A sunny day during a rainy streak is a bit of good luck, and to take advantage of the fine weather, we decided to explore the Douglas sand dunes. Conveniently located near Lake Diefenbaker within the confines of Douglas Provincial Park, the sand dunes offer a surprising landscape amidst the rolling grasslands of the prairies. A two hour drive from Regina, the Douglas sand dunes provide a perfect day trip to escape the city.
A Trail Lined with Aspens
Taking a left off highway 19 (if arriving from the south) you will find the Douglas Provincial Park Visitors’ Centre where you can access indoor facilities, displays with information about the area, and pick up a park pass. The actual parking lot for the Douglas sand dunes’ trails is to the right of highway 19. The trail head is well marked with a large sign and map. We started off on the Juniper trail but soon switched to the Cacti trail because it leads to the sand dunes. The trail was clearly marked and sandy, but had few options for shade along the way. Much of the route to get to the sand dunes is surrounded by aspens, stunted by the growing conditions. Other notable flora were the chokecherry bushes covered in berries, of which it was clear a coyote had partaken as we found various piles of undigested seeds. It took us about 50 minutes to reach the sand dunes from the parking lot.
The Douglas Sand Dunes
Despite the difficulties with which plants take hold in a sandy environment, the sand dunes have quite a lot of vegetation. It’s not quite like going to the desert in Morocco and finding a vast expanse of sand and not much else. The area is sandy, but the landscape is not entirely hostile to life either. My favourites were the bright yellow prairie sunflowers, providing a splash of colour to the otherwise muted tones of the dunes.
It was quite fascinating to see that, despite the vegetation, there was a sharp distinction between the dunes and the grasslands beyond. If you walked to the edge of the sand there was a drop-off at which point the greener grass and trees had taken hold.
We were fortunate to have a vibrant Saskatchewan sky overhead, but the 20 degree temperature felt much warmer without many options to get out of the sun. Luckily, we had left Destiny with her dogsitter, as she would not have liked the heat and the sand very much! However, I very much enjoyed the feeling of my feet sinking into the earth, especially knowing we were only a few kilometres from Lake Diefenbaker (i.e. a refreshing body of water).
A Post-Hike Swim?
Depending on the time of year, it may be possible to go for a post-sand dunes swim in Lake Diefenbaker. I hadn’t anticipated how warm it was going to be and we hadn’t left quite enough time for a swim, but the water was refreshing even if I had to restrict myself to wading depths. The water level was significantly down and the boat launch in Douglas Provincial Park was closed – the water being about 100m away from the dock. The one positive from the low water levels was that the it was very sandy, with almost no rocks underfoot.
Given the proximity of the Douglas sand dunes to both Saskatoon and Regina, it makes for a great option to escape the city and explore what Saskatchewan has to offer. The added bonus of Lake Diefenbaker nearby makes it easy to end the day with a cool splash in the water or a relaxing afternoon on the beach.
Pingback: Surveying South Sask: Great Day Trips from Regina - Danee with Destiny