8 Things to Do in Cypress Hills With Kids (Not in the Park)

Wondering what are the things to do in Cypress Hills with kids outside the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park?

With my two boys, I had the chance to spend four full days exploring the Cypress Hills area in Saskatchewan. Of course, we spent an entire day (and a bit more) in the park, but there is so much more to the Cypress Hills than the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. 

In this article, I’m sharing some of the best Cypress Hills activities for families. Some are things to do directly within Cypress Hills Park, but many are outside the park (and so very much worth visiting).

✍️ Cypress Hills Grassland Destination Area invited us for a summer family road trip in Southwestern Saskatchewan, and we’re sharing our detailed itinerary and the best things to do in the Cypress Hills area (and more) with you! Note that all opinions and words are our own.

What is Cypress Hill, and Where is it located?

Cypress Hills is a unique geographical region known for its distinctive landscape spanning southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, Canada. This area is characterized by rolling hills, forested coulees, and grasslands.

The area really offers a stark contrast to the surrounding prairie terrain. In fact, Cypress Hills has the highest elevation between the Canadian Rockies and the Torngat Mountains of Labrador. This highest point is located in the Alberta portion of the hills, but Saskatchewan’s portion also features significant elevation.

Thus, it’s an attractive destination for families who enjoy hiking, camping, and observing diverse wildlife and flora. The region’s unique climate and elevation allow various species to thrive, some rare or absent in other parts of Saskatchewan.

The Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is divided into several blocks, with the Centre Block and West Block in Saskatchewan. It became the first Interprovincial Park in Canada in 1989, thanks to a cooperative agreement between Sask Parks and Alberta Parks to jointly manage the area’s unique ecosystem and visitor experience offerings.

Map of Cypress Hills and Grasslands

How to Get to Cypress Hill Area

• From Calgary

The driving distance from Calgary to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is less than 400 km, and reaching it takes around 4.5 hours. The route typically goes through Highway 1 East towards Medicine Hat and Highway 41 South towards Cypress Hills. 

Note that some sections of the Cypress Hill Interprovincial Park have gravel roads that are impassible when yet. The drive down to Eastend also has a gravel road section.

• From Regina

The driving distance from Regina to Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is around 260 km, and driving there takes approximately 3 hours. The route usually follows Highway 1 West towards Swift Current and Highway 21 South towards Cypress Hills. 

Unique Things to do in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park

Below are the activities my family did in the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park during our visit to Cypress Hills. But there are a lot more things to do such as:

• Enjoy the leisure pool at Cypress Hill Centre Block
• Find the best lookout points at Bald Butte and Lookout Point
• Look at the starry sky from the Cypress Hills Observatory
• Sleep in one of the Canvas Tents

1. Historic Reesor Ranch

Historic Reesor Ranch delivers an authentic and engaging glimpse into Western Canada’s ranching. This ranch has been preserved across six generations of the Reesor family.

The Historic Reesor Ranch is located on the West Block of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park at the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan. While the ranch sits on the Saskatchewan side, you can see the border from the property. Plus, the Historic Reesor Ranch site is on the Alberta side.

The main highlight of the ranch is participating in a horseback riding adventure. They offer different options for families.

• Families with older children (10+): You can join on one of the 2-hour ride that are scheduled daily at 10:00AM, 1:00PM and 4:00PM.
• Families with young children: You can participate in a one-hour pony ride for the family. The kids will brush the horses and ride one horse for an hour, taking tour.

2. Fort Walsh Historic National Site

Fort Walsh Historic National Site is centered around an old fort from the 1870s when the North West Mounted Police came to bring Canadian law to the western frontier. 

You can learn about the sad Cypress Hills Massacre that impacted the local Nakoda people and was an important moment in the nation’s history. 

You can walk through the fort buildings and see what life was like over 100 years ago when the Mounties patrolled the area. 

I recommend participating in one of the free guided tours offered at the fort. It’s the best way to experience Fort Walsh and learn all about its history. The tours last an hour and bring you through most of the buildings.

There are a few tours per day during the summertime:

• 11:00 am
• 12:30 pm
• 2:00 pm
• 3:30 pm

You can also visit the small museum inside the visitor center. It has different exhibits and a calm section for kids to draw.

Remember to ask for the Xplorer Booklets for the kids. They can complete them while visiting the fort and then get their special Fort Walsk National Historic Site badge.

3. Wagon Ride Across Cypress Hill Centre Block

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is huge, so it can be hard to visit all of it, especially with young children. A great way to explore the park is on a wagon ride tour.

Cypress Hills Segway offers one-hour wagon ride tours across the park.

The Cypress Hills area has a rich history dating back thousands of years. You’ll travel through groves of tall Lodgepole Pine trees that have provided shade for centuries. The kids can ask for a scavenger hunt, which is a great way to entertain them for the entire hour. 

My kids were able to find almost everything on the list except the moose and deer.

Things to Do in Cypress Hills with Kids (Outside the Park)

Now that we shared what we did within the park, here are the things we did in Cypress Hills, that are outside the provincial park.

But we didn’t have time to see it all we wanted such as:

• Wander around the Nic Nak shop, a big blue house with collectibles/ garage sale/ antiques in Eastend.
• Cool off at the Splash Park in Maple Creek.
• Enjoy a smoothie at the Broken Spoke Art Gallery, which has gem mining for kids in the back.
• Visit Grasslands National Park

4. T. Rex Discovery Center

If your kids love dinosaurs, the T. Rex Discovery Center in Eastend, SK must definitely be on your family’s travel list, in addition to the Royal Tyrell Museum in the Drumheller Valley. This museum is home to the world’s largest T. Rex fossil.

On August 16, 1991, Robert Gebhardt, a high school teacher and fossil hunter from Eastend, joined the paleontologists of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum on a prospecting expedition to the exposed bedrock along the Frenchman River Valley to learn how fossils are found and identified in the field. 

Within half a day, he discovered the base of a tooth and a vertebra from the tail. In June 1994, the paleontologists began excavating the 66-million-year-old T. rex skeleton.

And you can see it at the T. rex Discovery Centre.

In addition to Scotty the T. Rex’s skeleton, there are many other exhibits and hands-on activities for kids inside and outside the center. 

My boys loved the dino dig.

Admission is by donation. A suggested level of contribution is:

• $10 / visitor
• $20 / family

5. Downtown Eastend

Eastend is a small town about an hour from Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. It’s a great day trip from Maple Creek. Still, it’s worth staying for the night, especially if you want to visit the T. Rex Discovery Centre and the Wilkinson Memorial Observatory.

Here are a few things to do in downtown east end, SK:

The Kilted Kitchen

You can grab an iced coffee and ice cream at The Kilted Kitchen just off the main street. This local shop is in a house, so you may not be in the right place. But I assure you, the GPS will bring you to the right place where you can enjoy a good coffee and fun ice cream.

They also serve donuts (that looked delicious, but the kids opted for ice cream instead).

There is a nice little outdoor patio, with kids’ toys and a trampoline. 

Eastend Historical Museum

You can also visit the Eastend Historical Museum to delve deeper into the area’s rich history. The museum promotes the history of Southwest Saskatchewan. 

Plus, you can also see Corky Jones, one of Eastend’s earliest settlers, who has a collection of locally discovered fossils and dinosaur bones.

Outside, you can walk inside a few log houses refurbished with artifacts from that period. The kids loved the scavenger hunt and searching through the museum and its different buildings.

The admission fee is per donation.

The Eastend Historical Museum also serves as a Tourist Information Centre, so don’t hesitate to ask them for information on other things to do in the area.

Eastend Public Pool

If you visit Eastend during the summertime, it can get HOT. So, I’m sure your kids will enjoy an afternoon at the Eastend Public Pool. 

The town of Eastend has had a public pool for over 40 years, but it underwent a major revamp just a few years ago. They now have a brand new pool with a slide and splash park, so kids can play for hours and hours.

It costs $40.00 for a family pass or $10.00 per person, but it’s only $5.00 per child between 3 and 5 years old, and it’s free for kids under 2 years old.

6. Wilkinson Memorial Observatory in Eastend

If you’re looking for a unique activity in Cypress Hills to share with your kids, then I recommend an evening visit to the Wilkinson Memorial Observatory in Eastend, Saskatchewan. 

The Wilkinson Memorial Observatory was named after amateur astronomer and local blacksmith Jack Wilkinson. In 1949, Wilkinson built an 8-inch reflector telescope so people in the small town of Eastend could enjoy looking at the stars and planets. After his death, the current observatory was constructed and dedicated in his honor to continue sharing the wonders of the night sky.

During the summertime, you can tour the Observatory and see the sky through the telescope.

Tours start at 9:30 PM on clear sky nights, so it can be late for young children. But if you think your kids can make it, it is a fun and unique experience.

7. Grotto Gardens in Maple Creek

Another must thing to do in Cypress Hills area with the kids is a visit at Grotto Gardens Family Fun Farm.

The kids will LOVE it there. There is so much to do at the farm, including:

• Petting zoo
• Mini-golf
• Train ride
• Alpaca walk,
• …

I suggest you start with the farm train ride. It costs $9.00 per adult and $8.00 per child for a 30-ish-minute train ride around the farm. During your tour, you’ll make a few different stops.

The first one was in the Saskatoon berry orchard, where we got to pick (and eat) a few berries. It was only our second time tasting Saskatoon berries; the first time was at DNA Garden near Lacombe in Central Alberta.

Then, we stopped to see (and feed) the goats and cheeps. We also saw the donkeys. We ended the tour with the alpacas.

Taking the farm train ride is a great way to see the farm and the different animals. But you can also decide to do a self-guided visit and feed animals.

8. Downtown Maple Creek

Maple Creek is the perfect home base for exploring all the things to do in Cypress Hills. The little historic downtown is super cute and a great place to spend an afternoon.

You can wander around the Main Street and stop at local shops and museums.

I recommend visiting the two museums:

Jasper Cultural & Historical Center

Jasper Cultural & Historical Center is an old school building from 1910. It used to be called the Jasper Street School. Hundreds of kids went there to learn until 1986. 

Today, Jasper Center has rooms with different themes inside. These rooms show off historical artifacts from the area. There is also a photography exhibition on the life of the Cypress Hutterite Colony.

Once again, my boys completed the little scavenger hunt (don’t forget to ask for it!).

Old Timers Museum

The Old Timers Museum in Maple Creek is about the frontier days. It was started in 1926 to help people remember what life was like in the Cypress Hills area.

The museum is located in a 1935 log building, possibly the oldest museum building in Saskatchewan. 

This museum lets you see old things from the frontier, over 100 years ago, in western Canada. You can also learn how tough life was for the settlers and Native people who lived on the prairies then. Plus, there are many animal specimens.

Where to Stay in Cypress Hills with Kids?

There are a few different lodging options in Cypress Hills. It’s possible to have a home base in Maple Creek, for example. But there is a lot of ground to cover and explore, so making it into a road trip with different overnight accommodations is better, in my opinion.

Here are a few ideas of places to stay during your visit:

• Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park: Historic Reesor Ranch or Warlodge Campground
• Maple Creek: Willowbend Campground
• Eastend: Eastend Campground 

Final Thoughts:

Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan is much more than the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.

Of course, if you’re visiting for the first time, like we did, you’ll want to stop at the park. But I suggest you also venture outside the park to see everything to do in the Cypress Hill area.

It’s hard to say what was our family’s favorite thing to do in Cypress Hills, but our stay at the Historic Reesor Ranch was pretty amazing. The smile on my oldest son’s face when riding the horse was priceless. The visit to the T. rex Discovery Centre was also one of the highlight activities in the Cypress Hills area.

We were also lucky to visit Eastend during the Eastend Dino Days so the kids loved participating in all the different activities.