Great Sand Hills – sand dune area south of Sceptre

Posted by on 2. January 2012 in Featured | Comments Off on Great Sand Hills – sand dune area south of Sceptre

Great Sand Hills - sand dune south of Sceptre, Saskatchewan

Open sand dune in Great Sand Hills near Sceptre, Saskatchewan.

The Great Sand Hills of southwestern Saskatchewan are probably the most ecologically sensitive area in Saskatchewan. The Scepter sand dunes are between 15 to 35 metres high, and are surrounded by a wide expanse of diverse native prairie. They can be reached by a grid road south of Sceptre (about 35 km east of Leader).

Grazing in this area is managed by the Sandhill Stockmen’s Association, which took extensive action to educate the public about fragility of sand dunes and associated vegetation. They created a fenced parking area to limit the vehicle damage to vegetation, and erected large awareness signs to encourage visitors to use the area responsibly.