Despite the weather, May long activities will continue. (Facebook/SaskParks)

By Teena Monteleone

May Long Activities

Sask Parks ready for soggy May-long weekend

May 17, 2024 | 2:00 PM

The Northern Lights, Roughriders, open fields and blue skies; Saskatchewan is famous for many things – including erratic weather – especially on May long weekends.

While heavy winds and rain in the forecast are proving to be the case again this year, many camping enthusiasts are still gearing up to make the most of it.

Great Blue Heron Provincial Park campground at Christopher Lake is sitting at about 40 per cent capacity heading into the weekend. Park manager Sonnet McGuire said planned activities will run as scheduled.

“On Saturday kids can make a Fairy House at Murray Point Campground starting at 1 o’clock. At 2 p.m., there is a geocaching animal tracking activity that is taking place within the campground and it’s all led by in-house park interpreters,” said McGuire. “The activities are free as long as folks have either a daily or weekly vehicle entry pass to the provincial park.”

Similar activities are taking place at Pike Lake and Candle Lake. Also all weekend, Fort Carlton Provincial Historic Park has tours with lots of hands-on activities.

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The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) of Canada return to Elk Ridge for ‘8 Seconds at the Ridge’ – an action-packed, high-energy event. JJ Voss – a roots country singer and songwriter from Regina will perform during the cabaret Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Prince Albert National Park is getting ready for a busy long weekend with plenty of activities to take part in.

“All the campgrounds are open, hiking trails are all open, including boundary bog, which has been closed for upgrades,” said Jeffery Wasylyk, Visitor Services Team Lead with Prince Albert National Park. “The Nature Center is open…Most of the businesses and the restaurants are all open and expect those to be busy as well.”

Wasylyk added that some campsites are available at Beaver Glen and Red Deer with vacancies in the outlying campgrounds.

Aside from planning your activities in advance, Wasylyk asks those visiting the park to be wildlife-smart.

“Visitors do share the park with wildlife, and we want visitors to know how to prevent and handle any wildlife encounters,” he said. “This includes keeping clean camp sites or clean cabin areas, always keeping your pets on leash.”

CAA Saskatchewan has a few tips online for camping in the rain and suggests carrying waterproof clothing options. While good quality rain jackets and pants may seem like a no-brainer, the type of clothes you wear underneath can play a big factor in your weekend comfort level. For example, cotton clothes are a bad choice when camping in the rain because once cotton gets wet, it stays that way. Polyester and quick-dry synthetics are a better option. You may also want to consider storing everything in plastic bags, even while inside your tent so they’re always protected in case your tent leaks from the top or floods from the bottom. Speaking of leaking, CAA also suggests bringing a tarp underneath your tent in addition to one that should hang above.

“We have firewood that’s available in the park and it’s under a tarp so at least there will be a chance to dig out some of the dry stuff for sure,” said McGuire. “There are picnic shelters throughout the park as well, so if folks want to gather and eat out of the rain, those are available.”

On Friday, Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for areas north of Prince Albert including Emma, Anglic and Candle Lake. Rainfall amounts of 50 to 60 mm are expected.

McGuire put a positive spin on the wet weather. “Oftentimes, folks will tell you that the fish bite best in the rain – so there’s always that.”

A mix of sun and cloud on Sunday will give a nice reprieve from the rain before its forecast to return for Victoria Day Monday. Highs will hover between 10 C and 15 C while lows will drop to 4 C throughout the weekend.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com