Saskatchewan is often introduced through its big icons: golden wheat fields, endless skies and that sense of space that humbles even the most well-travelled visitor. Yet some of the province's most rewarding corners lie quietly off the beaten path — places where the prairie suddenly opens up, drops away, and reveals a river valley that you would never have guessed was there. Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park is one of those places.

You hear them long before you see them. A piercing, trumpet-bright call rolls across the wide-open fields of Saskatchewan, and only then do the white silhouettes appear, stitched against an endless prairie sky. It is precisely that call which gave the whooping crane its name. Standing almost 1.5 metres tall, these are the tallest birds in North America and among the rarest creatures on the entire continent. And their most important resting place on the long flight south? Saskatchewan.

Famous for its lakes, waterways and shorelines, some of the most amazing landscapes in the Northwest Territories are best seen from the water. And with seemingly as many boats as cars, you have endless options for fun and fulfilling floats.