Campground · Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
A short uphill carry opens onto a lakeside backcountry camp.
Overview
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Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Peter Lougheed Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. 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 Peter Lougheed audio tourRecorded for this place
Elbow Lake: A Short, Steep Lake Hike“You're nearing Elbow Pass Day Use Area, the starting point for a short, steep hike to Elbow Lake.”
Plays as you drive up to Elbow Lake Backcountry Campground in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed Tour Guide.
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“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
Elbow Lake Backcountry Campground is a walk-in tent camp on the forested shore of Elbow Lake, with around 15 pads. It can make a good first family overnight if you want a lake-and-mountain setting without a long approach. The catch is the climb: from Elbow Pass Day Use Area, the trail is about 1.3 km each way and gains roughly 120 m. Campers say that short uphill feels steep with overnight packs, so pack light and leave wheeled gear behind.
Elbow Pass Day Use Area is the closest vehicle access, 75 km south of Highway 1 on Highway 40. From there, you carry everything in along Elbow Lake Trail. The campground is in the East Kananaskis permit area, and sites can be booked up to 90 days ahead. Alberta Parks lists the 2026 camping season as June 15 through November 29; check the dates and booking rules for your trip.
Elbow Lake Trail continues past the campground to the Big Elbow Trail. That’s the only trail in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park open to horses, so expect equestrian traffic if you keep going. The lake and mountain setting is the payoff here; just remember that carrying a full overnight load makes this a more demanding walk than the distance suggests.
Wildlife
132 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
17 sightingsCanada LynxMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
30 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
176 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Peter Lougheed. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyElbow Lake Trail2.8 km · 1.5 hr · 1 km awayA steep old road climbs to an alpine lake.
ChallengingPiper Pass Trail20.6 km · 8 hr · 1 km awayA long climb from Elbow Lake to an exposed alpine pass.
ChallengingRae Glacier Trail9.1 km · 4 hr · 1 km awayA rugged, unsigned climb to Rae Glacier’s rocky basin.
ModerateEdworthy Falls via Elbow Lake Trail9.7 km · 3.5 hr · 1 km awayElbow Lake first, then a gentler valley walk to Edworthy Falls.
ModerateRae Lake Trail17.2 km · 6 hr · 1 km awayA long, unsigned branch to a lake beneath Mount Rae.
ChallengingHighwood Ridge Trail12.5 km · 4.5 hr · 4.9 km awayA steep scramble across two peaks above Highwood Pass.
EasyHighwood Meadows Trail1.2 km · 30 min · 4.9 km awayA barrier-free boardwalk through a fragile alpine meadow at 2,200 m.
ModerateGrizzly Col Trail9 km · 4 hr · 4.9 km awayA rugged climb through Pocaterra Cirque to the saddle below Grizzly RidgeSight · 0.3 km awayElbow LakeA short, steep climb opens onto an emerald alpine lake.
Sight · 2.3 km awayLittle Highwood Pass Day Use AreaA roadside pause for Highwood Pass scenery and Pocaterra Ridge access.
Sight · 2.7 km awayRock Glacier Day Use AreaA short stop for a rockslide, alpine views, and pikas.Sight · 5 km awayHighwood Pass Day UseAlpine meadow and jagged peaks, reached on a 1.2 km boardwalk.
Campground · 6.5 km awayBoulton Creek CampgroundA wooded base camp with walk-in tents and full RV hookups.
Store · 7 km awayBoulton Creek Trading PostGroceries, campground basics, rentals and ice cream in one stop.
Picnic area · 7 km awayBoulton Bridge Day Use AreaA creekside picnic stop with an almost 5 km trail nearby
Campground · 7.6 km awayLower Lake Group CampgroundA shared shelter and room for up to 15 camping units.Parkwolf’s Peter Lougheed ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
