It's like nowhere else on Earth - a large desert-like environment looking strangely out of place in the midst of the northern forest, with lakes, rivers, trees and massive dunes coming together to form a unique and wildly beautiful landscape.

The Athabasca Sand Dunes, now preserved as a provincial park, stretch for about 100 kilometres along the south shore of Lake Athabasca in northwest Saskatchewan. This is the largest area of active sand dunes in Canada and one of the most northerly sets of major dune fields in the world.

Northern Sandscapes takes you on an exciting canoe journey down the William River and along the south shore of Lake Athabasca, through this strange and fascinating landscape. Climb 30-metre high dunes with knife-sharp crests. Discover rare plants found nowhere else in the world. Explore ghostly stands of ancient forests buried hundreds of years ago then exhumed by moving sand.

Explore the beauty and splendour of the Athabasca Sand Dunes in this high quality soft cover book. More than a travelogue, you learn about geological forces that formed the dunes, what is special about the rare plants, the history, and what you need to know to plan a trip to the park. Appendices include lists of birds, animals, and rare plants in the park.

Northern Sandscapes is available at better bookstores and gift shops, or directly from Parkland Publishing.

Northern Sandscapes - Exploring Saskatchewan's Athabasca Sand Dunes
by Robin and Arlene Karpan
$29.95 high quality soft cover • 8 1/2 x 11 • 128 pages • 115 colour photos • 4 colour maps
Index • bibliography • appendices
ISBN 978-0-9683579-0-3 (print)

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• Table of Contents (PDF)

  Introduction (PDF)

  Sample pages (PDF)

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