Dolly Varden Day-use Area

Dolly Varden is a roadside day-use and picnic area on Highway 93 South, known for its self-guided displays about wildlife fences and underpasses. It makes a useful leg-stretch, especially for families, with a small model of the crossings that protect animals along the park highway. Plan on a brief stop centered on the exhibits and picnic area rather than a hike or major viewpoint.

The display structure is a small model culvert with exhibits about the wildlife crossings travelers pass between Radium and Lake Louise. Take a few minutes to follow the story: fencing steers animals away from traffic and toward passages under or over the road. The idea is easier to picture here than from behind the wheel.

This stretch of Highway 93 South was identified as a wildlife-vehicle collision hotspot. In 2013, 4.7 kilometres of fencing and three underpasses went in near Dolly Varden. A second phase in 2015 added more than 10 kilometres of fencing, one box underpass and five elliptical underpasses. Wolves were the first animals to use the new crossings; bears, white-tailed deer, moose and snowshoe hares followed.

There is a covered picnic area, which makes this an easy place to pause during the drive. The mapped site includes a toilet, though its type and drinking-water availability aren't specified in the available information.