Where is Cranberry Portage?
Cranberry Portage is located in the western part of Grass River Provincial Park in central Manitoba, at 54 35' N 101 23' W. It lies on Provincial Highway 10, 48 kilometres east of Flin Flon, (which is on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border) and 96 kilometres north of The Pas. It is also on the rail line just south of the point where the line forks, the western branch going to Flin Flon and the northern branch going to Lynn Lake.
The town is situated on strip of land about 1.5 kilometres in width separating Athapapuscow Lake on the west, and First Cranberry Lake on the east. Athapapuscow Lake (known locally as Lake Athapap) drains into the Saskatchewan-Nelson River system by way of Rat Creek, Goose Lake and Sturgeon-Weir River. First Cranberry Lake is at the headwaters of the Grassy River system, which eventually flows into the Nelson River at Split Lake.
How to Reach Cranberry Portage
Cranberry can be reached by road from Winnipeg and the south using Highway 10, turning west at Highway 60 (the Easterville Road), about 35 km before Grand Rapids, and turning on to Highway 10 just over 70 km south of The Pas. This takes approximately seven hours in normal conditions. Highway 10 comes all the way from Brandon. Highway 39 to Thompson, Manitoba joins Highway 10 at Fidler's Service Station and Restaurant 16 km south of Cranberry Portage.
An alternative route from Saskatchewan to Cranberry Portage uses the Hanson Lake Road, Highway 106 from Smeaton, east of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to Flin Flon, and then from Flin Flon to Cranberry on Manitoba Highway 10. This route is about four and a half hours from Prince Albert, or six hours from Saskatoon.
Cranberry can be reached by regular air service to the Flin Flin Airport which is half way between Flin Flon and Cranberry Portage, at Baker's Narrows, some 25 kilometres west of Cranberry. The landing at Flin Flon airport is one of the most spectacular in Manitoba. Passengers see the expanses of Lake Athapap and the steep cliffs of the Flin Flon geological region as they approach Flin Flon's modern landing strip.
Passenger trains headed to Pukatawagan from The Pas come to Cranberry on Mondays and Thursdays, and return to The Pas on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Bus service to Cranberry Portage includes Grey Goose to and from both Winnipeg and Thompson.