Skip to content 
About 30 minutes from Winnipeg. A full day in a Manitoba provincial park that turned out to be much bigger than we expected.
We had just bought our first car in Canada — and of course, we wanted to take it somewhere. Not to the grocery store, not to work, but somewhere further, even if it was a small trip. And right around then, our friends suggested it: “Let’s go for a picnic at Birds Hill.”
It sounded like a regular weekend. It turned out to be a full day with three different moods and a concert at the end. Let me tell you in order.
If you do not know us yet — we are Bohdan, Anna, and our dachshund Nika. The story of how we moved to Canada and why we started this blog is here.
How We Got Ready for Birds Hill
The plan was simple: leave in the morning, pack everything for the picnic, meet our friends at the park. In practice it went the way it always does — by the time we picked up the last few things, packed the car, filled the tank, and finally pulled out, the morning was long gone. We arrived at the park well after lunch. A normal Ukrainian start to a day outdoors, let us call it.
Bohdan and I got into our car, our friends into theirs, and off we went. It was a beautiful summer day — sun, a soft breeze, the kind of weather weekends were made for.
A Park Unlike Anything We Were Used To
Honestly? Before this trip, I was picturing something familiar. In my head, “park” meant Kildonan Park in Winnipeg — or, the kind of park I knew from growing up, a city park with paved paths, benches, ice cream stands, and parents pushing strollers. A small area where you have already seen everything in twenty minutes.
When I actually checked the map for where we were going, I started getting confused. The park was not in the city. There was nothing nearby. Just a piece of land outside Winnipeg that we were driving to as if it were a real little road trip.
And once we drove in, I realized I would have to rewrite my whole idea of “park” from scratch.
This was a forest. A real one, big, with winding roads where you have to drive several kilometres from the entrance before you even start thinking about stopping. With picnic tables and benches showing up to the left, then to the right, and between them — trees, trees, trees. With walking trails that stretch on for kilometres and disappear into the woods.
The whole time we were driving, I kept scrolling the park map on my phone. A lake. A beach. Dozens of trails. A horse stable. This was not a park. This was a small town made of nature.
Later I learned that Birds Hill covers about 35 square kilometres and gets more than a million visitors a year. After being there, that did not surprise me anymore.
An Unexpected Moment: The Park Gate
The entrance to Birds Hill turned out not to be a simple sign over the road, but an actual gate — a small booth with a park employee collecting an entry fee. We were following our friends’ car, and when they stopped, we stopped too. I did not know yet that Canadian provincial parks charge for entry. Our friends paid for both vehicles, and we drove on. Later I found out that starting in 2025, entry was made free until April 2026 — so if you are going right now, you got luckier than we did.
Searching for “The” Picnic Spot
Along the road inside the park, there are plenty of picnic spots. Simple ones — a table, benches, a fire pit, the road right next to you. That is fine, especially if you arrived without big expectations.
But I thought: how is this — we are in the middle of a forest, and we are sitting next to a road where other cars drive by? Not exactly the atmosphere I had in mind. As it turns out, the park has special shelters tucked deep into the woods, far from the road, with roofs, multiple sections, fire pits, and water taps. And those are also free to use — if they are available.
The “if” part turned out to be the key.
We pulled up to the first one — taken. To the second — taken. The third — taken too. We made one loop through the park. Then a second one. The park is so big that the search for an empty shelter became a little road trip on its own — we were starting to think we should just settle for a regular roadside spot after all.
And then, on yet another bend, deeper off the road, we saw it. Empty. Quiet. Ours.
A Shelter in the Forest
In my old understanding, a “picnic shelter” meant a bench, a table, a roof, and four posts holding it all up. That is it.
What we found was on a completely different scale.
A large round structure under a single roof, with a concrete floor, fully open around the perimeter. Inside — four separate sections, divided by low walls. Each section had its own table, benches, fire pit, sink with running water, and trash can. So this was not one shelter for one group — it was four shelters in one, for four different groups. That day, no one else came, and the whole “complex” was ours.
While the guys started unloading the car and getting the fire going, I went off to walk in the forest.
Quiet, Trees, and a Walk Through the Woods
A hundred metres or so from us, our cars were sitting on the road. Around me — mixed forest, different trees, a few mushrooms here and there along the edge of the trail (though who exactly picks them here is another question). Everything clean, tidy, no garbage. On the trails, occasional walkers, cyclists, rollerbladers. Families with kids, dogs always on leashes.
While I was walking, I noticed there were more shelters just like ours nearby — completely invisible from the road, hidden behind the trees. Some were occupied, some empty. Everything is laid out so that no one is in anyone else’s way.
I thought again about Nika. We had not brought her this time, because we did not know what to expect. But seeing all these dogs around — calm, happy, walking on leashes — I realized she was coming with us next time.
I stopped, looked up at the pines, and thought about how important it sometimes is to just stand quietly among trees. Nature — any nature — is always a place of quiet and strength. In Ukraine. Here. Just in different ways.
The Picnic
While I was walking, the guys had everything ready. The fire was going, the coals were almost there, the meat was waiting. I came back to the shelter and was met by the smell of smoke, sausages, and grilled meat — after a walk in the woods, that was all it took to know it was time to sit down.
After that — the part we had really come for. Stories, laughter, plans for the summer, that one funny thing that happened last week. The classic magic of a summer meal with friends outdoors — when time stops moving and you just live the moment.
After the picnic, we were full and content. You would think that was the time to head home. But the day was only just hitting its stride.
The Beach at Birds Hill Lake
One of our friends suggested it: “Let’s go to the beach for a bit, just sit by the water.” The lake — Birds Hill Lake — is right there in the same park. We packed up, cleaned the shelter (an important rule — you take everything out with you), and drove over.
The lake was a short drive away. A big paved parking lot, plenty of cars, even more people. Peak summer, everyone looking for water.
First impression — the lake is not big, but not small either. A sandy beach runs along the shore, full of families. Some sitting right on the sand, others with folding chairs and umbrellas. The water near the shore is very shallow — perfect for families with little kids and for people who do not feel confident swimming. You will not get a real swim out of it, but if your goal is to cool off and just be near the water, this is more than enough.
A small fact I picked up later: this lake used to be a single 80-acre body of water. At some point it was split into two — the northern part is Birds Hill Lake, where everyone swims. The smaller southern part is now Kingfisher Lake, stocked with trout for fishing. So if you have seen both names on the map — that is the story.
We dipped our feet, walked along the shore, sat on the sand for a while. And then our friend reminded us that the day still had one more chapter.
Live Music in the Park That Evening
It turned out that a week earlier, he had booked us spots at a private concert that was happening that same evening, in the same park. Live music, a small band, a “for friends” kind of event — not a big festival, more like a friendly get-together with music.
The meeting point was another shelter, also tucked into the woods, but this one fully reserved by the organizers. By the time we arrived, the parking lot was already full. We grabbed our folding chairs, some food, sweaters (the sun was setting and the air was getting cooler) — and walked toward the sound.
The same familiar shape — a big round shelter under a roof. The stage was set up next to it, under the open sky. Musicians were tuning guitars, someone was running cables, someone was checking a mic. Around the edges — fire pits, where people had already grilled what they had brought with them. Someone was playing acoustic guitar before the concert started. Someone had brought their dogs — calm, friendly, lying down at their owners’ feet.
The crowd was a mix. Some came over to introduce themselves, ask where we were from. Others kept to their own group. Some danced, some just listened. But the feel of the place was the same for everyone — warm, welcoming, no tension at all.
The concert began as it was getting dark. The band played live and from the heart, with lots of singing along, applause, moments where the whole crowd picked up the chorus together. The sun went down, the air turned that fresh evening cool, and everything smelled like fire smoke and damp grass.
And that is when I learned the second important lesson of the day: mosquitoes.
A Note on Mosquitoes and Evenings in the Park
If you are planning to be in Birds Hill Park into the evening — bring bug spray. Without it, you become dinner. I am serious. They appear out of nowhere at dusk, and there are a lot of them. Any grocery store or pharmacy sells repellent — buy it ahead of time, you will thank yourself later. And bring a sweater — Manitoba evenings can cool off fast, even on a hot day.
Filed under: costs nothing, saves the evening.
The Drive Home
When the concert ended, we gathered our things, said goodbye to the organizers and to a few of the new “for one evening” friends we had made, and headed home. To get out of the park, we had to drive all the way back through it — and that was when I really understood how big it is. We drove, and drove, and kept driving, and the forest just kept going.
The car was quiet. Not even from being tired — from the feeling that the day had been full, complete, that there was nothing left to add. Just get home and sleep.
What Stayed With Me After This Day
This was one of those days I keep coming back to in my head. Not because anything dramatic happened. But because everything was in it.
A walk through silent woods. A loud, happy picnic with friends. A beach on a shallow lake where you could just sit on the sand. A live concert in a forest. And all of it — in one place. One park. Birds Hill.
That day I understood something important: this park gives everyone what they came for. You want quiet — there is quiet. You want noise — there is noise. You want a workout — there are trails. You want a family afternoon — there is the beach. You want an event — there are concerts and festivals. You just want to sit somewhere green for an hour — that works too.
And all of it — half an hour from Winnipeg.
After our European road trips — like our 2,600 km drive from Ukraine to the Transfăgărășan — a single day in a park near our new city felt small. But it turned out to be the first point on our Canadian map. The first one on a list that has only been growing since.
Tips for Your First Trip to Birds Hill
If you are thinking about visiting Birds Hill Provincial Park for the first time — here is what I would tell you, from our own day there.
Get there early
The good shelters get taken fast, especially on weekends. Plan for the possibility that your first hour in the park will be spent looking for a spot.
Bring more food and water than you think you need
A full day outdoors makes everyone hungrier than expected. Tested.
Buy firewood ahead of time
Either in Winnipeg or at the small park store.
Bug spray and a sweater
Do not skip them for the evening.
Pack out what you pack in
Take your trash with you or use the bins. Respect for the park, and for the wildlife that lives in it.
Dogs on leash
If you bring a dog — leash is a must. Dogs are not allowed on the swimming beach.
Birds, forest, smoke from a fire pit, music under a starry sky, new faces, old friends — and one more discovery that Canada knows how to surprise you with simple things.
Birds Hill is not a “place to go.” It is a “place to come back to.”
