Pembina River Trails with kids

Locals could be forgiven for thinking that the only reasonable hike to do is one that is up the side of a mountain. But what our region lacks in mountains it makes up for in ravines and river banks.

These manageable hikes that are closer to home are a great way for kids to fall in love with hiking. When I choose a hike for the family I like to pick something that is close to home, not too long, and that ends with a feature. This could be a river, a steam, a waterfall or a playground. The Pembina River Provincial Park ticked all of these boxes.

Last week school was out, daycare was closed and so my kids and I turned my weekly newspaper delivery route into a regional road trip. A road trip sounds so much more fun than, “Hey kids, you get to sit in the car for four hours while I deliver newspapers!” No matter how many exclamation points you add it’s a tough sell. So instead we were going on a road trip, packed snacks, car games, a map, some tunes, and my five year old got to be dj/navigator. The second stop of the day took us to Entwistle, where I promised a playground stop or a hike. It turned out that we got both.

The Pembina River Provincial Park is located 2.8 km north of Entwistle. From the Hwy 16 and Hwy 22 overpass you travel North on 16A and the park is on your right. In the summertime the park offers hiking, camping, a day use area and it is also a hot spot for river tubing. In the winter the area is a little quieter. On our drive down to the park gates we did a brief stop at the trailhead at the top of the hill to take a look at all the trail system. The system is a series of loops that take you through forested areas, with the option to hike down to the park’s day use area and river valley. With a 2.5 year old in tow we decided to drive to the day use area of the park.

Driving into the parking lot there is a signage that directs you to “day use access trail”. In the winter walking is the only way the day use area can be accessed. The hike to the playground, and river area is all down hill, and so quite enjoyable for the little ones. My little guy walked the whole way and my daughter made bunny prints hopping along the trail. There are views of the river along the way, water ripples could be heard in the distance as well as the horn of a distant train. The scenery is absolutely beautiful with a sandstone embankment across the river. Down the trail you come across remnants of the old Canadian National Railway crossing. The hike is short lasting only about 20 – 25 minutes with the little ones and it finishes at a playground. If you’d like to explore or just take a mental break, the edge of the river is easily accessed.

Leaving the playground we decided to walk up the day use access road. No matter how you leave it is all uphill. It is either long and gradual or short and steep. We took the short and steep route. For kids of a slightly older age the hike would be no problem. My kids on the other hand all of the sudden decided they were too tired and so our route back was a series of running races, piggy back rides, and of course bribery. Why else would we pack snacks on a road trip?

On the whole the adventure was one well worth taking and an easy backyard way to enjoy winter close to home.