Saskatchewan: Notoriously Moose Jaw

Week 8: Canadian Summer Staycation Series!

This is the eighth in a series of 13 weekly blog posts highlighting one iconic Canadian experience in each Province and Territory.

In this weeks’ blog post we’re visiting Canada’s most notorious city located in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan is the only Province in Canada that I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting yet but it’s at the top on my bucket list.

Located between Manitoba and Alberta and just below the North West Territories, Saskatchewan receives more hours of sunshine than any other Canadian province, making it a great place to visit in the summer.

The city of Moose Jaw is located in South Central Saskatchewan along the Trans Canada highway and is the fourth largest city in the province.

Here are just a few highlights of some unique things to do and see when visiting Moose Jaw.

The Moose Jaw Tunnels

There are a network of underground tunnels, built in 1908, linking downtown Moose Jaw buildings together and used to move steam equipment more easily during the long, cold winters of Saskatchewan. Back then, buildings in the downtown area were heated by steam.

The tunnels have a very interesting history. At one point in time, they were used to hide and house immigrant Chinese rail workers escaping persecution. In addition to living in the tunnels, family members would work at the businesses above to help support their families.

In the 1920’s the tunnels were used for rum running, during prohibition, where illegal alcohol was warehoused and shipped to the USA via train to Chicago. There are rumours that American gangster, Al Capone visited Moose Jaw during this time!

Since prohibition, the tunnels fell into disuse until a few decades later when they were revived and now visitors can walk through the tunnels to learn about their storied past.

Temple Gardens Hotel and Spa

Temple Gardens Hotel and Spa is located in downtown Moose Jaw and utilizes the areas hot geothermal water for its hotel spa pools. The water is naturally heated to 113 degrees and contains therapeutic minerals making it the perfect spot for a spa.

Geothermal water in the area was accidentally discovered in 1910 when holes were drilled while searching for natural gas.

The geothermal water travels through an insulated pipeline located almost a kilometer away and it’s used to fill Canada’s largest therapeutic mineral water pool at Temple Gardens.

You can spend the night at the hotel, get pampered with a spa treatment and use the indoor or year-round outdoor spa pools.

The Snowbirds

With the high number of cloudless days each year, Moose Jaw is the perfect location for Canada’s primary military flight training center.

Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw is located just south of the city and is home to Canadian Air Force pilot training and the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (also known as “The Snowbirds”).

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces apply each year to be part of the military’s flight demonstration team. They perform in over 60 shows in 40 locations across North America every year. (At the time of writing this blog post, their performances have been suspended due to an accident earlier this year).

You can see one of their jets up close and on display at the moose Jaw Visitor’s Center.

Mac the Moose

Made of steel and concrete in 1984 to attract visitors to the City, Mac the Moose is 34 feet tall, weighs a whopping 10 tons and resides at the Moose Jaw visitors Center.

Mac is the tallest moose in the world and won the title back from Norway in 2019 when a new set of antlers were installed to increase his height.

Have your photo taken with Mac and then head over to the Moose Jaw Visitors Center to get more information on other attractions in Canada’s most notorious city.

Stay tuned next week for part 9 of our 13 part Canadian Summer Staycation Series!

And if you want to catch up on our other blog posts in this series…click on the links below:

Newfound and Labrador: Iceberg Alley

Nova Scotia: Tidal Bore Rafting

Prince Edward Island: All Things Anne

New Brunswick: Hopewell Rocks

Quebec: Old Quebec

Ontario: Tobermory

Manitoba: Going on Safari

Alberta: The Drumheller Dinosaurs

British Columbia: Rainforest and Beaches

Yukon: The Klondike Gold Rush

North West Territories: The Northern Lights

Nunavut: Inuit Culture in Iqaluit

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If you haven’t had the pleasure of traveling for a vacation within Canada before, now is the ideal time to do so.

With a decrease in the number of international tourists expected to visit because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions in place, popular tourist destinations within Canada will be less crowded this summer. Hotels and resorts have been offering discounted room prices and free room upgrades to entice travelers to book accommodations.

In addition to a less expensive and more enjoyable travel experience, the tourism industry in Canada has been hit hard by Covid-19 and they are going to need our help to recover as quickly as possible with our tourism dollars.

Let’s all do our part and help support our own economy and tourism industry to recover by choosing to spend money on Canadian travel experiences this summer.