Where is the best hiking spot in Saskatchewan?
Saskatchewan Weekend listeners tweeted their favourite Saskatchewan hiking spots
It's autumn, but beautiful weather reaching over 20 C this weekend may be beckoning you back outdoors.
Robin and Arlene Karpan say it's great weather for a hike. The Saskatoon duo wrote the book Saskatchewan's Best Hikes and Nature Walks, and they shared a few favourite sites with CBC Radio's Saskatchewan Weekend.
Arlene Karpan said Prince Albert National Park comes to her mind immediately.
"At this time of year, it should be absolutely gorgeous with the fall colours," Karpan said. "It's a transition zone between the aspen forest to the south and the boreal forest to the north, and what's neat about that is there's a neat combination of vegetation."
She said to look out for "brilliant gold" tamarack trees this time of year.
One of pair's favourite hikes in the park is at the Spruce River Highlands Trail in the southern part of the park. It's an 8.5 kilometre trail.
"One easy little thing to do is go as far as the viewing tower," she said. "Stand there and look out over the Spruce River Valley and you can see all the different colours and shades of leaves in the valley."
Robin Karpan also recommends Cypress Hills in October. He likes that there are all kinds of walks in the area. He said the fall colours arrive there a little later then some hiking sites in the province that are further north.
"I can remember one Thanksgiving weekend we went down there and it was absolutely spectacular," he said.
Karpan said his favourite place in the park is in its west block, in a portion closest to the Alberta border and the Trans-Canada Trail.
"Hike up into the valley rim and you come to a spectacular feature called the Hidden Conglomerate Cliffs," he said. "And this is something very few people get to. It's called hidden because when you go along the valley road, you can't see it because it's obscured by trees."
Karpan said he also likes some of the shorter hikes available in Cypress Hills. He recommends hiking the valleys if you're hoping to see wildlife.
Radio listeners and hiking go together like warm weather and Saskatchewan sunsets. CBC Radio's Saskatchewan Weekend listeners shared their favourite Saskatchewan hiking locations, and their photos from those spots: