2021 is going to be another year of Day Trips from Winnipeg as we continue to find things to do with the kids and maintain social distancing. Luckily Manitoba has a lot of amazing things to explore and many of them are just a short drive from Winnipeg so you can be home for bed time. Pack a picnic and some games for the car, and take your kids to these 4 different suspension bridges that can each be done in less then a day round trip.
The Senkiw Suspension Bridge in Roseau River
This day trip out of the city took us south on Hwy 59. It’s approximately 1.25 hours south of Winnipeg. I took pictures of the signs in the Instagram post below that you can click through: you need to follow when you turn west off 59 in Roseau River onto the gravel road, the turn off for the bible camp not park. On the gravel road drive until you see the Trans Canada Trails turn off sign which is past the bible camp then you drive to cable bridge road which is right before the river dead end. This is a short/easy walk to the bridge from the road.
A few things to note:
- Cell service is spotty once you hit the gravel road and I had “no service” when I parked.
- No bathrooms that I could find
- Bridge and stairs down to the trail are not stroller friendly so suggest a baby carrier if you have a non walker. It isn’t a long walk for your preschoolers, my kids didn’t complain once
- Trail is well groomed and wide so we didn’t really have issues with mosquitoes but if you walked further into the trail you may want bug spray!
-Also remember a hat, water and sunscreen as even though it was a shorter walk the sun was pretty strong on our faces!
-I image it can get busy on weekends but we were all alone on the trail and only passed one family on the exit out.
- if you want to get a look at the river from a higher ground you can park just before you turn on the cable road and walk to the rivers edge...very pretty view.
Pinawa Suspension Bridge
I packed the girls up and drove out to the Pinawa Suspension Bridge last May (2020) which is just over an hour from our home in Transcona. We also stopped at the sun dial and dam plus took a detour through Seven Sisters Falls to see the hydro dam and grab ice creams. A four hour round trip for us and lots of fun. All while keeping our distance from others
I will say that we got out to the bridge at 2pm and there was only one other vehicle in the parking lot. We had a nice quiet walk. When we headed back across the bridge we passed four families an hour later and the parking lot had about 6 vehicles. Still really doable to space yourself out but I’m glad we had gone early and missed the “crowd”.
Souris, MB to See Canada's Longest Swinging Suspension Bridge
See our full article on this daytrip here: Macaroni Kid Explores: Souris, MB and Some Stops along the Way
Eternal Springs Wetland Walking Trails & Suspension Bridge
Approximately 3 hours from Winnipeg is a hidden gem, one that many of my family members that live less then an hour away from didn’t even know existed. Luckily for me my cousin Stephanie who lived in Virden MB had the day off when we came through and showed us how she gets there. We took the Road 57N from Virden which is approximately 20 minutes on gravel but when I put it in my phones maps it shows two other routes accessing it from the east coming from Winnipeg.
This trail was really easy for my kids even with them insisting on wearing sandals and there being some steep climbs around the pond. I would not recommend strollers and wagons if you want to cross the bridge or walk up the hills. I’m sure you could do I but it will be a struggle.
There was a team installing bathrooms in the parking/picnic area when we were there so that’s an added bonus!
Photo #5 (in the instagram post below) is the signage for the entrance of the trails you’ll see on the gravel road 57N so you know where to turn.
After you finish you walk (and picnic if you choose) continue west on road 57N instead of heading home to Winnipeg as there are a few bends just past the trails where you will find the actual natural Eternal Spring! It’s right off the road along a bend (north/west side) which we stopped and filled up our waters. Spring water is delicious and the kids loved seeing it pour down the side of the hill.
