Provincial parks waive admission fees for Feb.

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This article was published 02/02/2017 (3153 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As part of the annual fight against cabin fever that’s known to come at this time of year, admission to all provincial parks in Manitoba is free of charge throughout February.

“It’s the perfect time in the winter season to get out to parks,” said Sloan Cathcart, head of interpretation at Manitoba Sustainable Development’s parks and protected spaces branch, with an excited tone of enthusiasm ever-present in his voice.

Groomed ski trails, snowshoe trails, skating rinks and trails, ice fishing and various other fun activities are ever-present through the season, but are at their best in February, he shared.

Although all parks are free of charge all month, not all have equal access and opportunity at this time of year, he cautioned.

In Westman, the key parks with all services available are Spruce Woods Provincial Park and Turtle Mountain Provincial Park.

Both parks have snowshoe trails, with snowshoes available free of charge, cross-country ski trails, hockey rinks, skating areas with warm-up shelters and various other winter-friendly activities to partake in.

Other Westman provincial parks, like Rivers, William Lake and Oak Lake, are accessible, but without many of the options available at Spruce Woods and Turtle Mountain.

These parks are best known and most commonly accessed at this time of year for their ice fishing opportunities.

Asessippi Provincial Park also has a lot going on, for those keen on a more than two-hour drive northwest of Brandon, with other parks sprinkled throughout the balance of the province boasting varying opportunity — all for free.

It’s a great opportunity for those who might not otherwise visit the great outdoors at this time of year, Cathcart said, sharing that he’d visited Spruce Woods Provincial Park on Tuesday in order to take part in its groomed cross-country ski trails.

“I think it’s really important that Manitobans take advantage of the opportunities that we have in the province, here,” he said.

“As Manitobans, we’re well known for celebrating winter, and provincial parks play a key role in that.”

This is the third year the Manitoba government has made February entrance to its provincial parks free.

While Cathcart clarified that they don’t track visitors in the wintertime, “anecdotally we see an increase in visitation in February.”

Joining February’s free park access will be several special events, including a cross-country ski clinic in Spruce Woods Provincial Park that will be held on Sunday afternoon.

Spruce Woods Provincial Park will also host an introductory ice fishing session on Sunday, Feb. 19.

For a full list of this month’s special activities and park locations, visit manitobaparks.com.

There’s no harm in tapping into one’s adventurous side, Cathcart encouraged, adding; “It’s important to get outside and get out for winter and cure those winter blues.”

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

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