Manitou Beach

Last weekend we spent a day/night in Manitou Beach. This charming and sad little resort town, just minutes from Watrous and about an hour from Saskatoon, is very near and dear to my heart for several reasons. It is a place my family frequented as a summer day trip when I was a kid, and the spontaneous Plan B when Brahm’s and my very first “getaway” as a couple (camping at Greenwater Lake) got torrentially rained out. In recent years it’s been a nice place for a mini-escape in fall or winter.

On my first childhood encounter with Manitou, one of my parents had heard it was a neat place to visit so we decided to make a Saturday trip in the summer. My mom shared the plan with one of her co-workers, who told her that the pool was the best ever. I am not sure what pool the co-worker was referring to, but my mom interpreted it as being the Watrous public pool, so on the way to Manitou we stopped and spent a few hours at the outdoor pool in Watrous. Suffice to say it was nothing particularly special. We continued on to Manitou and immediately regretted wasting part of the day at the crowded pool in Watrous, as stepping into Little Manitou Lake was one of the most amazing experiences of our young lives! With a higher salinity than the Dead Sea, it’s impossible to sink, and what could be more relaxing for an adult, or fun for a kid, than to float the day away?

We eventually concluded that the pool my mom’s coworker was probably referring to was the Manitou Springs Spa pool (WARNING - link autoplays a video with sound), which filters and heats the lake water. As kids, we always just went to the free lake rather than the “expensive” pool, which we assumed was just for rich people who were staying in the hotel and wearing their hotel robes right down to the pool. Oh, what luxury. We could only dream! As an adult with disposable income I can and do stay in the hotel, use the robe, and generally prefer the heated, shrimp-free pool over the lake. Relatively speaking, a night at the hotel is a pretty good deal as it includes swim passes and a hot breakfast buffet. Our recent hotel bill, which included supper and ice cream at the unexpectedly excellent poolside cafe, came in at just under $200.

Some of the charm of Manitou Beach seems to be that time has forgotten it a bit. There are no franchises and a lot of the signs and storefronts seem like they’re from a bygone era. I don’t really feel like I’m in rural Saskatchewan when I’m there; it’s got a bit of an island vibe. It’s a truly unique community, and in my opinion a local gem that everyone in Saskatchewan should visit at least once in their lifetime.

Why, if it’s so great, did I also describe it as sad? A couple years ago, we noticed a lot of prime-looking lakefront properties for sale, for shockingly low prices. As we drove around looking at the various properties, we realized what was going on: the water level in the lake wasrising and a lot of the community was threatened with flooding. Every time I visit, I really never know if it might be the last time.

If you live in Calgary or Vancouver, a one-hour getaway to the mountains or another world wonder is pretty easy. In central Saskatchewan the options are a bit more limited, but Little Manitou Lake and its community of Manitou Beach are one-of-a-kind. Please visit this special place while you still can!