Population: 540 (2021 census)
Take Route 55 eastbound out of Nipawin and then Route 123, which runs along the river to access the northern village of Cumberland House. Cumberland House is 163 km northeast of Nipawin at the end of Highway 123. The community served as a supply depot and transportation hub during the fur trade era. Indeed, waterways led to all Athabasca northwest regions, the western plains, and Hudson's Bay in the east.
The community retains a core of small businesses today. You will find yourself at the oldest permanent settlement site in Western Canada. Cumberland House has been in business since British explorer Samuel Hearne founded it in 1774. The place looks like an Island surrounded by 10,000 square kilometres of freshwater marshes, crisscrossed by streams that let the water flow into this inland delta. This engaging environment will seduce the curious visitor not discouraged by the modest tourist infrastructure. The delta area is slightly smaller than the Mississippi Delta. It is one of Canada's most productive sources of biodiversity and a major breeding habitat for many birds that use wetlands as their habitat.
However, the sustainability of this natural environment is far from assured. The river's flow is expected to decrease over the next few years because the major cities and industries consume water from the river upstream.