Introduction

The Narrow Hills of Saskatchewan is part of the west shore line of Ancient Lake Agassiz. This lake covered an area from the eastern part of the province eastward to almost the Great Lakes region of Ontario. The "Narrow Hills Esker", as it was commonly called, was not a true esker. It was in fact a "pushmoraine", formed of sand and gravel, believed to have been left after the last ice age several thousands of years ago. The East Side of this ridge, being that the old lake bottom is lowland, hosts a variety of trees including Black Spruce, Tamarack, and Willow. It also has many areas of open muskeg or bogs. The West Side is mostly Jack Pine, along with several small lakes called "kettle holes," where it is believed that this is the location where many huge blocks of ice had lodged and subsequently melted. Among some of the other vegetation that blanketed these hills were White Spruce, Balsam Poplar, and Trembling Aspen, along with an under coving of many varieties of wild fruits and shrubs. The ground cover is mosses typical of lowgrowing plants.

The lakes boast of a variety of fish which include Northern Pike, Walleye, White Fish. And Suckers. Some have been stocked with numerous types of Trout. Big game animals, including Moose, Elk, Caribou, White-tailed Deer, and Black Bear also roam these areas. One may also discover Upland Game birds in the area.

This unique area, with scenery that is unrivaled in Saskatchewan, is accessible by traveling north of the Village of Love. It ends at the Lower Fishing Lake, located in the Narrow Hills Provincial Park.

The Village of Love, referred to as the "Gateway To The Narrow Hills," can supply you with all your needs. More about Love later.

Saskatchewan has a great variety of landforms, climate and vegetation ranging from the flat expanses of waving wheat fields to the thick forests and rugged, hard rock hills. We have it all !

In the area of Fishing Lake one will find some of our most beautiful scenery. Ranging from the steep rolling, densely forested hills to the flat, lake-strewn muskegs and small, sheltered lakes.

Many of the hills are narrow and winding, curling its way for miles between the lakes, rivers and muskegs. It is from these hills the area takes its traditional name, the "Narrow Hills".

Some of the area lakes, such as Shannon Lake, Baldy Lake, Calder Lake, Odell Lake, Zeden Lake and the Fishing Lakes, themselves are kettleholes; believed to be depressions left when the last embedded blocks of ice finally melted from the moraine.

Because these hills are thickly clothed with dense wooded areas and sport a variety of game and fish, this makes it a heaven for fisherman and hunter alike.

As was previously mentioned, this region of unique glacial scenery is also the home of Narrow Hills Provincial Park. The park was established in the early 1930’s when Field Officer, Garry Parker, who was a trapper and fisherman, recognized the value of the area as a source of livelihood. He realized the unique scenery and plentiful wildlife should be protected for others to enjoy.

Parker commissioned his patrolman, Burns Matheson, to conduct a survey to support his park proposal. Matheson’s two months of traveling the area confirmed areas that were plentiful of unique scenic attractions. As a result of his findings, the Nipawin Provincial Park was officially established in January of 1934. It was to cover an area of about two-hundred and fifty-two square miles.