7-Day Prairies Road Trip: Winnipeg, Saskatoon & Regina
The prairies are not a place to pass through. They are a place to stop, look, and understand — and once you do, the flatness that seemed featureless from a car window reveals itself as layered with history, wildlife, and a particular quality of light and silence found nowhere else in Canada. This 7-day road trip covers the best of Manitoba and Saskatchewan: Winnipeg’s museums and food, Riding Mountain’s wildlife and Canadian Shield edge, the Qu’Appelle Valley, and Saskatoon’s Wanuskewin and river culture.
The route is approximately 1,600 kilometres of driving, manageable across 7 days without feeling rushed. A rental car picked up in Winnipeg and dropped in Saskatoon (one-way rentals are available between major prairie cities) works well. Alternatively, a return to Winnipeg simply retraces the route with different stops emphasised.
Day 1: Winnipeg arrival and The Forks
Arrive in Winnipeg — by air from Toronto, Calgary, or Vancouver, or by VIA Rail’s Canadian. Check in to a downtown or Exchange District hotel.
Afternoon: The Forks is the first stop — the historic market at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. Walk the Esplanade along the river, visit the market food hall for lunch (bannock, perogies, or one of the many multicultural vendors), and spend an hour in the Johnston Terminal’s artisan shops and Manitoba bookshop.
Late afternoon: Walk 15 minutes north into the Exchange District — Winnipeg’s heritage warehouse neighbourhood with the finest Edwardian commercial architecture in western Canada. The 10-storey brick buildings along Princess Street and King Street provide a visual density unusual for a prairie city.
Evening: Dinner at Deer + Almond in the Exchange District (reservation essential) or Segovia for Spanish-style tapas. Both represent the best of Winnipeg’s independent restaurant scene.
Day 2: Winnipeg — museums and Saint-Boniface
Morning: Full day in Winnipeg. Begin with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (2–3 hours minimum). The building, the exhibitions, and the view from the Tower of Hope over the river junction are all worth the time investment.
Lunch: The Forks market food hall — explore what you missed yesterday.
Afternoon: Cross the Provencher Bridge to Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg’s French and Métis quarter. Visit the basilica ruins and Louis Riel’s grave, then the Musée de Saint-Boniface (the oldest museum in western Canada, in the original 1846 Grey Nuns’ convent).
Late afternoon: Return to the Exchange District for the Manitoba Museum — particularly the full-scale replica of the Hudson’s Bay Company ship Nonsuch, which is one of the more dramatic museum centrepieces in Canada.
Evening: Explore the Exchange District’s bar and craft brewery scene. Nonsuch Brewing’s taproom in a heritage building is the natural ending point.
Day 3: Driving to Riding Mountain National Park (Wasagaming)
Morning departure from Winnipeg. Drive northwest on Highway 1 then Highway 16 and Highway 10 to Wasagaming in Riding Mountain National Park — approximately 250 kilometres (2.5 hours).
Arrive for lunch at one of the Wasagaming townsite restaurants. Stop at the Parks Canada visitor centre to check current wildlife reports and trail conditions.
Afternoon: Lake Audy Bison Enclosure (45 minutes’ drive from Wasagaming) to see the park’s free-roaming bison herd. Allow 1–1.5 hours here. Return to Wasagaming for the late afternoon and an evening walk along the Clear Lake shore.
Evening: Elk are frequently visible near the townsite and on park roads in the evening hours. A slow evening drive on the park roads around Wasagaming often produces sightings.
Stay: Wasagaming bungalows or Wasagaming Campground (book via Parks Canada reservation system well in advance for summer weekends).
Day 4: Riding Mountain and drive toward Saskatchewan
Morning: Hike the Gorge Creek Trail (11 kilometres return, approximately 3 hours) for the park’s best day-hiking experience — forested coulee, creek crossings, spring wildflowers. Carry bear spray.
Lunch: Pack a lunch and eat on the trail or at Clear Lake beach.
Afternoon: Drive south and east through Manitoba’s agricultural heartland toward the Saskatchewan border. Stop in Brandon for fuel and the opportunity to see the Assiniboine River valley. Continue to Portage la Prairie area.
If time allows, detour north to Gimli on Lake Winnipeg (an hour’s drive north of Winnipeg) for the Icelandic heritage waterfront — this detour is more appropriate if you are returning to Winnipeg rather than continuing west.
Evening: Overnight in Virden or Moosomin (on the Trans-Canada near the Saskatchewan border) — simple highway motels appropriate for a driving night.
Day 5: Qu’Appelle Valley and Regina
Morning: Cross into Saskatchewan. Turn south from the Trans-Canada to the Qu’Appelle Valley — a glacially carved river valley that slices unexpectedly through the flat plateau, creating a landscape of rolling hills, lakes, and Métis and First Nations history. The valley communities of Fort Qu’Appelle and the surrounding lakes offer fishing, paddling, and the Qu’Appelle Valley Hiking Trail.
Noon: Drive into Regina for lunch. The city is Saskatchewan’s capital and while primarily a practical stop on this itinerary, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum has excellent First Nations and natural history collections. The Museum of Natural History’s T. rex skeleton is among the finest in Canada.
Afternoon: Wascana Centre — Regina’s large urban park around the reservoir, with the provincial legislature and museum district — provides a pleasant afternoon walk.
Evening: Drive west on the Trans-Canada through Moose Jaw (75 kilometres from Regina). If time allows, stop for the Tunnels of Moose Jaw tour (book ahead) or at minimum soak in the Temple Gardens mineral pool for an hour before continuing to Saskatoon.
Alternatively: Stay the night in Moose Jaw and drive to Saskatoon in the morning — Temple Gardens is worth a night if your schedule allows.
Day 6: Saskatoon — Wanuskewin and the river
Arrive Saskatoon or wake up there after an overnight from Moose Jaw.
Morning: Drive to Wanuskewin Heritage Park, 5 kilometres north of the city, for a 2–3 hour visit. This is the most important Indigenous heritage site in Saskatchewan and one of the finest in Canada. Book an interpretive guided walk if available.
Noon: Lunch at the Wanuskewin café or return to the city for the Broadway District.
Afternoon: Cycle or walk the Meewasin Valley Trail along the South Saskatchewan River — the best way to understand Saskatoon’s relationship with its river. Rent a bike near the downtown or walk the trail between the bridges.
Late afternoon: Remai Modern — Saskatoon’s contemporary art gallery on the riverbank — is architecturally excellent and holds a remarkable collection including the world’s most comprehensive Picasso linocut holdings. The terrace restaurant has river views.
Evening: Dinner on Broadway Avenue — Ayden Kitchen and Bar for fine dining, or the Broadway Café for relaxed local atmosphere. In late June and July, a Saskatoon berry pie is the mandatory dessert.
Day 7: Saskatoon and onward options
A flexible final day in Saskatoon with departure options:
If continuing north: Prince Albert National Park is 240 kilometres north (2.5 hours) and warrants at least 2 additional days for the full experience — Grey Owl’s cabin, bison at Lake Audy equivalent, canoe routes. Consider extending the itinerary.
If flying from Saskatoon: The airport has direct connections to all major Canadian cities. A morning departure allows time for a final Saskatoon berry pastry and a last walk on the Meewasin Trail.
If returning to Winnipeg: The Trans-Canada east is the route — 7–8 hours of driving with the option to stop again in Moose Jaw or Regina.
Find prairies tours and experiences on GetYourGuidePractical information
Car rental: Pick up in Winnipeg, drop off in Saskatoon (one-way rental). Book well ahead in summer. All-season tyres are standard on prairie rentals; winter tyres may be needed if travelling October–March.
Fuel: Petrol stations are reliable every 50–100 kilometres on main routes. In more remote areas (north of Wasagaming, within Riding Mountain), carry a reserve can.
Accommodation booking: Wasagaming Parks Canada accommodation books out months ahead for summer weekends. All other overnight stops have sufficient highway motel capacity with advance booking.