Introduction

This book is for those who like to get off the beaten track, who are curious as to what lies over the next hill or around the next corner, and who consider the enjoyment of the journey more important than getting somewhere the quickest possible way. Major highways are built for utilitarian rather than aesthetic reasons, linking major cities and covering terrain where road-building is easiest. That’s why the Trans Canada Highway, for example, runs across the Regina Plains rather than through the Qu’Appelle Valley or the Big Muddy Badlands. To see the best scenery that Saskatchewan has to offer, it’s best to take the road less travelled: secondary highways, gravel grid roads, and lonely backroads.

Backroading is a terrific way to travel anywhere, but nowhere more so than here. Saskatchewan has around 185,000 kilometres of roads, more than any other province in Canada, so the possibilities for exploring are mind-boggling. The routes described in this book will take you to places that may seem a world away, with spectacular river valleys, badlands, highlands, lakelands, forest, sand dunes, and even hidden valleys reminiscent of a rainforest.

Road conditions along these routes are a mixed bag. Some routes are on paved highway, most involve a lot of gravel road driving, and some have dirt access roads that might not be passable in wet weather. A few are fairly rough and could bring out rattles and squeaks in your car that you didn’t know you had. In short - there’s something for everyone. The one thing the routes have in common is that they will take you into some of the most gorgeous countryside Saskatchewan has to offer.