A 2.7 km community-built out-and-back trail along the Red River. 45 birdhouses, wooden carvings, benches, firepits with firewood — all hand-built and free for everyone.
If you live in Winnipeg and need a short walk with character, the St. Adolphe Friendship Trail is one of the best options within an hour’s drive. A small trail along the Red River that would be easy to miss on a map, but with a story worth knowing before you go.
To see what our specific day there looked like — with Anna and our dachshund Nika, after overnight rain — read our afternoon trip story. This post is about the trail itself and the people who built it.
What Is This Trail?
A 2.7 km out-and-back trail along the Red River in the town of St. Adolphe, ~30 minutes south of Winnipeg. Free, open year-round, accessible for all fitness levels. It is not a loop — the path goes from the parking lot to the bridge and back the same way.
The trail is not just a path through the woods. It is a community project, created and still maintained by local volunteer residents. It has everything that makes a walk interesting: wooden carvings made from stumps, birdhouses painted by children, benches at lookout points, small playgrounds, picnic spots and firepits. All hand-built. All free for visitors. And all held together by the enthusiasm of a handful of people.
Who Built It and Why?
A few St. Adolphe seniors during the 2020 pandemic. It started with garbage cleanup along the riverbank — and grew into a full trail project.
The story is worth its own attention. In 2020, when the world locked down at home, several older St. Adolphe residents decided they needed something to do. They started simple: walking along the Red River banks, cleaning up trash. Along the way, they realized a fallen tree could be given a second life — a stump could become a bench, driftwood the base of a table.
That is how the whole thing rolled. The founders of the project are Gerry Lagasse, Henriette and Richard Collette, who were later joined by Bill Gibson, Diane Delorme, and others. Over time the committee grew, and the trail turned into a real community landmark.
Today the Friendship Trail features:
- 45 birdhouses, painted by children from St Adolphe Day Care
- “Portrait Studio” — a specially set-up corner for photos
- “Flintstone Park” — a playground with a Flintstone car (the original, by the way, was carried away by a flood — a new one was rebuilt)
- “Troll Bridge” — a fairy-tale style footbridge
- Benches and tables made from riverside driftwood and stumps
- Firepits with firewood ready to go — for picnics
- Two antique chairs at a lookout point — donated by locals
- Lookout points on the Red River with benches
All of this was built by volunteer hands and is sustained through donations and volunteer hours.
How Do You Get There?
Highway 75 south from Winnipeg, turn onto MB-200, across the bridge and another kilometre. Parking is at the end of St. Paul Road / at the address 1530 MB-200, Ritchot.
Important detail: on most maps, the trail shows up right at the bridge exit over the Red River. That is misleading. The actual parking lot is about a kilometre further down, at 1530 MB-200. That is where the trail begins with signage.
The address 694 Main St, Saint Adolphe (often cited as the official one) can be used for GPS, but you should park on St. Paul Road / 1530 MB-200.
What Can You See and Do There?
Walk 2.7 km, photograph the carvings, sit by a firepit, feed birds, take in the lookouts.
- Walk the 2.7 km along the river and back — the main activity. The path is flat, easy, ~30 minutes pure walking. With stops — an hour to an hour and a half
- Look at the wooden artwork — every piece is hand-made, each with its own character
- Listen and watch for birds — especially in fall during migration. Chickadees and blue jays are active residents of the trail
- Have a picnic by a firepit — firewood is prepared, just bring food and a lighter
- Visit “Flintstone Park” with kids — they can climb around
- Reach the lookout points on the Red River — benches and two antique chairs there
- Take a photo in the “Portrait Studio” — a shot to mark you were here
This is not a place for active sports — for running, look elsewhere. This is a place for a slow walk with stops.
When to Go?
Best — late spring, summer, fall and winter. Avoid — spring flood season.
- Summer (June–August). Shade, green, active nature. Bring bug spray
- Fall. The most beautiful season. Colours, great light, fewer people, fewer mosquitoes. If photos matter to you — this is your season
- Winter. Active trail. Locals bring Christmas trees and decorate them, kids toboggan. Atmospheric for a winter walk
- Early spring (March–April) — no. The Red River floods every spring, and the trail regularly ends up underwater. Wait until the water recedes — usually late April / early May
- After heavy rain — give it a day or two to dry, otherwise you are walking through mud
Who Maintains It and How Can You Help?
A small committee of senior volunteers. You can help with a donation or volunteer hours.
This is a fully community project. There are no paid staff, no municipal budget, no government grants. Benches, repairs to carvings, firewood for firepits, cleanup after floods — all of it runs on volunteer enthusiasm and donations from visitors.
If you enjoyed it, ways to give back:
- Leave a donation (information on-site and via Bonjour Manitoba)
- Offer your own woodwork or a birdhouse for the trail
- Show up at community workdays — they organize them after floods
- Just tell friends about this place — that is also a form of support
Quick Reference
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 694 Main St (administrative), parking — 1530 MB-200 |
| Distance from Winnipeg | ~30 km on Highway 75 and MB-200 |
| Drive time | ~30 minutes |
| Trail length | 2.7 km out-and-back |
| Walking time | ~30 min pure walking, 1-2 hours with stops |
| Difficulty | easy, flat trail |
| Entry | free |
| Built | 2020, by volunteers during the pandemic |
| Features | 45 birdhouses, carvings, firepits with firewood, playgrounds |
| Season | year-round (avoid March-April) |
| Dog-friendly | yes, on leash |
| Nearby | A Maze in Corn (Guinness record holder) |
Why It’s Worth It
The St. Adolphe Friendship Trail is a small story about what communities can do on their own, without budgets or permits. A handful of seniors, the wish to tidy up a stretch of riverbank, and a few years of steady work — and now you have a place that shows up on lists of “Manitoba’s best trails.”
This is not the grandeur of Banff. This is not remote wilderness. This is a short stretch of Red River bank half an hour from Winnipeg, which local residents have turned into something worth seeing. Sometimes those are the most valuable places.
If you want to see what our specific day there looked like — after overnight rain, with our dachshund Nika — that is in our afternoon trip story. And if you like the format of short trips without much planning — we have a post about the forty-minute rule, and St. Adolphe is exactly that case: half an hour out, a full reset coming back.
