Lac La Ronge and Missinipe are listed as places to visit in the Vancouver Sun. (submitted photo/Corey Hardcastle)

By Derek Cornet

Natural Beauty

‘We hold our own’: Lac La Ronge featured in Vancouver Sun travel guide

Mar 20, 2019 | 3:23 PM

Tri-community residents are taking notice of a Vancouver Sun travel guide recommending Lac La Ronge and Missinipe as a place for tourists to “get to know the real Saskatchewan.”

The article was released last week and uses words like idyllic, pristine and untapped to describe the region. It mentions Lac La Ronge Provincial Park as a place long-known for world-class fishing, as well as the Churchill River for the numerous canoers it lures every year. The guide calls the area a place where tourists can escape the crowds and explore to their heart’s content.

“I know some people would like to keep it a secret, but I want people to know just how beautiful it is,” said Lac La Ronge Visitor Centre Manager Judy Hanke. “I consider this to be the welcome mat of the North. We want to show off this part of the province. We’re proud of it.”

People from across Canada and all over the world stop at the visitor centre when they make their way through La Ronge and into northern Saskatchewan. Hanke stated every year Europeans come to the region mostly to canoe the Churchill River, adding sometimes paddlers can be gone for three weeks or more at a time. She noted there are also shuttle services available for canoers, so when they set off on their journey, they can leave their vehicle behind in Missinipe.

health care

RBC Foundation gifts $7,500 to assist in training La Ronge nurses

17h ago

town council

Strong opposition for downtown homeless shelter ahead of Tuesday public hearing

Apr 22, 2024

long-term care

La Ronge housing shortage discussed at SUMA convention

Apr 18, 2024

Other places highlighted in the Saskatchewan travel guide includes Batoche National Historic Site, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Manitou Beach, as well as Regina and Saskatoon. Hanke believes Lac La Ronge and Missinipe deserve to be named among those places as the region has a lot of offer.

“We hold our own,” she said. “We’re totally different than Regina or Saskatoon. Not that they don’t offer beautiful prairies, great restaurants, museums and all kinds of things. But, there’s nothing like getting out in the bush and seeing nature.”

La Ronge and District Chamber of Commerce President Crystal Everest was happy to see Lac La Ronge highlighted across the country. By having an established publication like the Vancouver Sun recommend tourists to visit the region, she said it could open the door to more travellers and business opportunities. Everest also noted being included in the guide is a shout out to retail outlets, recreation companies, outfitters, camps and accommodation sectors presently operating in the North.

Tourism has been a longstanding industry for La Ronge and Everest said even one new visitor can bring economic spinoffs for local businesses. She added being in the guide could also convince other people to come to the area to live or work.

“It’s a great reminder of how lucky we are to have such beautiful surroundings and to not take it for granted,” she said. “We might not have the extensive nightlife, casino opportunities or even some of the over-the-top restaurants and venues, but our venue is the entire outdoors.”

–

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno