Saskatoon

Saskatoon is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, with a population of 266,141 according to the 2021 census. It is located in Central Saskcatchewan, straddling the South Saskatchewan River. The city has developed with urban sprawl, high-speed freeways and arterial roads, notably Circle Drive (ringroad) Idylwyld (north to south), 22nd Street (west) and College Drive (east). Despite new developments being adversarial to pedestrians the downtown and historic neighborhoods are very walkable, and the city has 1046 ha of dedicated greenspace/parkland including an urban forest along the riverbank, and 30 community gardens. It is not uncommon for people to hitch between the three largest cities in the province along highway 11.

Hitchhiking out

Intersecting Highways include the interprovincial Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, as well as intra-provincial highways: Saskatchewan 5 to the east, Saskatchewan 14 to the west, Saskatchewan 7 to the southwest, and The Sasktchewan 11. The Saskatchewan 11 runs north to south connecting Saskatoon to the other major cities in the province, Prince Albert to the north, and the provincial capital Regina to the south. The Yellowhead Highway (Trans-Canada 16) runs southeast to northwest, connecting the city interprovincially with Winnipeg and Edmonton respectively.

East towards Winnipeg

You can take the bus route 04/44, transfering to the 55 at college/field house, from downtown to get close to the corner Boychuck Dr/Trans-Canada. There are lights and lots of room for cars to stop.

Other useful info

As of 2022 there are an estimated 550 people experiencing homelessness in Saskatoon. Winters can reach lows of -50 degrees Celsius, with a record wind-chill of -60.9, and summer months reaching as high as 40 degrees celsius. There are some services and shelters available for people experiencing homelessness in Saskatoon, including The Saskatoon Tribal Council, The Salvation Army, and The Lighthouse (which no longer offers emergency shelter as-of 2023), among others. Restaurants are obligated to provide tap water free of charge. There are a number of hotels, motels, and B&Bs in the city, but there are no Hostels available. There is a large street art and Busking culture, and it is the cultural capital of the province with a seemingly disproportionate concentration of art, music, and diverse cuisine. The bus system is lacking compared to many other cities, but it is functional, with a central hub downtown next to city hall. You can't ride your bike on the sidewalk, there are very few roadside bike paths, and there is a lack of sinage marking roads prohibited to bikers. If navigating by river, you must portage to avoid the weir. There are bouys to warn watercraft not to continue downstream toward the weir.