Besant Recreation Site

30 minutes west of Moose Jaw on HWY #1 you’ll find Besant Recreation site.

We were working around an afternoon tee time and didn’t want to head too far out of town. Besant has been on our day trip list for a while now – I had never been and Ty’s last time there on a grade 5 field trip.

We had no idea what to expect. I suggested packing the bikes to bike around the campground / area in general (having no idea how big – or small the campground was). We also brought sand toys and a picnic lunch.

I knew the kids would never leave the sandy area, so going for a bike ride first was important. M was not having it, he had the worst attitude and was biking as slow as molasses. After the torturous bike around the campground we headed back to the truck to park our bikes, have a snack and go to the beach.

I went on a trail past the parking lot and a woman passed us on her walk and said there was creek and occasional muskrat sighting. Me, more intrigued than anyone wanted to check things out. There were train tracks nearby and M was finally on board to seeing a train ( attitude adjusted). Now P was having none of it, he left his bike in the parking lot, and caught up to us to have a tantrum by foot.

We saw a train, we did not see a muskrat.

We continued on a grassy trail just looking for anything and everything. We eventually stopped at a path that looked interesting. Through the trees it led to a creek, a “bridge” (it was a 2×8) that crossed into a sand dune. Suddenly both boys were happy as can be. We stayed here for a bit, climbing the sand hill, and admiring the views.

Now (for real this time) it was time to park our bikes and go to the beach area. We brought along our sand toys and picnic lunch.

Because we didn’t pack any extra clothing the kids were on a shallow rule for the water (that they did not really follow). S tripped over her own feet and went in head first.

We had our picnic lunch under a tree (away from the beach to avoid temptation). The grass was spacious and so green. We really admired it (a tell-tale sign of aging).

In an effort to hoard all the strawberries P took them and then dropped them all on the ground – we still ate them. He also managed to spill his yogurt tube over our picnic blanket (none of this is out of the ordinary).

Just as we were leaving others were arriving, otherwise we had the whole place to ourselves (with the exception of seasonal site campers getting their walks in).

Nature Stops:

• Woodpecker
• Beaver dam
• Sand dune
• Big trees
• Not nature, but A Saskatchewan Historic Site landmark

There’s plenty of grassy trails that seem to loop around the park – bordering pastures, train tracks, and a creek. I was in awe of the green space and we regretted not bringing a soccer ball or other lawn games. There are plenty of bbq stands spread out around the park (some overgrown) we originally wanted a bbq lunch, but there was a fire ban in effect.

We will definitely be returning. It’s an easy day trip just outside the city with all the amenities. I think the only thing missing was a playground!

You can see up to date information on the Besant Park and Campground Facebook page or for general information on the Tourism Saskatchewan website.