St. Malo Manitoba is a beachside community roughly 40km (25 miles) north of the US border on Highway 59 and roughly 65km (40 miles) south of Winnipeg.

St. Malo is known for its twin beaches, campgrounds, cottages, Summer Festival, Winter Festival, Family Hockey Tournament Weekend, and outdoor pilgrimage at its famous Shrine and Grotto. I don’t recommend riding a motorcycle to the Winter Festival or Hockey tournament.

I’ve been visiting the beaches of St. Malo since I was young. Two nice beaches on either side of the man-made lake, nice sand and smooth cool water make it easy to love this provincial park. Especially on hot summer days. Just off the beach, there is an icecream/food spot along with a mini-golf course that looks pretty cool if you are into that kind of thing.

As an adult, I started camping in St. Malo with the family, a great campground with quick access to each beach means it is ideal for young families looking to relax for a weekend. I try and camp in St. Malo Provincial Park at least once a year and have even gone motorcycle camping here with my oldest son. We were the only motorcycle in the park, got a couple of interesting looks but we were welcome. There are a few hiking/biking trails that are fairly short and easy if you need to get your daily step count up (bring bug spray or keep your leathers on).

If all you ever do in St. Malo is chill out on the beach or at a campsite then cool. I can’t fault you for that as I did that for most of my life too. About a decade ago I rolled into the actual town of St. Malo with 8-10 other motorcycle riders. We took a quick ride around the town then stopped for lunch at a local eatery before gassing up and heading out for the rest of our ride.

From that point forward, when I go to spend a weekend (or week) in St. Malo I always make sure to cross the highway and head into town. A cool little town with a laid back, relaxed feel and a classic small-town diner or two. Not to mention a couple of huge whitetail deer just begging you to snap a picture of them. The deer statue went missing for a few years but the St. Malo Chamber of Commerce recently let me know the deer have come home and are waiting for you.

I’ve never seen the famous Shrine and Grotto but now that I know it exists I will make a point of visiting it specifically when I return for one of my regular visits this summer.

St. Malo has both a town statue and a provincial park. Two for one deal at this stop.