Located on the North Saskatchewan River, Shekinah showcases some of the tremendous beauty and diversity contained in the natural world. Life abounds from the bottom of the river to the clouds in the sky. All kinds of plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, fungi, and insects can be seen everywhere you look.

As you enter Shekinah from the prairie plateau, the broad river valley becomes evident. The valley has been cut by flowing water over many years and has left some spectacular scenery. A ravine intersects the river valley at Shekinah. The ravine was carved by water from a spring a few kilometres south of the camp. The soil along the floodplain of the river is fertile and black while the soils on the hilltops are often quite sandy. Vegetation follows the soil gradient as well as hill slope and orientation to the sun.

Near the river and creek the plants are often quite different from those on a hill or those on a plain. Willows, sedges, certain grasses and Balsam poplar are often common plants associated with wetland areas. The floodplain has slightly different species of plants including Aspen poplar, dogwood, chokecherry, grasses, and wild raspberries. Moving up in elevation Aspen and shrubs become abundant. Near the top of the valley, grasses, Saskatoonberries, wildflowers and Silverberry are found, especially on the south or west slopes of hills. Forbs and wildflowers can be found in all of these areas but are often specific to a certain habitat. There are over 200 species of wildflowers at Shekinah for you to observe.

Mammals at Shekinah come in small and large sizes. The smaller animals include mice, voles and shrews. Smaller mammals are not limited to the ground, squirrels and chipmunks run through the trees while bats fly through the air. Medium sized mammals are weasels, groundhogs, skunks, raccoons, rabbits, foxes, minks and porcupines. Some larger variety animals are beavers, coyotes and white-tailed deer. The work of beavers is legendary in the ravine. Occasionally some rare animals wander through Shekinah. Black bears, lynx and cougars migrate along the river and pass through Shekinah every so often.

Birds also come in all kinds of sizes at Shekinah from the huge White Pelican to the tiny Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Songbirds inhabit the woodlands along with woodpeckers, certain hawks and owls. Ducks, geese, herons, pelicans, rails, sandpipers and kingfishers live near wetlands. Hawks and vultures can be seen soaring high overhead. During spring and fall a large number of migratory birds follow the river in their routes north and south. Some rare and impressive birds can be seen at these times of year.