Great Blue Heron Provincial Park is a recreational park 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 ...

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. It is adjacent to the eastern boundary of

Prince Albert National Park Prince Albert National Park encompasses in central Saskatchewan, Canada and is located north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. Though declared a National parks of Canada, national park March 24, 1927, official opening ceremonies weren't ...

, about north of the city of

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

. The

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 ...

was established in 2013 from two pre-existing provincial recreation sites – Emma Lake (Murray Point) and Anglin Lake Recreation Sites – and the addition of a large tract of

Crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

. Great Blue Heron Provincial Park encompasses the entirety of Oscar Lake, most of Anglin Lake, the northern portion of Emma Lake, and the very northern tip of

Christopher Lake Christopher Lake ( 2016 population: ) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the District of Lakeland No. 521 and Census Division No. 15. The village lies in the boreal forest of central Saskatchewan, 2 km south an ...

. The eastern slopes of Waskesiu Hills are in the western side of the park. Access to the park is from Highway 953. Within the park's boundaries are three small communities — Okema Beach, Murray Point, and Anglin Lake. Murray Point is home to

Emma Lake Artist's Workshops The Emma Lake Artists' Workshops are affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Summer art classes were originally taught by Augustus Kenderdine at Murray Point on Emma Lake in 1936. Kenneth Lochhead and Arthur McKay, professors ...

Activities and amenities

Great Blue Heron Provincial Park has a wide variety of activities and amenities, including camping, swimming, hiking, picnicking, disk golf, boating, fishing, and, in the winter,

snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

, cross-country skiing, and

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

ing.

Accommodations

There are over 300 campsites in the park spread over several campgrounds. Murray Point Campground, which is part of the original Emma Lake (Murray Point) Recreation Site, has 130 campsites with amenities such as washrooms and showers, potable water, and electric hook-ups. North of Murray Point Campground is North Murray Point Campground, which has 33 campsites with electric hook-ups available. Both campsites have access to Emma Lake and its beaches and boat launch. Located on Anglin Lake, Anderson Point Campground has 60 campsites with electric hook-ups, washrooms and showers, a Mongolian

yurt A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia. ...

, and lake access. Besides the aforementioned main campgrounds, there are several group campsites including North Anglin, Spruce River, and Heron's Hideaway. Land of the Loon Resort is located on Anglin Lake. The resort has year-round accommodations that include modern cabins, chalets, and studio rooms.

Trails

There are several different trail systems of varying lengths located throughout the Great Blue Heron Provincial Park, including a spur trail that connects to Spruce River Highlands Trail in Prince Albert National Park. On north shore of Anglin Lake's Jacobsen Bay, there are about of hiking trails and by the Anderson Point Campground there are several shorter trails. Historic Anderson Cabin is west of the campground and is accessible from an interpretive trail. Emma Lake also has several trails, such as the 5-km Valley View Trail and the 2-km Murray Point Trail. ATVs are only permitted on designated trails and all ATV trails are multi-use. Throughout the park, about are snowmobile trails and a further of trails are groomed for cross-country skiing.

Fishing

Fishing is a common recreational activity in the park on the two main lakes. Fish species such as

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

, and

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samu ...

are commonly found in the lakes. Several boat launches and docks provide access to the lake and boat rentals are available at Jacobsen Bay Outfitters store, which is located at Land of the Loon Resort on Anglin Lake.

References

{{Authority control Provincial parks of Saskatchewan Lakeland No. 521, Saskatchewan

Activities and amenities

Accommodations

Trails

Fishing

See also

References