Fort Ellice, Manitoba

Most places under NCC's care welcome visitors. Please check site-specific pages on this website for access information and any special restrictions.

When it comes to biodiversity, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has attained a true treasure with the purchase of the Fort Ellice Property.

Fort Ellice was established in 1831 by C.T. William Todd. Originally a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading post, the fort is located on Beaver Creek, east of the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border near the Assiniboine and Qu'Appelle rivers. In addition to selling provisions to passing traders, the fort's main purpose was to protect the lands from American interests.

Today, nature has reclaimed the land and only a subtle reminder of the fort is left.

Trail length: Numerous unmarked trails occur on the property in varying conditions. Hiking trails are actively managed with annual mowing. Trail can be wet and/or muddy dependant on weather and time of year.
Hike difficulty: Medium, with varying terrain
Amenities on-site: There are no amenities on-site.

Points of interest

• The 1,420-hectare (3,500-acre) property overlooks the Assiniboine River Valley in Manitoba.
• The property supports a variety of ecosystems, including sandhill prairie, mixed-grass prairie, oak savannah, deciduous forests, wetlands and streams.

Species you can look out for

• elk
• coyote
• moose
• northern leopard frogs
• monarch butterfly
• Sprague's pipit

Directions

From Winnipeg:

1. Head West on Trans-Canada Hwy #1 – approximately 305 kilometres.
2. Turn Right (North) onto MB Hwy #41 towards St. Lazare – approximately 47 kilometres.
3. At the "Welcome To St. Lazare" sign, turn right (if you cross the bridge over the Assiniboine River you have gone too far) and head south for approximately 4 kilometres.
4. Turn right and head up the hill to the Cairn at Fort Ellice

Contact information

Before heading out to the Fort Ellice property, please contact the Manitoba region at 1-877-231-3552 to obtain prior permission and coordinate your visit due to ongoing land management.

Learn more about Fort Ellice here >

All visitors to NCC properties do so at their own risk.

Visitor information

When visiting the property, please:

• Respect the wildlife and other visitors.
• Ensure that all dogs are accompanied by their owner and controlled on a leash at all times.
• Refrain from lighting fires or smoking.
• Remove your own garbage, and please pick up after your pets.
• Respect that the property does not permit the removal of any plants or animals.