Birds Hill Provincial Park

Birds Hill is a nice diversion from downtown Winnipeg at the sacrifice of less than half an hour’s driving time. This park has it all: run through the shade of a rare cedar bog, trek through the sand around Kingfisher Lake, or power up Griffith’s Hill for some scenic views. There is camping in the park, so you may want to consider making a weekend trip of it — there are plenty of trails to explore during the day, and you may catch the northern lights at night. Just a word of caution: it may be too crowded to run if you’re visiting in July, when Birds Hill hosts the annual Winnipeg Folk Festival, but it’s one of the largest folk music events in North America.