History

The Simon Nabess Wayside Park was originally established as a roadside campground by James Nabess' grandfather in 1969. The Parks Branch of the Manitoba Government operated the campground during the summer months from 1974 to 1984 and Simon Nabess managed it until he retired. This facility is located on the south shore of Cormorant Lake. Cormorant Lake is 440 miles north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is 18 miles long, covering roughly 400 square miles with its waters. It features a chain of islands running across the center for unique fishing opportunities and protection on windy days. It has access to a variety of sporting activities such as:

• Sport fishing (summer and winter ice fishing)
• Duck and goose hunting
• Big game (moose and deer) hunting
• Black Bear hunting

  

  In 1985 James Nabess leased the campground, constructed a cabin, a fish cleaning and storage shed, and continued to maintain the park for camping. Mr. Nabess began to acquire the necessary equipment to begin operating a guiding service to fisherman and hunters.

Over The past 16 years James, wife Carla and their guides (5) have been operating it on a marginal basis. The experience of this service indicates an increased demand for full outfitting services, which requires accommodations and modern camping facilities. The current client base is 80% American and the remainder are Manitoba and from neighboring provinces.

With strong encouragement from customers, community leaders and the province of Manitoba, Mr. Nabess decided to purchase the leased land and establish a full service business offering the following new amenities:

-3 cabins to accommodate 4 persons per cabin
-modern washroom and shower facilities
-12 serviced campsites and 8 unserviced campsites

Local Community

Simon Nabess Wayside Park is located north of The Pas/Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Manitoba's gateway to the north. Manitoba's northern communities are characterized as any community being physically located north of the 53 parallel. Northern Manitoba's home to approximately a dozen communities. The most notable being Thompson (14, 385), Flin Flon (6, 572), The Pas (5,945), Leaf Rapids (1, 504), Lynn Lake (1, 038), and Churchill (1, 089).