La Rivière: Winter, River and Festivals
Accommodation in La Rivière
La Rivière is in the Pembina Valley and offers a variety of reasons to visit: winter activities at Holiday Mountain, a landscape shaped by hills and river, and annual events with a regional character. In summer, hikers will find a physical challenge in the hills and along the winding Pembina River. In winter, skiing and groomed snowmobile trails are also available. When choosing a vacation rental in La Rivière, it is therefore worth considering which of these aspects of the area best suits your planned trip.
Winter at Holiday Mountain
Holiday Mountain Resort is on the southwest side of La Rivière. It offers downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding. These different disciplines give you several ways to focus a winter’s day on snow sports. If you’re planning to take lessons, Holiday Mountain Ski School offers courses for both children and adults. La Rivière also has miles of groomed snowmobile trails. Skiing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding on the one hand, and snowmobile trails on the other, offer different focuses for a winter stay; choose your accommodation based on the experience that is most important for your trip.
Hills, river and trails
The summer landscape around La Rivière is defined by its hills and the winding Pembina River. The terrain offers hikers a physical challenge. The river also offers its own perspective on the area: a canoe trip on the Pembina River can begin at the boat launch near La Riviere Campground. This lets you choose between a hike in the hills and time on the water without having to combine the two into a set excursion.
La Riviere Centennial Park has 18 serviced campsites. The park also has wheelchair-accessible washrooms with showers.
Festivals and special discoveries
The annual Raptor Festival takes place in La Rivière in early April. It celebrates the migration of birds of prey through the Pembina Valley. Another annual highlight is Turkey Fest, which features duck races. The event is for all ages and includes children’s activities, face painting, a decorated bicycle competition and the duck race. It offers families several specific activities to plan their visit around.
For the middle two weeks of July, La Riviere becomes a regional hub of activity during the annual Passion Play by Oak Valley Productions. Performances take place in a picturesque outdoor theatre about 1 km east of La Rivière; access is via the Oak Valley entrance on PTH 3. The Passion Play is a notable date on La Rivière’s events calendar.
The community’s history is also visible around town: the Wild Turkey statue commemorates the centennial of La Riviere, celebrated in 1986. Nearby is the La Riviere Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Station, a large wood-frame building on museum grounds that was completed in 1898. It is Manitoba’s only surviving combined station and stationmaster’s residence built to the CPR’s standard Plan No. 3 design. The building thus connects a specific place with Manitoba’s railway history.
If you’d like to explore other communities besides La Rivière, find Manitou and Swan Lake here.
For the broader travel overview: Division No. 4.
