Campground · Icefields Parkway (Highway 93)
Camp between glacier-fed lakes, and plan to go offline.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Icefields Parkway Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Icefields Parkway (Highway 93). As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Icefields Parkway audio tourRecorded for this place
Upper Waterfowl Lake: The Short Shore Walk“You're approaching the Waterfowl Lakes campground access, where a short walk leads to Upper Waterfowl Lake's turquoise shore.”
Plays as you drive up to Waterfowl Lakes Campground in the Parkwolf Icefields Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Waterfowl Lakes Campground is a wooded campground between Upper and Lower Waterfowl lakes on the Mistaya River along the Icefields Parkway. Its 110 sites put campers close to glacier-fed water and the surrounding mountains; paddling and nearby moderate trails are the draw.
All sites are unserviced and first-come, first-served, with no reservations. They suit tents and motorhomes or trailers up to 9 m (31 ft). Have a backup for busy dates, since availability changes. The summer season is short and opening dates depend on weather, so check the current schedule before you set out. Potable water, flush and dry toilets, cooking and picnic shelters, firepits, a sani-dump and food lockers are available. There are no showers or cell coverage; no food service is listed, so bring camp meals.
Paddling the glacier-fed lakes is a natural fit, and the area also has access to moderate walks. Bow Lake and Peyto Lake Viewpoint are short drives away, with Saskatchewan Crossing nearby. A campground theater hosts seasonal interpretive programs; check the current schedule for dates.
Wildlife
12 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
127 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
16 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
100 sightingsElkMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
34 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
53 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Icefields Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateCirque Lake Trail9.2 km · 3 hr · 0.2 km awayBeyond the forest, a boulder shore opens to glacier views.
ModerateChephren Lake Trail8.2 km · 2.8 hr · 0.2 km awayA rooty forest out-and-back to a turquoise lake beneath towering peaks.
EasyUpper Waterfowl Lake Trail1.7 km · 45 min · 0.4 km awayA quick bridge crossing opens onto turquoise Upper Waterfowl Lake.
Scenic pullout · 0.9 km awayLower Waterfowl Lake ViewpointA quick pull-off for turquoise water and Mount Chephren.
Sight · 1.4 km awayUpper Waterfowl LakeTurquoise water and mountain reflections reward a short shore walk.Sight · 2.3 km awayChephren LakeA rooty forest hike ends at a glacial lake beneath big peaks.
Sight · 4.1 km awayCirque LakeBlue water under a glacier and cirque walls, worth the hike.
Campground · 5.4 km awaySilverhorn Creek CampgroundA simple night between big stops, with mountain views and creekside sites.Parkwolf’s Icefields Parkway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
