In late August I had a short trip to Calgary planned, and decided to tack on a few extra days and drive from there out to Grasslands National Park in southwest Saskatchewan. I had visited the area many years ago, but did not venture into the national park at the time, so I wasn't sure what to expect other than a very long drive. I only had time to visit the west block; the east block is more remote and a couple of hours away.
The visitor's centre for the West Block of the park is located in the small town of Val Marie, about two hours south of Swift Current, Saskatchewan on a nice two-lane paved highway. From Val Marie, it is about a twenty minute drive on mixed blacktop and gravel roads to the start of the Eco Tour driving loop. The loop itself is all gravel, a bit rough in places, and quite dusty.
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| Oilseed Sunflowers near Cadillac, Saskatchewan |
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| Abandoned Schoolhouse near Cadillac, Saskatchewan |
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| Field of Barley near Val Marie, Saskatchewan |
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| Grain Elevators, Val Marie, Saskatchewan |
I had planned to camp in the park, but when I went online to reserve a campsite, it was almost fully booked, so I chose to stay at the campground in the town of Val Marie to take advantage of the modern conveniences like showers and wifi. |
| Val Marie Campground |
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| Camping at Val Marie, Saskatchewan |
I had hopes of seeing burrowing owls and bison, but what I encountered in the first day was a lot of prairie dogs, coyotes, and deer. Coming back the next morning I saw more deer, more prairie dogs, and finally some burrowing owls. Most of the owls were too distant to get a decent photo, but occasionally some would appear close to the road and I manage to capture a few nice images. I only saw one bison, far off in a distant coulee; this year had been an exceptionally wet summer with lots of green grass in the high plateau areas of the park, so the bison had not moved down the the river valley as they normally would have by then.
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Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)
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| Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) |
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| Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) |
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| Coyote (Canis latrans) |
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| Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) Doe and Fawn |
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| Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) Fawn |
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Young Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) Buck in Velvet
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Bird life is abundant in the Frenchman River valley. |
| Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) |
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Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
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Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
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Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
 | Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)
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Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
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The landscapes in the park are quite spectacular, and I wish I had more time to spend to photograph them under early morning or late afternoon light.
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| Rubstone, Grasslands National Park |
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| Frenchman River, Grasslands National Park |
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| Larson Homestead, Grasslands National Park |
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| Parks Canada Red Chairs, Grasslands National Park |
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| Tipi Ring, Grasslands National Park |
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| Culturally Worked Flint, Grasslands National Park |
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| Top Dogtown Prairie Dog Town, Grasslands National Park |
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| Caution Ahead! Backcountry Road Loop, West Block |
Having less than two full days to explore, I didn't have time to see everything in the vicinity of the Eco Tour drive, let alone the southern portion of the West Block. Driving on the park roads is slow, and despite the relatively short distances, it takes a lot longer than one might think to drive through the area. I hope to return again when I can spend a few more days in both the West and East Blocks to fully appreciate what the park has to offer.
Leaving the park, I opted to travel south and west towards Eastend, Saskatchewan before making my way back north to the Trans Canada Highway and home.
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| Grain Field near Bracken, Saskatchewan |
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| Old Man On HIs Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area |
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| Abandoned Homestead near Ravenscrag, Saskatchewan |
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| Frenchman River near Ravenscrag, Saskatchewan |
All images were captured with Nikon cameras and lenses; the most used were the Z9 and 800mm f6.3 lens for wildlife shots, and the Z7 II camera and14-30mm f4 lens for landscapes.
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