Surrounded by towering poplars and native grasslands on the north bank of the Mighty Peace River, Dunvegan is the ideal place to camp, picnic, hike, explore and learn. The earliest inhabitants of the Dunvegan area were the Beaver Peoples, or Dunne-Za. Evidence suggests they were meeting at Dunvegan on a seasonal basis beginning thousands of years ago. In 1805 the Northwest Company established a fur trading post at the site. It was named Fort Dunvegan after the founders’ ancestral castle in Scotland.
The fort thrived, 1867 saw the arrival of missionaries, and Dunvegan developed into a major Roman Catholic and Anglican mission site. The Hudson’s Bay Factor’s House (1878), St. Charles Catholic Mission Church (1885) and the Rectory (1889) have all been restored with guided tours available. To compliment the historic site there is now a Provincial Park and Interpretive Centre containing historic artifacts as well as seasonal displays and a gift shop.
Paved walking trails link flower-lined lawns and a picnic area to a forested campground complete with power hook ups, RV station, horseshoe pits, and wheelchair accessible washrooms. Several large picnic areas, shaded by ancient Manitoba maples, are available west of the bridge in The Maples day use area. A riverside trail leads east to the Dunvegan Gardens, U-pick and mini golf site. Google map
