"The scenic Qu'Appelle River valley" Lumsden by Bwana_Brown

Lumsden Travel Guide: 15 reviews and 38 photos

Abandoned bridge over the frozen Qu'Appelle River

Saturday on the Easter weekend turned out to be a sunny and mild day, with comfortable temperatures right around the freezing mark. After a long and cold winter, it felt great to have a long-weekend to do a bit of exploring close to Regina now that most of the snow had melted and there was something to see besides whiteness.

On some of my earlier drives in Saskatchewan, both for business and while on my way to Alberta, I had crossed the Qu'Appelle River valley and was waiting for a chance to actually slow down and have a proper look at it. On this day, I decided I would make a short looping drive outside of Regina, heading north toward the tiny village of Craven that sits on one of the walls of the valley. The village is so small that it does not appear on the VT database, so I have placed it under the nearby town of Lumsden, which is located on main Highway 11 between the province's major cities of Regina and Saskatoon.

It turned out to be a very enjoyable trip taken at a relaxed pace as I explored along this meandering river in its wide valley.

Pros and Cons

Pros:The Qu'Appelle River valley makes for a beautiful drive
Cons:Not really much to do in Craven
In a nutshell:It was fun to do some exploration in Saskatchewan!

Last visit to Lumsden: Mar 2008
Intro Updated Mar 23, 2008
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Reviews (12)

The Qu'Appelle snakes its way along - Lumsden

The Qu'Appelle is an 'ox-bow' river Things to Do (7)

This view of the Qu'Appelle was actually taken about 2 weeks later when I was flying over it on a return trip from... more travel advice

A typical house along Highway 99 - Lumsden

Locals live in the valley Things to Do (7)

There were a few houses built along the river, but all were part way up into the moraine hills along the edge of the... more travel advice

The far valley wall - one mile away - Lumsden

The strange 'moraine' valley walls of... Things to Do (7)

The landscape of the valley walls is a constant jumble of gently rolling hills and valleys, created when the Qu'Appelle... more travel advice

The 'old' and 'new' Craven Control Structures - Lumsden

A water control system on the Qu'Appelle... Things to Do (7)

Just as I reached the outskirts of Craven while leaving town on Highway 99, I ran across these two structures streching... more travel advice

Local Customs (2)
See All Basically, it is a farming area
Transportation (2)
See All The river has been bridged a few times

Restaurants (1)
Surprisingly good!
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Comments (19)

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Yaqui Apr 12, 2012 at 6:38 PM

Excellent view of Ox bow river! What pretty landscapes. Nice page!
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Trekki Nov 21, 2008 at 10:56 PM

This is indeed a lovely countryside! I love your aerial shot of the river! So interesting how it made its way through the land! Oh and the tractor is fantastic too :-))
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scottishvisitor Jul 9, 2008 at 2:09 PM

Nice look at a very rural area of Canada - I didn't know the famous tractor was first produced in your country!! I do like farm land & weather beaten buildings :) we have them too!!
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1courage Jul 5, 2008 at 11:32 AM

Interesting place. I loved your aerial images!
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toonsarah May 10, 2008 at 12:12 PM

Another enjoyable tour through rural Saskatchewan Glenn. Lots of interesting info about the geology in particular, and I too like the weather-beaten old farm buildings.
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JLBG Apr 14, 2008 at 3:30 AM

An amazing name for this valley, thank you to have given the explenation ! The Qu'Appelle river bed seen from bird’s eye would be perfect for a physical geography class ! I feel that modern tractors will not run anymore in 50 years like the one you show
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sim1 Apr 12, 2008 at 2:48 AM

A very enjoyable page Glenn! Thanks! I remember this valley very well from my trip from east to west Canada. I made a little detour in this area and the landscape captured me right away. I really wouldn't mind going back here some day!
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robertgaz Apr 9, 2008 at 4:12 PM

Your outback Canada tip resonates within me :~)
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starship Apr 7, 2008 at 5:16 PM

I've really been enjoying your travels through western Canada! Your writing style is so interesting & educational, your photos so revealing. I really like all your pages! (I always wonder how people in these tiny &somewhat remote villages make a living.)
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mircaskirca Apr 7, 2008 at 11:10 AM

I see it was worth taking the off-road again :) An interesting land of bridges indeed! I liked the ox-bow river - it remains me on some Brazilian rivers that I flew over.