The best walks and hikes around St. Clements

There is space for you to park along the road near the entrance to the doubletrack. You can find a restroom by the trailhead. From here, there is a network of sandy hiking and mountain biking trails that explore the site of old Fort Lester.

This is an easy sandy doubletrack trail that winds through the woods and is exclusive to hikers (no mountain biking). There is a guided brochure you can follow to learn about how the beach came to be.

The trail winds through the site of old Fort Lester, which has been replaced with a quiet forest of pine barrens.

This is a great, large sandy beach that sits along the shore of Birds Hill Lake and is known for its clear, shallow water, which is ideal for swimming. There are grassy picnic areas, change facilities, and easy access to nearby trails. It’s a popular spot on warm days, so you’ll see plenty of families, sunbathers, and paddlers enjoying the park’s picturesque lakeside setting while you’re here.

The Lakeview Trail is a relatively easy loop that circles the shoreline of Kingfisher Lake, with beautiful views of the water and the surrounding mixed forest. Its flat, well-maintained path is suitable for walking and casual cycling, with several great spots to stop and watch birds along the lake’s edge. The trail connects to nearby picnic areas and the beach, making it the perfect route for a leisurely nature walk within the park.

Birds Hill Provincial Park is a beautiful year-round recreation area that includes a mix of prairie, forest, and wetlands, and is home to plenty of wildlife, including deer, waterfowl, and over 200 bird species. Kingfisher Lake is at the park’s centre, surrounded by a 7.2-kilometre paved loop trail that’s a popular route for walking and cycling. While you’re here, you can explore nearly 30 kilometres of hiking trails, including the Chickadee Trail to Griffiths Hill, the highest point in the park. There is a day-use picnic area, campground, and plenty of other amenities, making this the perfect place to spend the day or a weekend enjoying the outdoors.

Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve protects 1,240 hectares of rare wetland habitat in southeastern Manitoba, including one of the few calcareous fens in North America. The reserve is home to more than 20 provincially rare or uncommon plant species, including 28 native orchids and eight carnivorous plants, like pitcher plants and sundews. Long used by the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation for gathering medicinal plants and practicing traditional land use, the area remains a vital place for both biodiversity and cultural heritage, with public access available via the nearby interpretive boardwalk trail.

The Brokenhead Wetland Trail is a unique boardwalk path that winds through a rare mix of boreal forest, cedar swamp, and calcareous fen, one of the rarest types of wetland in North America. Along the way, interpretive signs share the deep cultural knowledge of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, whose members have long gathered medicinal plants, hunted, and fished in this area. The trail offers a quiet, educational walk through one of Manitoba’s most biologically diverse wetlands, home to pitcher plants, native orchids, and more than 20 rare or uncommon species.