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Saturday is the final day of Saskatchewan Parks Week for 2025, and all provincial parks in the province will be free to enter.
The week was proclaimed by the provincial government to celebrate the over 100 provincial parks and recreation sites, as well as the people who visit them.
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Robin Campese, executive director of the visitor experiences branch for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, joined The Greg Morgan Morning Show on Friday.
She said it’s an important week for people and the parks.
Listen to Robin Campese on The Greg Morgan Show:
“It helps connect people to the outdoors and the benefits that our natural environment provides to our everyday life,” she said.
There are also fun activities for families to participate in that vary from park to park.
“Some local communities around Echo Valley will host a hike on the scenic valley interpretive trail,” said Campese.
“There will be a really cool craft courtesy of Sticks & Doodles called Paint Your Own Saskatchewan.”
Rowan’s Ravine will have the same crafts, and will also have a Night Caching — a geo-cache but at night.
Geo-caching is when people go on a scavenger hunt looking for a box or container that’s filled with items, which includes a GPS tag so people are able to track it on their phone.
Buffalo Pound will also enjoy a craft club along with a haunted hike at 8 p.m. heading into the Nicolle Homestead.
At Douglas Provincial Park visitors will be able to hike the dunes, at Greenwater Lake Provincial Park people can hike the Klinger Trail, there’s an escape the park at Pike Lake, and more.
Campese said it has been a good year for provincial parks, but wildfires have posed some challenges.
“We have closed Narrow Hills for the season and the closure will have an impact overall on our summer visitation,” she said.
“We’re holding strong in terms of camping occupancy, we’re only down about four per cent compared to last year.”
Campese expects those numbers to change before the end of the season.
“We’ve seen a lot of visitors and this weekend we’re really booked up,” she said. “We’re sitting at about 82 per cent occupancy.”
Fire bans in the province on July 18, 2025. (Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency)
Some parks will also be operating under fire bans this week.
“There’s quite a few when you’re looking at the northeast side of the province, some in the northwest,” she said.
“We do allow CSA approved self-contained portable gas heating or cooking devices, fire pits, barbecues, and pressurized stoves.”
While July is a busy time for campers in Saskatchewan, Campese said things will begin to lighten up next month.
“There will be a lot more availability after the August long weekend,” she said. “A lot of electrical sites will be available for people if they’re looking at the weather, making shorter term decisions.”
If August doesn’t work for families, Campese also encourages people go in September.
“September is an awesome time to camp — the cooler weather, the warm campfire, the leaves changing.”
Provincial parks typically close at the end of September, with some offering limited winter camping with reduced services.
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