Riding Mountain National Park
RV Guide
Introduction
Featuring more than 1900 lakes and over 250 miles (450 km) of trails, prairie meadows, and beautiful night bird sounds, Riding Mountain National Park, which sits at an elevation of over 1,499 ft (457 m), has to be your next RV holiday destination. This national park, located 8 miles (13 km) south of Dauphin, Manitoba, is bordered by the Valley River and Wilson River in the north, Manitoba Escarpment in the east, and a valley in the west. The landscape and features of the park are just amazing.
Activities to enjoy at Riding Mountain National Park include boating, boat tours, canoeing & kayaking, cross country skiing, cycling, fishing, geocaching, golf, hiking, birding, horseback riding, kite surfing, picnicking, sail boating, scuba diving, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, swimming, tennis, and wildlife viewing.
The park features facilities such as lookouts, picnic shelter, rental facilities, restrooms, Bank or ATM, gift shop, parking areas, playground, restaurant or café, tennis courts, treed lawns, three golf courses (two of which are 18 holes), children’s park, dance hall, arts and crafts classes, Pinewood Museum, boat launches, movie theatre, and full-service spa.
Until 1996, Riding Mountain National Park was the only national park located in Manitoba.
RV Rentals in Riding Mountain National Park
Transportation
Driving
Riding Mountain National Park is easily accessible by RVs, trailers and other motorized vehicles as it is connected to highways to the South, North and East. Highway 10 passes through the park from south to north and connects Brandon 59 miles (95 km) to the south and Dauphin 8 miles (13 km) to the north. Highway 19 enters the park from the east through the escarpment region in the park.
The highways and local roads in the park connect various areas and the campground.
Parking
There are eight parking areas for RVs, trailers, and cars in Riding Mountain National Park and you’ll experience no difficulty locating any of these parking lots distributed around the park for your rig(s). Overnight parking is available in the park.
Public Transportation
Daily bus service is offered by Greyhound Bus Line to Brandon and Dauphin, while Mahihkan Bus Lines operates from Winnipeg to the park once daily. Furthermore, VIA Rail operates a train service from Winnipeg to the park twice weekly.
Campgrounds and parking in Riding Mountain National Park
Campsites in Riding Mountain National Park
Reservations camping
Wasagaming Campground
Wasagaming Campground in Riding Mountain National Park features 310 pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. 85 campsites in the campground are equipped with full hookup options (electric, water, and sewer hookups) for RVs. 134 campsites are equipped with electric and water hookups only, while 35 campsites are equipped with electric hookups only. The remaining 56 campsites are not equipped with RV hookups. 17 of the campsites in the campground are wheelchair accessible. RV length limit at the campground is 35 feet (11 meters). Campers with RVs/trailers longer than 35 feet (11 meters) can contact the park to determine if there is space available for their rigs.
Facilities and amenities available in the campground and nearby include firepits and picnic tables, service station, restaurants, laundry services, restrooms and showers, shops, restaurants, bicycle rentals, bowling green, tennis courts, treed lawns, three golf courses (two of which are 18 holes), children’s park, dance hall, arts and crafts classes, Pinewood Museum, paddle-boat, movie theater, mineral pools, horseback riding, and full-service spa.
Seasonal activities in Riding Mountain National Park
In-Season
Hiking/Mountain Biking
Featuring more than 250 miles (450 km) of trails, Riding Mountain National Park offers the most scenic and inspiring hiking experience to RV campers at the park. With opportunities ranging from easy hikes to multi-day hikes, there are plenty of options to choose from and immerse yourself in. You could decide to wander along Clear Lake’s shore, or stroll along the rough escarpment’s terrain. Regardless of how you decide to hike, you’re guaranteed a swell time and amazing views on the park’s trails.
Mountain biking is also available on the partially graveled roads in the western and eastern parts of the park, which can provide easy to difficult riding opportunities for campers.
Boating
Riding Mountain National Park features several lakes available for boating activities. Clear Lake is a first-class destination for lovers of boaters in Riding Mountain National Park. The lake is considered the clearest lake in the southern prairies and is home to RV campers who love to enjoy boating, all the more considering there are boat launches on the lake. On Clear Lake and Lake Andy in the park, motorized boats are allowed, however no personal watercraft are allowed.
An added advantage of Riding Mountain National Park to boaters is the Martese Boat Tour which operates from Clear Lake Marina and offers campers cruises on Clear Lake in shoulder season, July, and August.
Fishing
Riding Mountain National Park features more than 1900 lakes, as well as 650 streams and countless wetlands. These waters therefore provide habitats for fish species which offer RV campers recreational opportunities to enjoy fishing. Campers fish for northern pike, landing walleye, yellow perch, lake whitefish, and brook trout in the park and enjoy good catches.
Off-Season
Paddling
When you paddle the shores of the lakes in Riding Mountain National Park in your canoe or kayak, you’ll get views of the park that will blow you away. As soon as you launch your canoe/kayak on to the park’s lakes, the amazing experience begins. If you’re without your canoe, you needn’t worry as canoe rentals are available in summer.
Swimming
The clear water and sandy beaches of Clear Lake provide a great spot for swimming, and RV campers never miss out on the opportunity to take a dip in the lake. Other swimming lakes in the park include Lake Katherine, Lake Audy and Moon Lake. Change rooms, an outdoor shower, and washrooms are available in the main beach area in Wasagaming. Swimming in the park is unsupervised.
Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing is a popular activity at Riding Mountain National Park in winter. Campers enjoy skiing along dozens of long trails that pass through breathtaking snow-covered area in the park. The Crawford Creek Trail in the park takes skiers to one of the highest cross-country skiing sites in Manitoba. Many opportunities and choices are available for skiers of all ages and abilities of skiers in Riding Mountain National Park.
