5 quick overnight trips from Regina

Jenn Smith Nelson is a writer and a travel columnist on The Morning Edition.

Looking for a getaway that is more than a day and less than a week, yet not too far from Regina? There are several options to choose from with some suggested activities that vary between two to five hours.

Grasslands National Park – 3 hours, 48 minutes away

Grasslands National Park is a vast park in southern Saskatchewan that is broken up into east and west blocks.

Grasslands National Park offers tipi camping in both blocks.

It is Canada's darkest Dark Sky Preserve and the perfect place to stargaze and if you are lucky, catch the Northern Lights. In fact, the Astronomical Society is on hand with telescopes for visitors to use as they walk you through the constellations during a night tour (available in both blocks).  

Our recent trip to the west block of Grasslands included a hike up to 70 Mile Butte to catch the sunset (2.5 km). It's a very easy hike for the kids but plan to spend about an hour trekking up. It's a great way to take in the view.

I highly recommend taking advantage of the great Parks Canada programming available. My boys became Junior Naturalists for an afternoon. Equipped with digital cameras, they had interpretive staff teaching them all about local flora, animals of the park and more.

We also did a guided Eco Tour with Parks Canada stopping at five very cool stops in the west block. This included a visit to two black-tailed prairie dog colonies, a marsh where the boys were armed with nets and caught frogs and a lassoing lesson at Larson Homestead.

Over the course of three days we saw hundreds of bison, a burrowing owl, a fox, a badger and scads of deer!

Be sure to pick up a Parks Canada Xplorers booklet. The booklet will help keep kids busy and they are full of activities for kids. 

Yorkton – 2 hours, 2 minutes away

I like Yorkton. It seems to have one of everything including a super water park at the Gallagher Centre that my kids absolutely love. With a lazy river, wave pool and two-story waterslide, you could have trouble pulling your kids out of the water. I am seaking from experience here.

I like Yorkton. It seems to have one of everything.- Jenn Smith Nelson

The BMX and skateboard park off Broadway Avenue is a perfect stop for active boys like mine

Also be sure to add Yorkton's Western Development Museum which chronicles the stories of immigrants to Saskatchewan.

Saskatoon – 2 hours, 39 minutes away 

The tough part with Saskatoon is narrowing down just what to do because there is so much!

Hike the trails of Wanuskewin Heritage Park and learn all about the area's rich First Nation's history. Overnight teepee campouts are available along with interesting exhibits and live performances.

You can also visit the Saskatoon Zoo.

Definitely check out Valley Road. It has farmer's markets, you-pick hotspots such as Tierra del Sol and Berry Barn and you can't miss Crickle Creek which features ice cream, mini golf and bouncy castles!  

Also downtown, across from the new Remai Modern Art Gallery is a fantastic play area on the banks of the Saskatchewan River.

Hop aboard The Prairie Lily River boat for a different perspective of the city.

Cypress Hills (Maple Creek) – 3 hours, 49 minutes away

Great camping, boating, some of the Saskatchewan's best trout fishing and other activities await in Cypress. 

The whole family will enjoy a visit to Cypress Hills Eco-Adventures which features a high ropes adventure course, zip lines, treetop drop, mini-zips, slack lines and a great rock-climbing wall

Also nearby and worth a stop is National Historic Site Fort Walsh. Take a step  back in time to learn how the Northwest Mounted Police brought law to the West.

Waskesiu, Prince Albert National Park – 5 hours, 31 minutes away

Another great spot to try camping out is Prince Albert National Park.

By day, soak up the sun on the beaches of Waskesiu Lake, then plan to hike on one of the many trails 

Take a drive down the Narrows Road in search of rich wildlife; fish the Heart lakes or canoe/portage to Grey Owl's Cabin. 

If you can't make it to Cypress to zip, don't worry as Eco-Adventures recently opened a new zip line course up at Elk Ridge Resort.