Pinawa Suspension Bridge
Pinawa’s Suspension Bridge allows visitors and local residents a greater opportunity to discover and appreciate the natural beauty of the Pinawa district on this branch of the Trans Canada Trail. Located off the Alice Chambers Trail, it is 54 metres long and 1 metre wide. Crossing the Pinawa Channel north of the Pinawa Cemetery, the bridge is part of a loop for interpretive walks, casual fishing, and cross-country skiing. The Pinawa Channel Heritage Walk on the north side of the channel is accessed either by the suspension bridge or the diversion dam at the end of PR 211.
The bridge was built by volunteer labour under the direction of the Pinawa Trails Group, and is known to many in the community as the “Labour of Love”, completed in the fall of 1998 with the grand opening on May 24, 1999.
Built to mark the new millennium through the expression of a variety of themes: art, science, and heritage, the Pinawa Heritage Sundial is located in the heart of Pinawa near the marina in a small park in a restful spot overlooking the Winnipeg River and gives visitors an opportunity to discover a new interpretation of heritage in this area.
A community project supported by the LGD, the Pinawa Heritage Sundial’s importance extends beyond the borders of the Town of Pinawa. It brings together form and function and creates a meeting place where trails, roads, and waterways converge in the region.
The Pinawa Heritage Sundial is a horizontal dial stretching 10 metres square, with a gnomon 5 metres high, and is designed specifically for the latitude and longitude of the site, incorporating 12 heritage icons depicting the Eastman region, themes of the First Peoples, La Vérendrye, the fur trade, the development of hydroelectric power, industry, research, as well as others. The structure teaches visitors how one of the world’s oldest timepieces is used to tell time.
Pinawa Dam Provincial Heritage Park
Located on the Winnipeg River, Pinawa Dam was Manitoba’s first hydro-electric generating station. Pinawa Dam was developed in response to the demand for residential and commercial power and was crucial to the rapid growth of Winnipeg in the pre-war years. The station began delivering power in 1906 and was closed in 1951 to allow the full flow of the Winnipeg River to serve the Seven Sisters Hydro Station built downstream.
Pinawa Dam can be found northwest of Pinawa or northeast of Lac du Bonnet on PR 520.