Scenic Views · Saskatchewan
A wooden viewing tower beside the Trans-Canada Highway west of Morse, Saskatchewan, overlooking Reed Lake, a shallow saline lake that draws huge numbers of migrating shorebirds. A good 15-minute break for birders and road-trippers.
The Reed Lake lookout is a small stop right off Highway 1, about 2.4 km west of Morse, with a short walk from a little parking lot to a wooden viewing tower. Reed Lake is a long, shallow salt lake lying beside the highway, and after hours of open prairie, travellers describe it as a welcome surprise. It's recognised as an Important Bird Area, and in spring migration it hosts thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds.
Visitors enjoy climbing the tower, reading the signs about which birds to look for and scanning the water with a camera or binoculars. Red-winged blackbirds get a mention, and one reviewer called it the best kind of nerdy fun. There's a small picnic table, though one visitor found it close to broken, and plenty of gopher holes around.
Timing matters. A regular visitor rated it highly in July but found fewer birds and less green by late August, and spring migration is when the numbers peak. The Reed Lake Interpretive Centre at the Morse Museum in town has more on the lake's birds. Reed Lake is saline and isn't a fishing lake.
Summarised from visitor reviews on Google Maps. Based on 64 Google reviews. Conditions and rules change — check current park, access and fishing regulations before you go.
