Individuals at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park have been hard at work as Saskatchewan residents gear up for the May long weekend.
Regional Director for the Southwest Provincial Parks, Shawna Smuk, stated that this weekend will officially kick the summer season in the park.
“We're so excited for the summer season to begin this weekend, and everyone's been working really hard, so I'm happy to say that everything is up and running and open,” she elaborated. “We have campgrounds, service centers, trails, they're all open, our businesses in the park are also really excited to have visitors back in the park. They are either open or will be open for this upcoming long weekend.”
The only facility in the interprovincial park that will not be open for the long weekend is the pool, which typically opens in mid-June.
Visitors to the park will also be able to participate in a number of activities this weekend.
“Our interpretive programming will be kicking off this weekend as well, and we have lots of programs to offer including Crafty Corner: Water Wonders, and Spring in the Hills.”
Crafty Corner: Water Wonders will take place on May 20 at 2:00 p.m., at the Visitor Centre and allows individuals to show off their inner artist and create a memento of their camping trip.
Spring in the Hills will take place at 7:30 p.m., at Highland Trail, on May 20. Participants will have the opportunity to see what makes the forest ecosystem so strong on a guided hike while animals are awaking from hibernation and plants begin to come to life.
In addition, day packs with self-use activities will be available at the visitor's center.
There are currently no fire bans in effect for Cypress Hills.
“There are still some places available, so if people want to have a look at our website at SaskParks.com, there's a great feature on there, called camping this weekend, and they can see what campsites are open for last-minute trip planning,” Smuk concluded.