Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: October 2024
Located near Winnipeg, Birds Hill Provincial Park offers a variety of trails throughout the year for hiking, cycling, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. The landscape was formed by ancient glaciers and contains eskers, prairie, meadows and aspen forests. It was named after the Bird family who lived in the area in the 19th century and contains former homesteads from several early settlers.
We arrived at the park early in the morning and started with the Cedar Bog Trail (3.5km loop, rated easy). The path is wide, relatively flat and is marked with green signposts. There’s also a series of numbered posts, most of which were faded, that correspond to some fun facts about the flora and fauna in the area which can be found in a trail guide online on the park’s website.
The trail is sandy in places. Thousands of years ago a bunch of sand and gravel was deposited here from a stream beneath a glacier. It is part of the esker-delta which forms the hill of Birds Hill.
Just before passing through the cedar bog there’s an option to take a short cut that loops back to the parking lot. But we continued onward as the cedar bog is the highlight of the trail. It’s what it’s named after all. The aspen gave way to a dense stand of eastern white cedar.
The trail then passes through some grasslands and open meadows. Despite the wind over the past few days, there were still quite a few leaves left on the trees.
Once we circled back to the parking lot we decided to eat an early lunch. The baby had fallen asleep in her carrier and we wanted to let her nap for as long as possible so we could do even more hiking in the afternoon. We then headed to the Chickadee Trail (4km loop, rated easy). The trail is relatively flat and is signed with red posts with a chickadee. So it seemed rather fitting to see some chickadees near the start of the trail.
The path winds through the forest along an esker. Near the midway point, there’s a small viewing tower located on Griffiths Hill, the highest point in the area. There were a few storyboards around the tower that explained how eskers were formed (they’re ridges typically made of sand and gravel that were deposited by glacial meltwater flowing through channels beneath or within a glacier) and how settlers used them to prevent flooding when the Red River overflowed.
After wrapping up our hike we drove to one of the picnic areas to take a break and to let the baby crawl around. The next trail on our list was Pine Ridge (2.4km one-way, easy), which is dedicated to the former residents who lived here. There are three access points that follow what was once the Old School Road through the former community. We started at the West Trailhead. After a couple hundred metres there’s a turnoff for the Kudlowich’s homestead, which included an old house, barn and granary, along with some farm equipment.
As to the other homesteads, well, the trail beyond here was closed due to flooding. So we turned around and decided to hike the Nimowin Trail (1.8km loop, easy) instead. The term Nimowin means peaceful or quiet in Cree. We didn’t encounter anyone else on the trail and couldn’t hear any traffic from the highway, so it was indeed peaceful and quiet. The path is wide, flat and mostly grassy. It passes through a meadow, forest and a small marshy area.
Once we wrapped up our hike we hit the road again and drove to Pinawa.
L
The picture of the real chickadee with your little chickadee is adorable. What a wonderful capture! And she is growing so fast, too. That looks a fantastic park to find some quiet and calm and it seems that you had some great autumn weather, too. Cheers.
It was such a cute moment and I’m so glad I was able to capture it with my camera. Baby M was in her element. And agreed, she’s growing way too quickly. I can’t believe she’s already 13 months old. I wish I could just hit the pause button sometimes.
I love the photo of the chickadee on your husband’s hand – and your baby also seemed quite interested in the little bird 😊. The different trails look very comfortable and fun to hike.
I’m so glad I had my camera in hand and was able to capture the moment. No wonder Baby M enjoys hiking with us, there’s always something new to see on the trail! The trails here were all relatively flat, which was kind of nice as we were able to cover more distance.
Aww the little bird with Baby M looking at it melted my heart. This looks like a beautiful walk and perfect for getting some fresh air 🙂
It was such an adorable moment. And it seemed fitting given we were hiking the Chickadee Trail. I’d say it was aptly named!
Your little one is so lucky to have you as parents. She will always love and respect nature. The picture with the chickadee is precious. I also love the old farm equipment. My dad had something like that piece of machinery a long time ago.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I hope her love for the outdoors stays with her forever. It’s neat to hear that your dad had similar farming equipment. I imagine the technology has changed a lot since then.
Hows your NZ trip coming along?
Not too bad. We have our flights booked, most of our itinerary is planned out and I’ve started booking accommodations. We’ll be there for five weeks, which doesn’t seem long enough!! How’s your trip planning coming along?
Good to hear! My google maps looks like it has blue hives from all the saved locations😂we have 5 weeks in NZ as well but since we have been before there are some spots we will not be revisiting. 2 weeks South Island and 3 weeks North, between 10th march to 15th of April.
Same! I had to create different layers since it was getting out of control! That’s awesome that even though you’ve been before, there still so much to explore. We’ll be there from March 29 to May 3. We’ll be splitting our time evenly between the North and South Islands. What are some of the places you’re most looking forward to visiting?
Haha, layering sounds good. Lets see if we can cross paths on the North Island, that would be awesome. Thing we will/must do and see again is Hooker Valley Track, Fjordland (have not been before) and dolphin swim in Kaikoura. North Island we will see around Mount Egmont and the coast from Gisbourne to Coromandel, and we will revisit north of Auckland up to cape Reinga. So lots of places to see and stuff to revisit for sure.
That would be nice! We’re starting in the North Island for our first 8 days (spending time in Auckland and the Northland up to Cape Reinga). We’re then taking a flight into Christchurch, spending 2.5 weeks in the South Island, before taking the ferry to the North Island. We’ll then drive back towards Auckland.
Hooker Valley Track is definitely on our list, same with Coromandel Forest and Cape Reinga. I’ll have to look up the other places. Thanks for the recommendations!!
No worries, we will be northernmost around Auckland at the start of April.
Oh perfect! Sounds like the timing for when we’ll both be in the northland aligns!
Cool! Would be awesome to meet fellow travellers on the road👍
Oh I know!!
How wonderful! I’ll be looking forward to your posts about NZ!
Thanks! This will be our longest trip ever. And we’ll be taking baby M with us who will be about 16 months old then. Wish us luck!!
Good luck! Allan (kagould17) went to NZ (and has visited other times, too) with one of his children when he was quite little. He might have some inside info for you. Cheers.
Thanks! That’s right, Allan has been to New Zealand a few times, including once when one of his boys was a toddler. His recent posts from when he was there in 2014 have been super helpful. I actually plan on sending him my itinerary.
That’s fantastic! I’m sure he will have helpful insights for you. Cheers.
No doubt! And it seems like he enjoys trip planning as much as I do!
The planning and anticipation are wonderful parts of the trip!
Oh absolutely! It’s always nice to have something to look forward to!
loved the old homestead and the sculpture
It was neat to see the homestead and old farming equipment, which gives a sense of what life was like. It’s too bad most of the trail was closed due to flooding though.
What a fantastic place for outdoor enthusiasts, Linda! I love how the park has a wonderful collection of diverse landscapes and how you can go from rolling green meadows to forests dominated by oak and aspen trees. I have to say that coaxing a songbird to eat from your hand is a rare magical experience with wildlife – your partner must be an animal charmer to pull this off. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
It’s nice that there’s parks like this close to the city. The trails were all well signed and relatively flat, which made it much easier when hiking with our little one. The chickadees are clearly used to humans! It’s too bad we didn’t have any bird seed to feed them. But they were still curious to check us out. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of the week. Linda
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A fabulous locale. I hope you got to stop at Pineridge Hollow near Bird’s Hill for a relaxing lunch ✨🌼🙂
We didn’t. Next time! I would totally love to return to Manitoba.
We enjoyed our visit here in 2018 and hiked the first two trails. They are indeed fairly Easy, as this part of Manitoba is pretty flat. We also had a meal at nearby Pineridge Hollow one evening. Imagine our surprise at seeing it as a location in one of this year’s Hallmark Christmas movies. Your little M is getting so big. Thanks for sharing. Happy Tuesday Linda. Allan
Glad to hear you’ve been to this park too. It’s not too far from Winnipeg, so it’s in a convenient location. Someone else mentioned Pineridge Hollow too. It must be cute, especially if a Hallmark Christmas movie was filmed there! And yes, baby M is growing up quickly! She’s starting to walk now. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of the week. Linda
What a wonderful photo of the chickadee in your husband’s hand with baby M. She is growing so fast! That looks like an excellent park to hike on a sunny, autumn day. I’d love to be there right now, instead of in all this snow and cold!
It was such a cute moment! It’s crazy to see how much she’s grown from when we went to Manitoba. She has much more hair now and is starting to walk. This was a lovely park to go for a stroll and there’s plenty of trails to chose from. Agreed! I don’t mind the snow, but it’s been very cold!
Some more lovely trails Linda. It was a shame that you only got to view one homestead due to the trail being flooded further along. A gorgeous photo too of your little girl peeping out of the baby carrier.
I know! That trail seemed like a great way to learn more about the early settlers in the area. Thankfully there were plenty of other options to chose from in terms of trails.
I have visited Birds Hill several times, but mostly to go to the Winnipeg Folk Festival, so I haven’t explored many of the trails. 😊 Love the chickadee, Maggie
What a great venue for a festival! It seems like a pretty popular park that has a bit of something for everyone.
Such a beautiful park! I love the photo of your husband with the baby and the chickadee, frame it! ❤️🇨🇦
Thanks! My little chickadee looking at a real chickadee! I’m so glad I had my camera out to capture the moment.
It’s a beautiful photo! 🙏🏻☺️
Thanks 🙂
🤙🏻☺️☺️
That was cool having a chickadee perch on K’s finger!
Totally! Talk about great timing! I’m so glad I had my camera in hand and was able to capture the moment.
Wow, I can’t believe a bird landed on his hand! Pretty place, especially with the bright green and yellow leaves.
Oh I know! Clearly the chickadees aren’t too afraid of humans. It’s too bad we didn’t have any bird seed though.
It looks very tranquil and inviting. The photo of the bird on your husband’s fingers is amazing; wow! It captured baby’s attention too.
Even though it was close to Winnipeg, the trails were very peaceful. I’d say the Chickadee Trail was aptly named!
I love that photo of your chickadee gazing at the chickadee with such curiousity. Priceless photo and M has experienced and seen so much and travelled to many places in her time! 💕
The park had nice trails and many scenic moments in your hike.
It was such a cute moment! I’m so glad I had my camera in hand and was able to capture it. Baby M is so curious and just loves being outside. She’s starting to walk now, which might make travelling a bit more challenging! Have a wonderful weekend. Linda
Wait till she runs. 😆
Oh gosh! And when she starts to have tantrums!
Absolutely Beautiful Photos
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. I’m glad we had nice weather to enjoy the trails and scenery.
Another tranquil hike in the books. Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventures with us.Stay well 🙂
Thanks for your lovely comment. It’s amazing how peaceful and rejuvenating it is to spend time in nature. Have a wonderful weekend. Linda
I like it when there’s a bit of history in a hike. Pioneer life is so fascinating, it’s interesting to be able to approach it on site.
I’ve always enjoyed learning more about the history of the places and parks that we visit. And agreed, pioneer life is so interesting. I’m amazed at how much has changed and yet how much has stayed the same.
Those trails and the terrain look similar to many spots in the Saskatoon area. The old farmstead looks interesting. I, of course, would have wanted to look inside! Bernie
We enjoyed hiking in Manitoba, so good to know that the terrain is similar to the Saskatoon area. It was neat to see the old homestead. It’s too bad it was closed, but we at least we could peak inside the windows!
Precious family photo and trees and trails always bring a smile. Thank you!
Yes they do. Spending time in nature always puts me in a good mood!
😊
So beautiful photos to view 🌷🙏😍 specially the baby curiously looking her dad’s hand sitting cute bird 🦅
The places so awesome remembering our rubber estate places like , very interesting explanations also 👌👍🏻
Thank you for sharing and many Blessings my dear friend
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. Baby M is certainly very curious and enjoys being out in nature. It was neat to learn more about the history of this area as we were exploring the trails. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Linda
Thank you so much for likes my feedback and most welcome with lot’s of love 😘 Stay Blessed ❤️🙌💐
Love the bird on hand! Precious.
It was such a cute moment! I’m glad I had my camera ready!
Picturesque and peaceful trails, with tame birds, it seems!
Absolutely, a great combination when hiking!
Beautiful place for some meditative walks. That is amazing that the bird landed on his hand! I’m so glad you were able to capture that moment 🙂
It was very peaceful despite being close to the city. And we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Talk about good timing with that chickadee! Seemed fitting that it happened on the Chickadee Trail!
Chickadees! How fun and cute 😊
They are such curious little birds, which is something they have in common with our little one!
So sweet 😊
I know! I hope her curiosity is something that will stay with her forever. Same with enjoying nature!
I love seeing that chickadee perched on K’s hand. How cute! My overall impression of these trails after seeing your photos is just how peaceful they look. Nimowin really is the right word to describe this provincial park.
I’m so glad I was able to capture the moment as it was very adorable. It also seemed very fitting given we were hiking the Chickadee Trail. Even though the park was close to Winnipeg, it wasn’t very busy. Maybe because we were visiting during the weekday. No complaints as we enjoy having the trails all to ourselves!
This looks like an awesome trail, and very cool that the birds were social there!
The trails were all pretty short and easy, which was kind of nice when hiking with our little one. And yes, seeing the little chickadees was such a fun surprise.
The photo of baby M with the chickadee is adorable!! Looks like a lovely, peaceful place to go walking. It’s a shame the trail to the other homesteads was closed.
Love those interesting finds (like the homestead) that would be missed by not exploring. 😊
Oh for sure. Some things are better to explore on foot than by car. And nature is one of them.
I’m swooning too over the photo of baby M and the chickadee. The trails are really beautiful and tranquil. ‘Nimowin’ is a great word.
My little chickadee watching the real chickadee. It was a very cute moment. And yes, the trails were very peaceful and quiet, which is just how we like it!
Hi Linda, I love the picture of baby M! She’s living the life 🙂 I also love seeing old homesteads and imagining life during earlier times. Looks like you had a successful hike!
Thanks! She certainly is! I hope her love of the outdoors never goes away. And agreed, it’s always neat to catch a glimpse of the past and imagine what life must have been like then.
Looks like a lovely place to hike. The picture of your husband and baby with the chickadee stole the show. I enjoyed reading your post.
Thanks for your lovely comment. That picture is so priceless. I’m so glad I had my camera ready and was able to capture the moment. I’d say the Chickadee Trail was aptly named!
Love the old house and barn equipment!
Same. It’s always neat to get a glimpse into the past.
What a tame bird! Great capture!
Thanks! It was a fun surprise to see the chickadee land on my husband’s hand. I think our little one was just as curious as us. I’m so glad I had my camera ready to capture the moment.
This place is phenomenal. If I’m near there, I would really walk there every day.🤭
Oh I know! It must be nice to live in Winnipeg and be this close to nature. I would totally take advantage of these trails if I lived nearby.
Yes, I agree. Lucky people who live there.
For sure. Spending time in nature is so good for our health and well-being.
Yes, absolutely! Nature heals me. It alleviates inner troubles
That it does. It helps put everything into perspective as well. All the more reason to spend more time outside in nature! It really is my happy place.
Me, too. It’s so amazing. A lot of beautiful attractions that are healing for the soul. I have inner peace and inner joy in nature. Indeed, it’s always my happy place.
Glad to hear. And agreed, nature is good for the body and soul. Have a wonderful weekend.
Happy weekend, too, wanderingcanadians (or your lovely name, please)
Thanks! We’re hoping to go for a walk at some point and get some fresh air. It’s a bit chilly today, but at least the sun is shining. Take care. Linda
Oh, I love walking to nature so much. How I wish your place is near for me to join your nature trip. Stay safe, Linda. Thanks for sharing your life.
That would be lovely!!
Baby M is growing well. Nice to see she is enjoying nature. The place looks great for walking. I like the well maintained paths.
Oh I know! She’s starting to walk now! I’m so glad she loves being outside and that she doesn’t seem to mind being in her baby carrier. The carseat on the other hand is a different story!
Looks like an incredible area.
It’s a lovely area to enjoy nature while still being close to the city. We had a wonderful time exploring the trails and enjoying the beautiful weather and fall colours. Thanks so much for reading and leaving a comment.
A perfect photo with the chickadee and baby, what a moment!
Thanks! I’m so glad I had my camera in hand. It was such a cute moment. And fitting considering we were hiking the Chickadee Trail!