Our fall hike along the Whistle Pig Trail in Manitoba was one section of a much longer journey across Canada on the Trans Canada Trail. Walking from Powerview-Pine Falls west toward Brokenhead, we followed the former railway corridor through a beautiful mix of Manitoba forests, wetlands, open meadows and lakes, experiencing the trail at its most colourful time of year.

The Whistle Pig Rail Trail is a long-distance multi-use trail in southeastern Manitoba, following a former railway right-of-way between the Pine Falls–Powerview area and East Selkirk. For hikers, the relatively straight and level rail trail provides an opportunity to experience the landscape at a slower pace, immersing themselves in beautiful scenery and reconnecting with nature.

Fall brought brilliant yellow and orange foliage to the forested sections of our hike, while the more open parts of the trail offered expansive skies, marshes, ponds and stands of golden cattails. Along the way, we stopped to investigate several geocaches, photographed a woolly bear caterpillar and garter snake, watched for birds and spotted a Lapland Longspur beside the trail.

The route also provided reminders of its railway history, beginning near Powerview-Pine Falls with restored locomotive No. 30 and continuing along the old rail corridor. Bridges and trail signs clearly marked the route, which was often marked as both the Whistle Pig Trail and Trans Canada Trail.

One of the highlights was crossing the trestle toward Brokenhead, a fitting landmark on our east-to-west journey. If you're looking for fall hikes in Manitoba, exploring the Trans Canada Trail, or wondering what hiking the Whistle Pig Trail is like, these photographs capture our experience of this distinctive Manitoba trail in autumn.