SASKATCHEWAN — The Grasslands National Park was recently named one of Canada’s top 10 National parks, tying with Thousand Islands National Park in Ontario and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in British Columbia.
The top 10 list was compiled by Journeyscape, a company based in the United Kingdom that specializes in North American holidays. The company’s methodology for creating the list included the size of the park, Instagram popularity, wildlife diversity, accessibility, and visitor reviews throughout July, 2025.
The Grasslands National Park, which is the fourth-largest park on the list, shows that almost 105,000 visitors have stopped to enjoy the southern Saskatchewan prairie landscape. According to Journeyscape’s findings, the prairie park received the second-highest number of Instagrammable moments, with more than 14,500 mentions of #GrasslandsNationalParks.
With a rich history, the area was once inhabited by the A’aninin (Gros Ventre) in the 1600s, who followed the bison herds. The Nakoda (Assiniboine), Nehiyawak (Plains Cree), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Dakota and Lakota (Sioux) were also known to inhabit the area on a seasonal basis. Guests of the park can take in the Indigenous history as tipi rings and bison drive lanes have become a part of the landscape.
The park, which is located near the village of Val Marie and sits along the Canadian–U.S. border, is home to 14 hiking trails that vary in distance and difficulty, an 11 km Parkway that offers unique viewpoints overlooking the badlands of Rock Creek and the native grasslands, a roaming herd of wild bison and seven exciting programs and tours throughout the summer months. During the winter season, some areas of the park are available to foot traffic, and visitors are able to travel at their own risk.
