Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park

Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park was created to protect the Athabasca sand dunes, a special boreal shield ecosystem in the far-northwest part of the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District. The Athabasca sand dunes are one of the most northerly active sand dune formations on Earth.

People first thought this area should be protected in 1969, and it officially became the Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Wilderness Park on August 24, 1992.

The park stretches for 100 kilometres (62 miles) along the southern edge of Lake Athabasca and is part of the Athabasca Basin of the Canadian Shield. The sand dunes are very long, from 400 to 1,500 metres (1,300 to 4,900 feet), and some reach up to 30 metres (98 feet) high. You can only get to the park by float plane or boat.

The William River flows through the western part of the park and ends in a large river delta. The McFarlane River runs through the far eastern part of the park. The First Nations village of Fond du Lac is about 44 kilometres (27 miles) away by air from the park’s eastern edge. The park goes around the Fond du Lac 231 Indian reserve, located on the McFarlane.

Geology

The Athabasca Sand Dunes are about 8,000 years old. They formed when glaciers melted at the end of the last icy time. Meltwater carried lots of sand and dirt into a big lake called Lake Athabasca. When the lake’s water level fell, the sand was left behind. Winds keep moving the dunes, especially near the forest edges. Fires also helped shape the dunes with their winds.

You can find special land shapes like eskers and beach ridges in this area. Some parts of the Williams River flow through braided channels in the sand. The dunes are usually shaped like parabolas, and the sand covers the old rock layers below. The sandy land acts like a giant water store, which changes what plants can grow there.

Endemic flora

The Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park is home to many special plant species, some of which are found only in this area. These plants include the felt-leaved willow (Salix silicicola), Mackenzie hairgrass (Deschampsia mackenzieana), Tyrrell's willow (Salix planifolia tyrrellii), pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), woolly beachheather (Hudsonia tomentosa), black spruce (Picea mariana), sea thrift (Armeria maritima), and floccose tansy (Tanacetum huronense var. floccosum_).

Maps

• Mouth of the William River 59°8′48.16″N 109°18′28.02″W / 59.1467111°N 109.3077833°W / 59.1467111; -109.3077833
• Mouth of the McFarlane River 59°12′38.21″N 107°57′44.75″W / 59.2106139°N 107.9624306°W / 59.2106139; -107.9624306
• [Map](