The La Vérendrye Trail (french: Le chemin La Vérendrye) is a series of highways in the Canadian province of
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
commemorating the oldest waterway fur-trading route in the province. It is named after
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (17 November 1685 – 5 December 1749) was a French Canadian military officer, fur trader, and explorer. In the 1730s, he and his four sons explored the area west of Lake Superior and e ...
, an explorer and fur-trader who is often credited as being the first European to visit what is now southern Manitoba.
Route description
The La Vérendrye Trail generally follows the
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
and
Winnipeg River
The Winnipeg River is a Canadian river that flows roughly northwest from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. This river is long from the Norman Dam in Kenora to its mouth at Lake Winnipeg. Its watershed is ...
systems used by early fur-traders to travel through eastern Manitoba. The vehicular route begins at Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 101 (
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
's
Perimeter Highway) and comprises the following roads:
*
Provincial Road 204 – PTH 101 (Perimeter Highway) to Provincial Road 212
*
Provincial Road 212 – Provincial Road 204 to Provincial Road 508
*
Provincial Road 508 – entire route
*
PTH 59 – Provincial Road 508 to PTH 11
*
PTH 11 – PTH 59 to Provincial Road 307
*
Provincial Road 307 – entire route
*
PTH 44 – Provincial Road 307 to
PTH 1 (Trans-Canada Highway)
Communities along the trail include
Lockport,
East Selkirk
East Selkirk is a community of 675 (2016 Census) in the Rural Municipality (RM) of St. Clements in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is directly across the Red River from Selkirk, Manitoba.
The village of East Selkirk is connected to Win ...
,
Powerview-Pine Falls
Powerview-Pine Falls is a town in the Canadian province of Manitoba, with a population of 1,314 at the 2011 census, up 1.54% from 1,294 at the 2006 census and down 7.57% from 1,400 during the 2001 census.
The town is an amalgamation of the pr ...
,
St. Georges,
Lac du Bonnet, and
Seven Sisters Falls. The trail also passes through three First Nations territories. The easternmost part of the trail lies within
Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeast Manitoba, approximately east of the city of Winnipeg. The park is considered to be a Class II protected area under the IUCN protected area management categories. It is in size.
...
.
Other uses
The La Vérendrye Trail is also the name of a hiking trail located within
Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeast Manitoba, approximately east of the city of Winnipeg. The park is considered to be a Class II protected area under the IUCN protected area management categories. It is in size.
...
.
A monument in the
Municipality of Pembina commemorates Sieur de La Vérendrye's further travels through south-central Manitoba.
Major intersections
References
External links
Official Highyway Map of Manitoba - Eastern region
{{MBHighways
Historic trails and roads in Manitoba