Road Trip The Pas to Flin Flon – Mining Manitoba & the Shield

The Pas Flin Flon
135
km
1h48
drive
Summer
season

The Itinerary

Northern Manitoba, 700 km from Winnipeg, is the gateway to the Canadian Shield — Precambrian-rock country, crystal lakes and frontier mining towns. The Pas and Flin Flon, 135 km apart on Highway 10 (the "Yellowhead Road"), form Manitoba's northern pole.

The Pas (5,600 inhabitants), at the confluence of the Saskatchewan and Pasquia rivers, is a fur-trade hub since 1741. The Sam Waller Museum presents an eccentric naturalist's collection (rare taxidermy, ethnographic objects). The Trappers' Festival (February) recreates trappers' snowshoe races — the Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival is a legendary event since 1916.

Flin Flon (4,700 inhabitants) straddles the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. Its copper and zinc mine, opened 1927 and operated by Hudbay Minerals, supported the town for a century (closed 2022). The giant Flintabbatey Flonatin statue ("Flin Flon" from a 1905 pulp novel) overlooks town. Wekusko Falls Provincial Park, 65 km east, has two suspension bridges over the falls — spectacular Shield scenery.

Points of Interest

  • ✦
    Flintabbatey Flonatin Statue
    Giant fibreglass statue, 1905 pulp hero.
  • ✦
    Sam Waller Museum
    Eccentric naturalist's collection, The Pas.
  • ✦
    Wekusko Falls PP
    Suspension bridges over falls, Shield landscape.
  • ✦
    Trappers' Festival
    Trappers' snowshoe races, since 1916.
Practical info
  • Departure The Pas
  • Destination Flin Flon
  • Distance 135 km
  • Duration 1h48
  • Category Medium (100–250 km)
  • Best season Summer
Themes
mining shield northern border trapper Indigenous industry adventure

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