Candle Lake Provincial Park is a

provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to the ...

in the central region of the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Prior to the park's establishment in 1986, it was a provincial recreation site. Located in the Rural Municipality of Paddockwood No. 520, Candle Lake Provincial Park surrounds most of

Candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles i ...

and Torch Lakes in the

boreal forest Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, ...

ecozone An Ecozone may refer to: * Ecozone (Canada), one of 15 first-level ecological land classifications in Canada * Biogeographic realm, the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface (referred to as ''ecozone'' by BBC) * Biome, a large c ...

of Canada. The park has a variety of activities including camping, boating, fishing, swimming, mini golfing, hiking (with about 15 kilometres of trails), and golfing. Around the lake there are also boat launches and several

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

s. Natural attractions include a purple sand beach,

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

, mature forests, crystal clear lake water, and several natural sand beaches. Highways 265 and 120 and

Candle Lake Airpark Candle Lake Airpark is located west-northwest of Candle Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada. See also *List of airports in Saskatchewan This is a list of airports in Saskatchewan. It includes all Nav Canada certified and registered water and lan ...

provide access to the park. The

resort village A resort village is a type of incorporated urban municipality in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. A resort village is created from an organized hamlet by the Minister of Municipal Affairs by ministerial order via section 51 of ''The Municip ...

of Candle Lake is located adjacent to the park at the southern end of Candle Lake and the nearest city is Prince Albert, approximately to the south-west.

Accommodations

There are about 300 campsites between the two campgrounds. Minowukaw Campground is located on the eastern shore of Candle Lake at Minowukaw Beach and it offers electric hook-ups, running water, and washrooms. It is split into three sections, A, B, and group camping. Sandy Bay Campground is on the western side of the lake at Sandy Bay Beach on Berezowsky Bay. It too is divided into A, B, and group camping with electrical hook-ups, running water, and washrooms / showers. In addition to campgrounds, there are several resorts and cabin rentals in the park and the village of Candle Lake. Some of them include Minowukaw Lodge & Joe's Cabins Resort by Minowukaw Beach, K & R Cabins at the west end of the village on Torch Lake, Camp Tawow on the southern shore of Candle Lake east of the village, and Camp Tapawingo also on the southern shore.

Beaches and dunes

Along the lake's shores, there are several beaches with natural sand. On the south-eastern shore at Minowukaw Beach, it's a natural sand environment and just inland from the beach are the Minowukaw Sand Dunes. Boardwalk paths have been built through the dunes for public access. Purple Sands Beach is located at the north-eastern shore of the lake. The beach has vibrantly striped bands of sand in purple, magenta, and pink hues. The purple sand comes from

garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different s ...

that was brought to the region from the

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...

by glaciation during the

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

about 12,000 years ago. Other beaches include Sandy Bay Beach and Waskateena Beach.

Golf

At the southern end of the lake, just east of the village, is Candle Lake Golf Resort. It is a par 72, 18-hole, grass greens course that was built in 1977. There are three tee-offs at each hole with the blue totalling 6,543 yards, white 5,855 yards, and red 5,067 yards. There is also a pro shop, restaurant, and cabin rentals.

References

{{Authority control Provincial parks of Saskatchewan Paddockwood No. 520, Saskatchewan Dunes of Canada