Nipawin Regional Park
FTLComm - Nipawin - Wednesday, June 29, 2011 images by: Judy and Timothy Shire
The South and North Saskatchewan Rivers join forces well to the west of Nipawin making a very substantial waterway even in dry years. Since the retreat of the ice more than ten thousand years ago there has been enough time to develop a valley with steep banks. Nipawin is situated above the river with sandy soil and enough tees to make every street with the exception of Main Street look like a full fledged forest. This setting makes the community a remarkable place with what local people proudly will tell you, the best drinking water anywhere.
Recreational facilities seem to be a high priority for the community which has two artificial ice skating rinks, a curling rink, an outdoor swimming pool, a skateboard park and ball diamonds both in the town centre and on the South side. The golf course is considered to be one of the best in the province and the convention centre attracts organisations to come and hold their events in Nipawin. With all that going for the town it is no surprise that the park that sits atop the escarpment overlooking the river with its boast launch, marina and restaurant go with having a truly excellent sport fishing location in the river.
The Saskatchewan River has a damn near the south west corner of the town which holds back the river to form Codette Lake that reach west to Wapiti Regional Park north of Gronlid and south of Choiceland. But the spillway from Codette Lake pours into the bottom end of the truly huge Tobin Lake held back by the Campbell Damn north east toward Cumberland House.
Fishing in Tobin Lake is legendary and a thriving houseboat business also makes its headquarters in on the dock at the Regional Park marina.
With all this could there be more. Definitely! The Regional Park has a very well laid out and completely developed recreation vehicle facility as well as sites for tents and group camping. Our site had 30 amp electricity, water and sewer and was a drive through level campsite. Even more impressive is the fact that the park has just installed a WIFI system.
We had a chance to sample the hiking trails and made our way down the complex stairway system to the marina.
Children are not left out with a petty zoo just inside the park gate and as well as the regular playground equipment they have a spray park.
Before we left the park we made our way over the spectacular swinging bridge that gives you a view o the forest canopy with a little stream that drains from the stocked trout pond.
Nature is all around the forest trails which are subtly groomed and everything is maintained and kept in first class condition.
Spring comes in the mountains every year then about a month or so later the run off works its way across the prairies bringing the Saskatchewan River up. The various hydro electric dams moderate the drastic rise and fall that is associated with a river. The spring run off has now made it into Saskatchewan and the dams are releasing massive volumes of water. During our visit the marina cafe was closed and the boat launch shut down as the water level was well above its normal. As we stood watching dead heads made their way into the wider area of Tobin Lake. Though the water was very high with trees, signs and the pavement under water. But, the following morning the water was even higher reaching the bottom steps of the marina restaurant.
There are two web sites you might want to visit to give you more specifics about the park. The Regional Parks own site is updated daily and the provincial Regional Park site has the sort of information a visitor really needs.