Riding Mountain National Park — Gunn Lake Fire Road to Whirlpool Lake Wilderness Circuit

Riding Mountain sits on the Manitoba Escarpment like a fortress — the land drops away sharply on three sides and the plateau top is a maze of boreal forest, pothole lakes, and fire roads that Parks Canada doesn’t exactly advertise. The Gunn Lake Fire Road pushes north from the Highway 19 corridor into genuine backcountry, threading past Gunn Lake toward the Whirlpool Lake area where moose wade the shallows at dusk. The track is a mix of compacted gravel, muddy clay stretches that turn slick after rain, and low-water crossings on unnamed drainage channels. You’ll pass old warden cabin sites and the occasional bison trail cutting through the trees — the park’s free-roaming herd doesn’t care about your schedule.

This is moderate territory on a dry week, but after summer rains the clay sections near the escarpment edge earn their reputation. A high-clearance 4WD is the minimum — all-terrain tires are not optional. You need a Riding Mountain National Park backcountry permit before you go anywhere near this route; get it at the Wasagaming Visitor Centre. Cell service is nonexistent north of the highway. Best run mid-July through early September before the fall mud sets in. Fuel in Wasagaming or Dauphin.