Cypress Hills Tours from Saskatoon and Maple Creek: 3 options for birding Saskatchewan’s great southwest

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Cypress Hills Birding Tours

Private Tours

Available April – December

Email birdtours [at] sasktel [dot] net with your proposed dates and ask for a quote.

Public Tours

2025 Public Tours

Option A

  • June 12 – 19, 2025

This 8-day tour will visit all of the best birding hotspots in SW Saskatchewan including Great Sand Hills, Cypress Hills Center and West Blocks, Govenlock Sage Flats, Old Man on His Back Nature Conservancy Canada Site, Eastend East Block and Grasslands National Park.
This tour begins in Saskatoon at 9 am on day 1 and ends at Mankota, SK at noon on day 8.
Participants may then choose to continue with the leader on the Best Birding Hotspots of SE Saskatchewan Tour.

Option B

  • June 14 – 17
  • July 11 – 14

This 4-day tour will visit Cypress Hills Center and East Blocks, Govenlock Sage Flats, Old Man on His Back Nature Conservancy of Canada Site plus Eastend East Block district.
This tour begins at 9 am in Maple Creek, SK on day 1 and ends at 11 am on day 4 at Shaunavon, SK.
Participants may then choose to join the subsequent Grasslands Park Birding Tour.

Option C

  • June 14 – 15
  • July 11 – 12

This 2-day tour will visit the Centre Block of Cypress Hills park on day 1 and the Fort Walsh and switchback areas in the West Block on Day 2.
This tour begins at 9 am in Maple Creek, SK on day 1 and ends at Cypress Hills West Block about 3 pm on day 2.

Questions

  • Email birdtours [at] sasktel [dot] net
  • Phone landline at  306 [then] 652 [then] 5975

Tour Options

We offer 3 options for guided self-driving tours to the Cypress Hills region of SW Saskatchewan, Canada.

OPTION A. 8-day /7-night guided group birding tour to Cypress Hills PLUS the surrounding prairie regions including Grasslands National Park where additional bird species occur.
Estimated return driving distance from Saskatoon: 2400 km.
BEST OPTION.
Public Tour Dates: June 12 – 19, 2025

OPTION B. 4-Day / 3-night public guided group birding tour to the centre and west blocks of Cypress Hills Provincial Park plus surrounding prairie regions.
Estimated driving distance from Saskatoon: 1500 km.
Public Tour Dates: June 14-17 & July 11 – 14, 2025

OPTION C. 2-Day / 1-night group guided birding tour to the centre and west blocks of Cypress Hills Provincial Park.  Estimated return driving distance from Saskatoon: 1100 km.
This tour starts and ends in Maple Creek, SK.
Public Tour Dates: June 14 – 15 & July 11 – 12, 2025

Where is best place to find prairie birds in Canada?

Join one of our 3 tour options for visiting Cypress Hills and surrounding prairies in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada.  Both novice and experienced birdwatchers are welcome. We will visit the best birding hotspots in SW Saskatchewan. These habitats are the favourites of both local and visiting birders looking for prairie birds as well as sub-alpine birds.

All 3 tour options visit the Cypress Hills. Some of the special unique birds in this region include MacGillivray’s Warbler, Dusky Flycatcher, Red-naped Sapsucker, Common Poorwill, Pacific Wren, Violet-Green Swallow and Western Tanager. We also look for rare Western Flycatcher and Bullock’s Oriole found in the region in recent years. We plan to visit the west and central blocks of this birding hotspot.

In addition to the Cypress Hills region, some tour options will also visit the following birding hotspots.

  • Saskatchewan’s famous Great Sandhills where Common Poorwill, Long-billed Curlew and Lark Sparrows plus other grassland birds may be found.
    Option A
  • Govenlock Sagebrush Flats – known for Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Baird’s Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared Longspurs.
    Options A and B
  • Old Man on His Back Nature Conservancy of Canada Grasslands – Bison and grassland songbirds. Chance for Burrowing Owl
    Options A and B
  • Jones’s Peak birding stop in the East Block of the Cypress Hills offers magnificent scenery plus great views of Rock Wrens and Violet-Green Swallows plus other rarities are sometimes seen in this area.
    Option A and B
  • Grasslands National Park where we will watch and listen for Burrowing Owl,  Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle,  Long-billed Curlew, Loggerhead Shrike, Sprague’s Pipit, Baird’s Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow,  Lark Bunting, Chestnut-collared Longspur and Thick-billed Longspur.
    Option A plus extension to Option B
  • See side panel for a list of potential species of interest.
  • A checklist of Saskatchewan birds may be downloaded HERE.

The Cypress Hills – Grasslands Park group tour on June 9 – 16, 2024 is one of the  tours in the Saskatchewan Birding Hotspots Series offered by Saskatoon Custom Bird Tours.  This tour can easily be taken following our Duck Mountain Park Tour  and before our Best Birding Hotspots of SE Saskatchewan Tour .

Transportation:

  • All participants will travel in their own personal or rented car or truck.
  • Carpooling may be possible during group tours.
  • RVs and trucks pulling trailers are only feasible on private tours.
  • Full electric vehicles are currently only feasible on the Option C private tour.  There is a charging station in Maple Creek.

Accommodation Options. Both camping and hotel accommodation options are available.

Option A Cypress Hills – Grasslands Park Itinerary

Weather conditions may result in changes to this planned itinerary.

Day 1

Tour departs Saskatoon after breakfast about 8 am. Participants may choose to join the tour at Rosetown, Kindersley or Leader.

Some of our planned birding stops include the following sites.

  • Pack your own Lunch to eat at Kindersley Regional Park – wetland birds and songbirds
  • South Saskatchewan River Valley downstream of Leader
  • Check in to hotel in Leader
  • Afternoon and Evening Visit to the Great Sandhills – Western Kingbird, Common Nighthawk plus possible Long-billed Curlew, Prairie Falcon
  • Pack your own Supper to eat at the Sandhills
  • Optional late night drive for Common Poorwill,
  • Overnight at a Leader hotel. Campers may wish to stay in town campground.

Day 2

Some of our planned birding stops include the following sites.

  • Breakfast at Leader cafe
  • South Saskatchewan River near Estuary
  • Pack you lunch to eat on the road.
  • Mason Lake
  • Supper at Maple Creek restaurant
  • Evening visit to Junction Reservoir
  • Overnight at a Maple Creek hotel. Campers may wish to stay in center block or town campground.

Day 3

Tour departs Maple Creek about 9 am.
Today we will hike several easy trails within the centre block of Cypress Hills provincial park.

We plan the following activities.

  • Eat breakfast on your own in Maple Creek restaurant.
  • Hike Highlands Nature Trail in morning
  • Eat lunch at park restaurant
  • Hike Valley of the Windfalls Nature Trail
  • Short visit to Park Nature Interpretive Centre
  • Hike Whispering Pines Nature Trail
  • Supper in park resort’s dining room
  • Evening drive to scenic Look-out Point and Bald Butte
  • Optional late night drive from 10:30 pm – 11:30 pm to look and listen for Common Poorwill.
  • Overnight at Maple Creek hotel. Campers may wish to stay in a center block campground.

Day 4

We plan to spend the day birding in the best hotspots in the west block of Cypress Hills.
Some sites (*) may be inaccessible if roads are very muddy.

  • Breakfast in Maple Creek on your own
  • Depart Maple Creek at 9 am
  • Cypress Hills Switchbacks – Dusky Flycatcher, Western Wood Pewee and chance for Black-headed Grosbeak
  • Fort Walsh hiking trails – Violet-Green Swallow and possible Say’s Phoebe and Western Tanager
  • Bring your packed lunch to eat in the park.
  • Cordilleran Flycatcher subspecies nesting site *
  • Conglomerate Cliffs in Cypress Hills *
  • Cypress Lake Recreation Site *
  • Supper at Consul restaurant
  • Overnight at a motel in Consul SK.
    Campers may stay at Cypress Lake recreation site.
  • Optional evening drive near Consul.

Day 5

We plan to drive around the pastures south of Cypress Hills making stops to watch and listen for grassland birds. Some planned stops include:

  • Govenlock area – Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared Longspurs and chance for a Golden Eagle
  • Old Man on His Back Nature Conservancy of Canada grasslands – Bison and chance for a Burrowing Owl or Prairie Falcon
  • Supper at Eastend Restaurant
  • Overnight accommodation at Eastend motel.
    Campers may stay at a town campground.
  • Jones’ Peak Lookout visit in evening – Rock Wren, Mountain Bluebirds and Violet-Green Swallows
  • Optional late evening drive to listen for poorwills.

Day 6

Today we will spend the morning near Eastend and then drive to Grasslands National Park.

  • Eastend Riverbank Park
  • Eastend Reservoir
  • Pine Cree Coulee Regional Park
  • Shaunavon wetlands – American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt
  • Pack a lunch to eat on the road
  • Val Marie Reservoir Bird Sanctuary
  • Check in to overnight accommodation in Val Marie
  • Evening visit to Prairie Dog colony to look for Burrowing Owls.

Day 7

We plan to bird in Grasslands Park for much of the day.  Some planned stops include:

  • Val Marie town
  • Top Dogtown trail
  • Frenchman River Valley
  • Larson Interpretive Trail
  • Little Breed Creek Prairie Dog town
  • North Gillespie Road (if dry)
  • Rosefield Ecotour route

Day 8

  • We will spend most of the morning in Grasslands National Park.
  • Lunch in Mankota restaurant.

In the afternoon you may return home or continue with me to the SE Saskatchewan Birding Tour.

Option A Tour Fee

Cypress Hills – Grasslands Park Public Tour Fee: CAD $4980 (about US $3500, £2710)  per vehicle with 1 – 4 persons. Note fee is for your entire party (not a per person fee). Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.

Public Tour Dates: June 12 – 19, 2025
Trip begins in Saskatoon about 9 am on June 12 and ends at Mankota, Saskatchewan about noon on June 19.

Please book your tour as soon as possible.
Accommodation options are very limited in the remote areas visited on this tour.

Tax Receipt. You will receipt a tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Refunds less a $100 administration fee will be given if cancellation notice received 60 days before date of tour.
No refunds if cancellation notice received less than 60 days before date of tour unless another client takes your place.

Option B Cypress Hills – Eastend Itinerary

Dates: June 14 – 17 & July 11 – 14, 2025

The itinerary for this tour follows the Option A itinerary for days 3 – 6 above. It ends about 11 am at Shaunavon on the last day. Participants may then return home or follow leader to Grasslands National Park tour.

Option B Tour Fee

Cypress Hills – Eastend Public Tour Fee: CAD $3990 (about US $2800, £2175)  for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle. Note fee is for your entire party (not a per person fee). Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Public Tour Dates: June 14 – 17 & July 11 – 14, 2025
Trip begins in Maple Creek about 9 am on day 1 and ends at Shaunavon Saskatchewan about 11 am on day 4. Participants may return home or continue with leader to Grasslands Park tour.

Please book your tour as soon as possible. Accommodation options are very limited in the remote areas visited on this tour.

Tax Receipt. You will receipt a tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Refunds less a $100 administration fee will be given if cancellation notice received 60 days before date of tour.
No refunds if cancellation notice received less than 60 days before date of tour unless another client takes your place.

Option C Cypress Hills Park Itinerary

Weather conditions may result in changes to this planned itinerary.

Day 1

Tour departs Maple Creek, SK about 9 am.

Some of our planned birding stops include the following sites.

  • Explore Cypress Hills Centre Block looking for summer and early fall birds.
  • Loch Leven
  • Whispering Pine trail
  • Bald Butte
  • Supper at Cypress Hills Resort
  • Overnight at a Maple Creek hotel. Campers may wish to stay in a west block campground.

Day 2

Some of our planned birding stops include the following sites.

  • Junction Reservoir
  • Cypress Hills west block switchbacks
  • Fort Walsh hiking trails (moderate hill climb)
  • Conglomerate Cliffs
  • Leave for home in mid-afternoon or stay longer on your own.

Option C Group Tour Fee

2-day / 1-night Cypress Hills Group Tour Fee: CAD $2990 per vehicle (about US $2100, £1630) for a party of 1 – 4 persons . Note fee is for your entire party (not a per person fee). Additional persons in your vehicle are $200 each.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Maple Creek about 9  am on day 1 and ends at Maple Creek about 3 pm on day 2.
Date: June 14 – 15 & July 11 – 12, 2025

Tax Receipt. You will receipt a tax receipt for 50% of the tour fee.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Refunds less a $100 administration fee will be given if cancellation notice received 60 days before date of tour.
No refunds if cancellation notice received less than 60 days before date of tour unless another client takes your place.

Carpooling

If you would like to share the costs of a group tour with other interested birders, then complete the Carpooling Section of the Registration Request Form below or email the tour name, your name, phone number and email address to birdtours@sasktel.net

Multiple Tours Discount

Check out our multiple tours discount described here.

Reservation Request Form

Reservations: Complete the form below or email: birdtours@sasktel.net and provide names of clients, their addresses and requested type of tour and tour date.
Full payment due at time of booking. Payment instruction will be emailed to you after registration form is received. You may also phone Stan Shadick at 306-652-5975.

The number of participants accepted on this Cypress Hills – Grasslands Park group tour is limited. Because accommodation choices are limited in the remote areas visited on this tour, please reserve your spot as early as possible.

Questions: please email birdtours@sasktel.net or phone 306-652-5975 during evenings.

Select all that apply. Multiple Tour discounts apply.
Check ALL that apply
Smoking is allowed only inside your own personal vehicle. No smoking is permitted during meals, anywhere in shared accommodations or outside during birding stops or hikes.
Check ALL that applyl.

If you do not hear back from us within 24 hours, then please email: birdtours@sasktel.net or phone 306-652-5975.

 

Cypress Hills Group Birding Tour
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park Trails

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Previous Trip Report

CLICK HERE for a trip report from the 2022 Cypress Hills – Grasslands Park tour.

Testimonials from previous Cypress Hills Tour

Please accept our gratitude for a wonderful six days. The time together has been unforgettable and we will treasure these memories. TK June 17, 2022

Thanks for great SK birding and a respectable number of lifers for me! EZ June 25, 2022

Pre Group Tour Options

Note fees listed are the total fee for your group of 1 – 4 persons.

June 12 – 14, 2025 3-DAY Duck Mountain Park Public Group Tour Fee: $1990 per vehicle for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Discount available if you can transport leader in a non-smoking vehicle.
Trip begins in Saskatoon at 8 am on June 4 and returns about 6 pm on June 6.

June 15, 2025 Redberry Lake Bird Sanctuary Public Group Tour Fee: $390 per vehicle for a party of 1 – 4 persons.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Discount available if you can transport leader in a non-smoking vehicle.
Trip begins in Saskatoon at 9 am on June 9 and ends at noon.

June  16, 2025 Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary Public Group Tour Fee: $490 per vehicle for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Discount available if you can transport leader in a non-smoking vehicle.
Trip begins in Saskatoon at 8 am on June 8 and returns about 6 pm on June 8.

Post Group Tour Option

June 24 – 29, 2025 SE Saskatchewan Public Group Tour Fee: CAD $1490 per vehicle for a party of 1 – 4 persons travelling in a single vehicle.
Fee includes guiding services. Meals and accommodation and transportation are NOT included.
Trip begins in Mankota at noon on June 16 and in Moose Mountain Park about noon on June 19.

Multiple Tours Discount

Check out our multiple tours discount described here.

Can I bring my pet dog on this tour?

Dogs are permitted on private tours provided they are kept on a leash. Dogs are not permitted on group tours.

Covid Safety Policy on Cypress Hills Tours

  1. Your tour leader is fully vaccinated.
  2. Clients must normally drive themselves in their own personal or rented vehicle. The leader will normally drive in a separate vehicle. We will use cell phones to communicate between each other during the tour.
  3. Please contact us before booking tour if you have any special requests with regard to this policy. In certain cases if requested, leader may be willing to ride in client’s vehicle.

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you invest in travel medical insurance to cover emergency medical expenses during your tour.
We also recommend Trip Cancellation and Interruption insurance.

Travel insurance with trip cancellation and interruption benefits can reimburse you for non-refundable, pre-paid trip costs (up to the amount of your plan limits) should your participation in the trip be canceled or interrupted for a covered reason. According to our cancellation policies, your payment to us will become non-refundable if you cancel your participation after the deadlines outlined in our policies.

In general, Trip Cancellation insurance reimburses you for non-refundable expenses if you are unable to join the tour. Trip Interruption reimburses you for the unused portion of your tour if you have to leave part-way through a tour and it also covers some additional unexpected expenses incurred during your travel (e.g. additional hotel of flight costs due to weather delays or other delays that are not covered by your airline).

Some Potential Birds of Interest

We should find most of the following birds on the Cypress Hills – Grasslands Park Birding Tour.

  • Ring-necked Pheasant
  • Ruffed Grouse
  • Greater Sage-Grouse (rare)
  • Sharp-tailed Grouse
  • Red-necked Grebe
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Broad-winged Hawk
  • Ferruginous Hawk
  • Swainson’s Hawk
  • Golden Eagle
  • Black-necked Stilt
  • American Avocet
  • Upland Sandpiper
  • Long-billed Curlew
  • California Gull
  • Franklin’s Gull
  • Eastern Screech-owl (rare)
  • Burrowing Owl
  • Common Poorwill
  • Red-naped Sapsucker
  • Western Wood-Pewee
  • Dusky Flycatcher
  • Cordilleran Flycatcher
  • Violet-Green Swallow
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  • Brown Creeper
  • Pacific Wren
  • Mountain Bluebird
  • Townsend’s Solitaire (rare)
  • Thick-billed Longspur
  • Chestnut-collared Longspur
  • Audubon’s Warbler subspecies
  • MacGillivray’s Warbler
  • Brewer’s Sparrow
  • Lark Sparrow
  • Lark Bunting
  • Baird’s Sparrow
  • White-crowned Sparrow
  • Pink-sided Junco subspecies
  • Western Tanager
  • Lazuli Bunting
  • Bullock’s Oriole (rare)
  • Yellow-headed Blackbird
  • Red Crossbill

Gift Certificates Available Now

This Cypress Hills – Grasslands Park Birding Tour makes an excellent birthday gift, anniversary gift, graduation gift, retirement gift or special gift for a birder, birdwatcher or anyone interested in nature.

GIFT CERTIFICATES: Click here for information about purchasing a gift certificate for this tour or any of our other tours.

How to Get to Saskatoon

Air: Saskatoon International Airport (YXE) is served by Flair, Air Canada, Westjet and their U.S. partners United and Delta.

Air Canada Star Alliance partners also include Aegean, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels, Copa, Croatia, EgyptAir, Ethiopian, EVA, Lot, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzhen, Singapore, South African, Swiss, TAP, Thai, Turkish, United.

Westjet international partners include AeroMexico, Air France, Air Transat, Azores, Cathay Pacific, China, China Eastern, China Southern, Delta, Emirates, Hainan, Hong Kong, Japan, KLM, Korean, LATAM, Philippine, Quantas, Virgin Atlantic, Xiamen.

Train: Saskatoon’s  Train Station is served by Via Rail’s Canadian train serving Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper and Vancouver.

Bus: Saskatoon – Edmonton and Saskatoon – Regina bus service

Car: Saskatoon is located on Canada’s Yellowhead cross-country highway plus 6 other major highways connecting with all cities in Canada and USA. If you drive, you do not need to rent a car for our tours.

Entering Canada

CLICK HERE for government regulations for entering Canada.
My recent fully vaccinated international clients tell me there are no significant delays at the border provided they have fully completed the ArriveCan app in advance.

Cypress Hills Tour Guide

Tour Guide: Stan Shadick. Click for more information about your tour guide.

Other Bird Photography Sessions

OTHER TOURS

Other Tours and Workshops: Click here to see a complete list of our upcoming tours and workshops.

Other Bird Photography Sessions

Duck Mountain Park Birding Tour

Beaver Creek Tour

SE Saskatchewan Birding Tour

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Binocular View comparison
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