Geocaching and Bird's Hill Park

Good morning everyone.  Have you found the cache with the most favorite points in your area?  Around here, that would be 'BIRD WATCHING....cacher style' GC48NC5 with 185 favorite points.  Yes, I have found that one.  I highly recommend trying that one if you haven't done so yet.  In North Dakota, it's 'FMGT: The visit Fargo-Moorhead Multicache' GC5KWCX with 213 points so far.  Yes, I have found this one too.  It's another geocache that I highly recommend if you haven't attempted that one yet.  Going next door to Minnesota, it's 'The Sword in the Stone' GC27N0W.  It has a whopping 782 favorite points.  No, I don't have this one but I might have to plan a trip to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area to get this geocache.

This week I'm going to look at a Provincial Park that's located just minutes outside of Winnipeg.  Bird's Hill Park.  Designated as a provincial park by the Manitoba government in 1964, it covers 8300 acres (35.1 square kilometers).  It is named after the first speaker of the Manitoba provincial legislature in 1873, Dr. Curtis Bird.  His father had been a factor in the Hudson's Bay Company and received a large land grant at this location.  The area that is now the park served as a refuge for early settlers from flooding in 1826 and 1852.

The park receives over one million visitors annually.  Being located so close to Winnipeg, the beach is a popular day spot on a hot summer day.  The campground is also a popular location with it's main serviced area, along with several group area sites.

Bird's Hill Park has been the host of several events.  Cycling and equestrian events for the 1967 and 1999 Pan American Games took place within the park.  August, 1992 saw Canadian rocker Bryan Adams perform at the Waking Up The Nation festival, along with Sass Jordan, Steve Miller, Extreme, and Deadbeat Honeymooners.  One of the more notable events took place September 16, 1984 when Pope John Paul II celebrated mass at what is now known as Pope Hill.  This can be found on the Eastern side of the park.  The stage and canopy that was constructed for the mass have since been removed.

(a plaque commemorating Pope John Paul II visit)

(Information board about the mass that was held at this location)

One of the more prominent festivals is the Folk Festival.  Held during the second weekend of July, it began as a celebration of Winnipeg's centennial in 1974.  A wide range of music genres are featured that draws over 80,000 people over the five days of the event.

There are several geocaches hidden within the park.  A few have weathered the test of time and are still active and ready to be found.  Among those include Bur Oak (GC6AF0), published in June, 2002 and is the 9th oldest active cache in the province, Scooby's Lunch (GCF771), published in April, 2003 and is the second highest in favorite points with 117, JPII (GCPA37), published in June, 2005 and is located at Pope Hill, and Tree Eating Rock (GCTDB6), published in February, 2006.

(the final of a field puzzle)

(Bur Oak)

The park rises in a series of six low rounded hills.  They range from 20 meters to 40 meters above the surrounding land.  There are 30km/18.5 miles of trails for walking, hiking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding.  A lookout tower was built on Griffiths hill, the highest point in the park.  It is about halfway on the Chickadee hiking trail.  The lookout tower is also the location of an Earth cache.  There are also 7.2km/4.5 miles of paved trails for bike riding and roller blading. 

(The lookout tower on Griffiths Hill)

The park is home to over 40 mammal species, including White-tailed deer and 200 species of birds.

Trembling Aspen and Bur Oak forests are dominant in the park.  Other trees, marshes and bogs can also be found within the park.

Bird's Hill Park use to be host to Geo-Venture, a weekend camping and caching event hosted by the Manitoba Geocaching Association.  Many of the caches within the park and the surrounding area outside of the park are all affiliated with a Geo-Venture from one year or another.  Sadly, costs forced the MBGA to host Geo-Venture elsewhere and has since come to an end.

If you're ever in the area, come spend a day in Bird's Hill Park.  Depending on the time of year, you may have to pay a park entrance fee, but it's worth it.  To be with nature, to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and maybe find a geocache or two.  Don't go just for the geocaches though.  Take in where you are.  That's what geocaching should be about.

Until next time, be happy, be safe, hug your geo-pet (if you don't have one, hug someone else's pet or go adopt one from a shelter), enjoy life (and the beauty of this planet), keep your distance from others, and most of all, follow the arrows on the floor in the grocery stores.  Have fun too.  Peace out.

(I'm missing this girl.  I saw her briefly at Easter before she went back to the farm)