Member Letters

Paddling the Red

On the August long weekend of 2024, we travelled back in time, canoeing along Manitoba’s “Mighty Red.” The Red River holds a unique and storied history in Canada as an ancient travel and trade route for First Nations and Métis peoples and [for] French settlers from [the time] before Canada became a country. Flowing north to Lake Winnipeg and, ultimately, Hudson Bay, the river winds through southern Manitoba’s vast prairie landscape. With two canoes and four paddlers, our objective was to start at St. Jean, at a family property, and end at the Forks in Winnipeg. We enlisted two helpers to drive our camping gear from embarkation to debarkation points, and we started plotting our route. It was a two-day odyssey that showed off both rural and urban Manitoba from a different angle.

The Red is no longer a common canoe route, leading us to drive to the area in order to locate possible entry and exit points, campgrounds and rest stops. We also wanted to explore the history of Louis Riel and the Métis settlements and communities in the region. Our [planned] final itinerary: Day 1, St. Jean to Morris (20 km). Day 2, St. Norbert to the Forks (30 km). We borrowed canoes, checked that our camping gear was in good repair, [and] packed water, bug spray, sunscreen and snacks — and we were ready to set off.

There used to be a bridge in St. Jean, but it was destroyed in 2013. The west base is now a lovely park and lookout over the river, and a group of locals pointed us to an easy access point right below the bridge base. We launched, allowing the current to do at least 50 percent of the work.

They say the average canoe speed is 4.8 km/hr plus current, which fluctuates based on time of year and water levels. It was a wet spring in 2024, so we had the current in our favour and made great time. One reason I love river travel is that it is the closest to time travel that I have discovered. Sliding into the flow of the river, with birds above and trees on the banks, I imagine that it has looked like this for hundreds of years.

We paddled for about three hours to Morris, but a bit farther down the road was an even more comfortable set-up in Ste. Agathe. Parc Cheyenne is the Ste. Agathe [town-operated] campground located on the west side — a touch too far to portage from the river, but clean, well-maintained and shockingly mosquito-free.

The next morning, we put in at St. Norbert Provincial Heritage Park, where we got to experience a glimpse of Métis life as it was in the late 1800s. Day 2 had us paddling through a decidedly more urban landscape, but we still had the river pretty much all to ourselves. There’s a decent place to stop at the University of Manitoba for a rest, and then onwards to St. Vital Park for another break, and finally pulling to shore under the Elm Park Bridge, home to Winnipeg’s famous Bridge Drive-In. The last section of the river winding through Winnipeg’s downtown was incredible, including a perfect view of the Manitoba Legislative Building and its famous Golden Boy [statue]. We decided to end our journey at the Winnipeg Rowing Club as a more practical and accessible spot for transferring the canoes and gear to the truck.

Our Riel theme was successful, given the entry at St. Norbert and being able to visit his gravesite in St. Boniface [Cemetery] at the end of the trip. We had such a good time we’re now pondering what other “glamping-worthy” canoe trips are possible. What I have learned is that it is a magical way to see a city, far more than by car. The cost of the holiday was ridiculously low. With canoeing, the logistics are the trickiest part. So, you need a vehicle and hopefully you have a friend with a canoe. But if you don’t, there are multiple places to rent.

–Kim W.