St. Vital Park In Winnipeg, Manitoba

A riverside park in south Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada featuring forest trails, duck pond, gardens, and picnic and play areas

St. Vital Park is a 46-hectare (114-acre) park in south Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Initially established in 1928 and situated on the east side of the Red River along a bend in the river, the park features forested areas with trails, gardens, and recreation and picnic areas.

Road curving through trees in a city park

The scenic road through the park takes you through treed areas where you’ll find trails and paths that make for lovely walks in summer or winter.

The Duck Pond in the centre of the park is a focal point. It is home to both ducks and geese. The walkway around the pond offers an easy and scenic stroll. Benches provide spaces to sit for a bit, relax, and enjoy the view and sounds.

People skating on a frozen park pond with bare deciduous trees bordering the pond — *In the winter, the pond becomes a skating rink*

park pavilion building with overhanging sloped roof

The pavilion beside the pond contains public restrooms. It serves as a picnic shelter in summer and a heated skate change facility in Winnipeg. According to the architects 1×1 architecture, the “roof form was influenced by a bird’s wing and body kinematics during takeoff and landing.”

Picnic tables inside a park pavilion with a full windowed wall with view into park — *Pavilion interior*

plaza area in park featuring stone seating, art structure fireplace, and surrounding trees — *Écobuage*

Beside the pavilion, Écobuage, a plaza area commissioned by the Winnipeg Arts Council, incorporates sculpture, fire pits, seating, and plantings of prairie grass. The central feature is a six-metre-high (20-feet-high) fireplace sculpture that acts as a chimney for the fire pit below. The pattern in the planes of plasmacut steel depicts a flickering flame. Note that Écobuage translates to “controlled burn.”

fireplace sculpture of plasmacut steel in a park — *Fireplace sculpture in the Écobuage plaza*

colourful totem pole on mini-island in pond as viewed from a plaza area beside the pond with stone seating — *View of totem pole from Écobuage plaza area*

The totem pole, an unusual sight in Manitoba, was donated by the Billinkof family in memory of their father. It once stood on the grounds of their family lumber business.

Arbor over walkway leading to a garden in a park

There is a pretty flower garden south of the duck pond nestled among the trees.

Pole in garden engraved with May Peace Prevail On Earth

A 1.5-metre-tall (5-feet-tall) peace pole in the garden is engraved with the message “May peace prevail on Earth” in English, French, German, Hindi, Ukrainian, Filipino, Cree, and Chinese. A Peace Pole is an internationally-recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth. Each Peace Pole bears the message May Peace Prevail on Earth in different languages on each of its sides. There are estimated to be over 250,000 Peace Poles in every country in the world dedicated as monuments to peace.

Flower garden at a corner in treed park — *You’ll find lovely landscaping throughout the park*

There is a playground in the park, a volleyball field, and plenty of green space for other games.

You’ll find a unique and attractive toboggan slide in the park. Manitoboggan‘s accessible design won international architecture awards for sports and leisure facilities. The warming shelter underneath it serves as a picnic shelter in summer months. The photos above were taken in summer. I thought I had a photo from last winter, but I couldn’t find it. I will have to take one this coming winter. (Note: Manitoboggan is one of the places featured in my book 111 Places in Winnipeg That You Must Not Miss.)