Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is a provincial park located in the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Within it are the Adam Lake and Max Lake campgrounds. The park is known for its bike trails, fishing, back country cabins and canoe routes. The park is very popular with families and outdoor enthusiasts.
The park is named after the numerous painted turtles found in the area. The turtles can be seen throughout the warmer months sun bathing near permanent ponds or lakes in the park. In late spring and early summer the females can be seen laying eggs in sandy soil throughout the park. The turtles live in the shallow lakes in the park.
Turtle Mountain Provincial Park was designated a provincial park by the Government of Manitoba in 1961. The park is in size.
It is adjacent to the international border between Canada and the United States. Its southeast corner is adjacent to the International Peace Garden which is located in both Manitoba and the U.S. state of North Dakota. To the east is the William Lake Provincial Park, home to the William Lake Campground, and the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. To the north is the town of Boissevain, with the city of Brandon farther north. Most of the park is situated in the southwesternmost section of the Municipality of Boissevain – Morton, while the rest of it lies in the southeast corner of the Municipality of Deloraine – Winchester.
The park is nearly coterminous with the slightly larger Turtle Mountain Provincial Forest. The only difference is a small section of the forest lying east of Manitoba Highway 10 at the southeast corner of the forest (near the International Peace Garden), which is outside the park's territory.
History
Early history
Following the last ice age, Turtle Mountain Provincial Park became the first inhabited location in Manitoba.
In 1875 George Mercer Dawson became the first geologist to travel through Turtle Mountain Provincial Park. The area is no longer dependent on Turtle Mountain for timber, so it is now mainly used for recreation and ranching.
Geography
thumb|Ecoregions of Manitoba
Turtle Mountain Provincial Park is situated on the Turtle Mountain (plateau), one of a number of significant geographic features located along the Manitoba Escarpment, the Canadian portion of the Pembina Escarpment. It is located in the Southwest Manitoba Uplands Ecoregion, within the Canadian Prairies. The park is situated at an elevation of 245 metres. This region is covered by glacial till and fluvioglacial deposits, which remain from the pleistocene ice age. Once deglaciation finished 14,000 years ago the irregular melting pattern left the area covered in hummocky terrain.