Infrastructure program
Riding Mountain National Park
Know before you go
To help you plan your visit to Riding Mountain National Park, please see below for a list of projects currently underway. This list only includes infrastructure projects that may impact visitors and is not exhaustive. Please plan ahead before you travel to avoid inconvenience.
Temporary closures are in place for the following areas:
For more information on construction projects, please contact Parks Canada Visitor Services at 204-848-7275 or email: rmnp-info@pc.gc.ca
Current projects
These investments in visitor infrastructure not only restore the site but also enhance the quality and safety of the experience, enabling Canadians to connect with nature and our shared cultural heritage in a meaningful way.
Project Name: Ominnik Marsh Trail Renewal
Construction work to repair damage to the Ominnik Marsh Trail will begin this October and continue into spring 2026. In Fall 2024, a severe windstorm caused extensive damage to the Ominnik Marsh Trail, leaving large portions of the floating boardwalk unsafe and unusable. As one of the most iconic and frequently visited trails in Riding Mountain National Park, restoring safe and accessible access for visitors is a top priority.
During this brief closure, the Ominnik Marsh Trail will undergo upgrades to enhance safety, improve accessibility for all users, and ensure the trail remains durable and functional over time.
Key improvements include:
- Replaced damaged sections of the floating boardwalk.
- Improved anchoring systems to enhance stability.
- Reconstruction of the trail surface to improve accessibility.
- Added safety features including secure handrails and edge guards.
- Improved floatation and durability of the boardwalk.
- Improved accessible features, including rest areas and easier trail inclines.
- Added sustainable design and materials.
As one of Riding Mountain National Park’s most iconic and well-used trails, restoring safe and accessible visitor access is a top priority. Parks Canada thanks visitors and community members for their patience during construction and looks forward to welcoming them back to a safer, more accessible Ominnik Marsh Trail next spring.
Completed projects
Project name: Main Beach Pier
Location: Main Beach on Clear Lake
Project completed early summer 2025
Project description:
As part of the project, the breakwater and wharf portions of the Main Pier were repaired, including widening the grassed area, restoring the eroded breaks and raising the rock height to protect the Pier. Increasing the thickness and slope of the rock layer will provided enough room for wave energy to dissipate before it reached the grassy area, trees and boardwalk. On the east side of the pier, metal sheet piles were installed, and a wooden walkway was added. All boat docks were reattached upon completion of the work.
Improvements to the Pier include:
- Strengthened structure protection with enhanced riprap (rocks and boulders)
- Repairs to the walkway.
- Widening of the vegetated grassy area.
Project name: Lakeshore Trail
Location: South shore of Clear Lake
Project completed early summer 2025
Project description:
This project aimed to repair the damage caused by severe weather in 2022, featuring key improvements such as a smoother, hard-packed trail surface, enhanced drainage, and new access ramps at both the West and East ends to improve accessibility.
Improvements include:
- Strengthened structure protection with enhanced riprap (rocks and boulders).
- New access ramps allow users to access both ends of the trail without having to navigate stairs.
- Ten new stronger docks positioned to withstand waves and winds.
- Enhanced rest areas along the trail so visitors can relax and take a break.
- A harder, more even trail surface that drains better and is accessible to people of all abilities.
Project name: Boreal Trail
Location: Boreal Trail – near Moon Lake
Project completed summer 2025
Project description:
This project focused on repairing the damage caused by severe weather in 2022, including the construction of a new boardwalk, bridges over Jackfish Creek, and landscaping of the entryway.
Improvements include:
- New trailhead and interpretive signs, developed in collaboration with Anishinaabe elders, to enriching the visitor experience with cultural insights.
- Removal of damaged infrastructure
- Rebuilding the trail tread
- Completing short re-routes
- New drainage systems
- Landscaping to ensure accessibility and long-term sustainability
Visitor Centre Renewal
This premier park facility had not seen any major changes for over 25 years. An architectural and engineering firm was hired to provide detailed design and construction administration services for the renewal of the Visitor Centre and surrounding landscape. A design firm was also hired to provide turn-key exhibit services.
For more information on the new changes, visit: Visitor Centre
Highway 10 Rehabilitation and Paving Project: Seal Coating took place on Highway 10 from the park’s south entrance for 25 kilometres northbound. The seal coating is a preservation intended to extend the life of the recently paved surface.
Roadway Microsurfacing was completed in 2020 in the following areas:
- Highway 10 and TaWaPit Drive to Balsam;
- Highway 10 and Columbine to Wasagaming Drive,
- Highway 10 and Wasagaming to the Mooswa intersection
This road work is a treatment to prolong the life of the asphalt.
Wasagaming Stormwater Management:
Phase one work was completed on Wasagaming Drive and Boat Cove Road in 2018. This work was done to increase the capacity of the townsite's stormwater system, as well as to ensure that stormwater originating within the townsite is properly filtered to remove pollutants. Phase two focuses on stormwater retention and reduction within two small parking lots. Stormwater Retention work adjacent to the small parking lot beside the Visitor Centre and the parking lot on the corner of Columbine and TaWaPit began in 2019 and was completed in 2021.
Townsite Parking, Street, and Trail Paving Project:
Construction in the main parking lot in Wasagaming was completed in June of 2019. There are 275 delineated parking spots available and visitors can safely head to the beach or townsite on paved sidewalks equipped with way finding signs and a new information node.
Of special interest are three electric vehicle charging stations, two Tesla chargers and one universal charger. For visitors who own electric cars, you can now charge your car in the park!
Paving was completed in 2020 in the following areas: the parking lot beside the Visitor Centre, the Ominnik Marsh trailhead, and the emergency access road into the Clear Lake Cabin Area. The emergency road is not designed for daily use, as such it will be closed with removable bollards.
The final stage of this project began in Fall 2021 with the construction of a connector path to tie into the Ominnik trail system.
Conservation of Heritage Buildings:
Three Heritage Buildings in the park have received new foundations. The Whirlpool North Warden Residence at the East Gate National Historic Site, the former Doctor’s Residence at 140 TaWaPit, and 154 Columbine. The Doctor’s Residence and Tennis Clubhouse are both undergoing interior renovation projects, with completion expected in 2022.
Log restoration work at the East Gate NHS and 154 Columbine are ongoing.
Restoration work at Grey Owl's Cabin took place in the spring of 2019, which involved replacing the concrete foundation pads and rotten bottom logs. Visit our website for more information on the restoration work happening at Grey Owl’s Cabin.
During the fall and winter of 2018, both the Bandstand and Tennis Clubhouse were re-shingled. In addition, all of the Tennis Clubhouse windows were removed and taken to the Restoration Workshop at Lower Fort Garry for repair, re-puttying and painting. The Anishinabe Sharing Lodge (former fire hall) was reshingled in 2020.
Highway 19 Rehabilitation Project:
This project will help improve the safety and reliability of road infrastructure, improve ditches and drainage, and offer safe vehicle access through the East Gate and eastern corridor of the park on Highway 19. As necessary, the road will be re-graded/widened and culverts added or replaced. Work began in late June 2020 and will continue this year.
For up-to-date information on road closures, construction delays and infrastructure work, please visit us at: Important Bulletins
Road report and other important information
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