Canada Guide
Manitoba and Saskatchewan
Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whitesell Provincial Park takes its name from the small, white seashell, the megis. The megis was sacred to the Ojibwa, who believed the Creator blew through the shell to breathe life into the first human being. These shells, left by the prehistoric lake that covered the entire region, were concentrated along the park's two main rivers, the Whiteshell to the south and the Winnipeg to the north, the latter an important part of the canoe route followed by the voyageurs of the North West Company on their way from Montréal to the Red River.
Most of the park's visitors head for FALCON LAKE and WEST HAWK LAKE, two well-developed tourist townships situated on either side of the Trans-Canada Highway, near the Ontario border. Crowded throughout the summer, neither has much to recommend it, though each has a full range of facilities from serviced campsites ($12–17), resort hotels – try the Penguin Resort at Falcon Lake ( 
204/349-2218; Price: $41–125) – fuel stations, grocery stores and miniature golf through to boat and water-sports equipment rental. The best places to eat are in West Hawk Lake: the Nite Hawk Café, for home-made burgers, and the Landing Steak House, which serves juicy steaks and prime rib.
From West Hawk Lake, Route 44 cuts north towards CADDY LAKE (with campsites and two holiday lodges), the starting point for one of the area's most beautiful canoe routes, the 160-kilometre journey along the Whiteshell River to Lone Island Lake, in the centre of the park. Opposite the start of the Bear Lake Trail, the Frances Lake canoe route makes for a pleasant overnight excursion, a twenty-kilometre trip south to the Frances Lake campsite, with three portages past the rapids, and twelve hauls round beaver dams.
Further west, 32km from West Hawk, the village of RENNIE is home to the park headquarters (Mon– Fri 8am– noon & 1pm–4pm; 204/369-5246), which has a comprehensive range of information on local trails and canoe routes.