Some area history.
East Gate Registration Complex
Check out this Historic Landmark only 500 metres from the East Trailhead
The East Gate National Historic Site is a nationally significant example of the Rustic Design tradition of the 1930s in Canada's National Parks. It is the last of three log entrance gates in Riding Mountain. This gate was constructed of indigenous materials by skilled local craftsmen hired through the Federal Government's Depression Relief Program. Comprised of a registration building and two staff cabins, the East Gate Complex has symbolic value because of its association with early auto tourism and outdoor recreation. It is an enduring landmark for visitors to Riding Mountain National Park of Canada.
Visitor at the Riding Mountain East Gate in the 1930's
The Gorge Creek Hike
The Gorge Creek Trail, a 11.8 km return hike in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park, takes you to another world, more akin to a rainforest. The landscape is a total surprise and not one that you would expect in a prairie province.
Considered to be one of the best hikes in the park, the Gorge Creek trail takes you up and down the Manitoba Escarpment through a range of eco-systems.
The gorge itself, formed after thousands of years of erosion, moves through vegetation types beginning with aspen and hazel forests and descending through old oak forests to finish at the Birch Picnic Area in a leafy setting of white birch and Manitoba maple.
As an out and back hike, there is no way to avoid going both up and down the escarpment unless you use 2 vehicles.
Note: Always check on current trail and road conditions in Riding Mountain National Park.