I’ll admit I’m biased. I love fall. I love scarves, sweaters, fall foliage, and pumpkin spice everything, except pumpkin pie. I live for fall. The cooler temperatures, hot chocolate in front of the fire… name a fall stereotype and I probably adore it. I’m also biased when it comes to Saskatchewan lakes. I have always believed the rest of the world doesn’t know what it’s missing. That’s ok; our lakes are our little secret.
I was fortunate enough to grow up with a cabin near Clarence Steepbank Lakes Provincial Park. In all these years, we’ve mainly stayed on our own lake and those in close proximity. However, my venture into blogging and the pandemic have pushed me to explore my own backyard more than ever. I’ve never spent so much time staring at a map of Saskatchewan. I recently realized our cabin is only 50 minutes away from the Gem Lakes. It’s not that I’d never been to the Gem Lakes before, but I’d never been as an adult. It was time to rediscover them.
Getting to the Gem Lakes
If I’ve learned anything the hard way, it’s that Google Maps can’t always be trusted. In my experience, this can now be applied to Narrow Hills Provincial Park, where the Gem Lakes are located, Croatia, and Bosnia Herzegovina. I’ll have to expand on the Bosnia story another time. Here in Saskatchewan, Google Maps offered two routes to get to the Gem Lakes from our cabin. One was slightly more direct and shorter than the other, and was the recommended route. It led us on a very bumpy ride over ATV and snowmobile trails until we reached a dead end. We weren’t the only ones who had made this mistake. We found another vehicle backing up along the road, searching for a place to turn around. To make a long story short, the other route on Google Maps was correct, and what was supposed to take 50 minutes took two hours. Fortunately, the end result was worth the drive. The road to take is 913, and there are signs to the Gem Lakes.
A Little Croatia in Saskatchewan?
Somehow we got lost in Saskatchewan and ended up in Croatia. At least that’s how it felt. As we climbed up along the hiking trail and looked out over Jade Lake, I was suddenly transported to Plitvice National Park in Croatia. The Instagram-friendly park I visited two years ago has become world famous. I went to Plitvice in November, a time when the fall foliage was still glorious and bright, making all fall-lovers stop and stare. There may not be waterfalls or a limestone canyon at the Gem Lakes, but the walking paths and the moments when the emerald waters sparkled gave it a similar feel to the UNESCO World Heritage site that is Croatia’s most popular tourist attraction. The best part of these hidden “gems” tucked away in Saskatchewan? No crowds of tourists. In fact, other than a few people kayaking and canoeing, we were alone. There were no other hikers to be seen.
The Aptly Named Gems
The Gem Lakes consist of seven small lakes: Jade, Little Jade, Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Pearl, and Little Pearl. There is a shorter trail that takes you around four lakes, and a longer one that would allow you to see all seven. We chose the shorter trail, since we had a later start than anticipated, and Destiny can get tired if we walk for too long. She is nine after all. The trail is well maintained and well marked. However, there are quite a few steep slopes that could be difficult for people with reduced mobility. The trail is a loop and it took us about two hours to complete the hike. Keep in mind, we stopped many times for photos, so it could be done in far less time.
In person, it’s easy to see how the Gem Lakes got their name. The colour of the water varies greatly in shade, but you get glimpses of emerald green and deep turquoise especially close to the shoreline. Unfortunately, with the overcast day we had, the colours don’t show up well in the photos. I guess you’ll have to go see for yourself!
Why Fall?
I imagine that the Gem Lakes are beautiful in any season, yet how can you not be enamoured with the spectacular fall palette on display? The golden progeny of the deciduous trees float gently down around you, fluttering onto the trail, where they form a saffron carpet to cushion your boots as you walk. You almost wish a wood sprite would hand you a chai latte at the next bend in the path. Some things are too good to be true, though.
I’m one of those who falls in love with fall every year, and the Gem Lakes were the perfect place to reignite my passion for this season. I admire every speck of yellow in my surroundings, and the aspen trees make for a stunning backdrop to any photograph. Yet, even though my focus was on the fall foliage, the green moss of the forest is just as spectacular, and I even noticed the complex root systems of the trees. Nature’s beauty is hard to surpass.
Discovering Gems in My Backyard
It really did require a pandemic and starting a blog for me to step out of my Saskatchewan comfort zone and start exploring the exciting places that have been so close all along. I have a trove of Saskatchewan-themed posts going back to the summer months, but have been busy exploring the province. On occasion the real world beckons and hampers my efforts to produce more material for the blog. Stay tuned, as I hope to catch up, although if I keep finding new places to visit…
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Great narrative with the excellent pictures
Thanks!
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I liked the preamble, overlanding for two hours to Scott’s Shack and vicinity was a real bonus. The SAnd Lakes were a pretty view.
The Sand Lakes are a bit off the beaten track!
Really enjoyed your tale of getting to the Gem Lakes and the pictures of the Aspens.
Thanks Pat!