will give the Rangers at all the various parks, Provincial, National, Regional, the vote for the nicest Rangers I have encountered.

The bad road award goes here as well.

I talked to the Wood Mountain Regional Park caretaker for quite a while when I was getting ready to leave.  One of the tidbits he passed along was the unofficial slogan of Regina (remember I said earlier that the "i" is long?):  Regina, it rhymes with fun.

Another tidbit was in response to my mention of the tar on my vehicles.  His response: but you never have to undercoat your car.