Manitou Beach on mineral-rich Little Manitou Lake

Manitou Beach is a resort community on the shore of Little Manitou Lake. The mineral-rich water gives the community a distinctive character: its high mineral concentration creates strong buoyancy, so you do not sink in the lake. There are also three beaches, nature trails, and cultural experiences. When choosing a vacation rental, you can consider whether you want your trip to focus on the water, nature, or events.

The Lake and Beaches as a Vacation Theme

Little Manitou Lake is more than a backdrop for the resort community. Its water is rich in minerals and offers an unusual experience thanks to its strong buoyancy: you do not sink in it. If you are interested in the lake’s unique features, that is a clear reason to center your stay around Manitou Beach. The community also has three beaches, each equipped with showers and washrooms. This information can help you include a beach visit in your travel plans without singling out a particular beach.

The Manitou Springs Resort in Manitou Beach offers another way to experience mineral-rich water. It has a heated therapeutic swimming pool filled with salt- and mineral-rich water from Little Manitou Lake. Resort guests have access to the pool included during their stay. The pool and the beaches offer different water experiences: one is a heated pool with access included for resort guests, while the others are the community’s three beaches.

Trails, Park, and Wildlife Viewing

The Manitou Beach Trails start at the campground and include two well-maintained loop trails, one 3.5 km long and the other 5 km. The different trail lengths give you a practical choice when planning your day. The trails pass through Wellington Park, which features a picturesque creek and picnic areas. In this way, the trail network combines exercise with nature and a park where you can also enjoy a picnic.

Visitors can spot white-tailed deer, mule deer, waterfowl, and migratory birds on the Manitou Beach Trails. If you enjoy exploring a landscape attentively, you can make wildlife viewing a focus of your visit; the species mentioned range from deer to waterfowl and migratory birds. The loop trails, creek, and picnic areas offer different reasons to spend time in the natural surroundings. When looking for a vacation rental, it may therefore help to consider whether you want to spend your time at the lake, on the trails, or enjoying cultural experiences.

Dancing, Movies, and Art

Danceland in Manitou Beach has a dance floor with a horsehair-sprung floor and offers entertainment year-round. This distinctive feature also makes the venue interesting to visitors curious about unusual building and dance traditions. For a very different evening, the Salty Cinema Drive-In Theater lets you watch movies outdoors beneath the prairie night sky. Dance entertainment and outdoor movies are two distinct ways to spend your time here.

The community and its surroundings also offer visual and performing arts events. The annual Spirit of Manitou Studio Trail is a self-guided tour through Watrous, Manitou Beach, Meacham, Plunkett, and Guernsey. At 13 artist stops, visitors can see local painting, textiles, woodwork, photography, ceramics, pottery, and carving, among other art forms. Manitou Beach also hosts the annual Busking Festival along the lake promenade, a celebration of music and performing arts. The two events offer different experiences: a tour with stops in five communities and a festival along the lake promenade.

A Glimpse into Local History

Near Manitou Beach, the Watrous-Manitou Heritage Centre documents the history of Watrous and Manitou Beach. Interpretive panels, building replicas, pictures, and artifacts offer different ways to explore local history. Together with the nature and cultural offerings, these make for a broad range of interests to shape your trip around: the lake and beaches, trails and wildlife viewing, dancing and movies, or art and history. When looking for a vacation rental in Manitou Beach, you can start by weighing which of these experiences matter most for your stay.

Other Places

Other places at this level: Bradwell, Outlook, Warman, Langham, Watrous, Martensville, Lanigan, Simpson.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Division No. 11.