Spruce Woods Provincial Park

The Spirit Sands are the exposed remnant of a large delta of sand laid down where a glacial river met Lake Agassiz, and about four square kilometres of it remains open dune while the rest has been colonised by spruce and grass. The Assiniboine people called the area spirit sands for the sound and movement of the shifting ground. It is dry enough to support prairie skinks, Manitoba's only lizard, along with prickly pear cactus and hognose snakes, all near their northern limit. The Devil's Punch Bowl nearby is a blue-green pond in a collapsed sinkhole fed by underground streams.

What you actually see

• The Spirit Sands - open dunes with marked trails over the sand.
• The Devil's Punch Bowl - a blue-green pond in a collapsed sinkhole.
• The prairie skinks - Manitoba's only lizard, at its northern range limit.
• The cactus - prickly pear growing far north of where people expect it.

When to go

May to September; the sand is brutally hot in July and August with no shade, so early morning is better. Skinks and snakes are most active in warm weather. Winter closes the trails.

Honest expectations

The dune trails are deep loose sand and much harder walking than the distance suggests, with no shade or water. Summer heat on the sand is severe. The dunes are slowly shrinking as vegetation advances.

Nearby

Brandon lies northwest; Winnipeg is east.