#9 of 14 sights in Peter Lougheed
Sight · Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
A short stop for a rockslide, alpine views, and pikas.
Overview
Map
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
Rock Glacier: A Short Walk and Pikas“Rock Glacier Day Use Area is coming up, a quick leg-stretch beside a slope of angular boulders.”
Plays as you drive up to Rock Glacier Day Use Area in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed 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
Rock Glacier Day Use Area is a roadside rockslide stop on Highway 40, with a short interpretive walk along the bottom of the slide and alpine views. It’s a leg-stretch, not a hike: the walk to the unusual rock formation is only 150 m one way. Stop if you’re curious about the slope of angular boulders; it’s an easy one to keep brief.
Pikas live in the rockslide, so look between the blocks as you walk along its base. You may not spot one, but the boulder field itself is the reason to get out of the car. For a photo, keep some rocks in the foreground and leave a slice of the alpine valley in the frame for scale.
The area is seasonal, listed for June 15 through November 30, and has no listed amenities. Treat it as a quick walk and view rather than a picnic or service stop.
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
ChallengingHighwood Ridge Trail12.5 km · 4.5 hr · 2.5 km awayA steep scramble across two peaks above Highwood Pass.
EasyHighwood Meadows Trail1.2 km · 30 min · 2.5 km awayA barrier-free boardwalk through a fragile alpine meadow at 2,200 m.
ModerateGrizzly Col Trail9 km · 4 hr · 2.5 km awayA rugged climb through Pocaterra Cirque to the saddle below Grizzly Ridge
ModerateLittle Highwood Pass Trail9 km · 4 hr · 2.5 km awayA tarn breaks up the climb to a pass above the cirques.
ModeratePtarmigan Cirque Interpretive Trail4.5 km · 1.5 hr · 2.5 km awayA steep climb to a flowered alpine bowl below Mount Rae.
ModerateGrizzly Ridge Trail9.7 km · 5.3 hr · 2.5 km awayLarches, a mountain tarn and a short scramble open onto wide views.
EasyElbow Lake Trail2.8 km · 1.5 hr · 2.6 km awayA steep old road climbs to an alpine lake.
ChallengingPiper Pass Trail20.6 km · 8 hr · 2.6 km awayA long climb from Elbow Lake to an exposed alpine pass.Sight · 2.5 km awayHighwood Pass Day UseAlpine meadow and jagged peaks, reached on a 1.2 km boardwalk.
Campground · 2.7 km awayElbow Lake Backcountry CampgroundA short uphill carry opens onto a lakeside backcountry camp.Sight · 2.9 km awayElbow LakeA short, steep climb opens onto an emerald alpine lake.
Sight · 4 km awayLittle Highwood Pass Day Use AreaA roadside pause for Highwood Pass scenery and Pocaterra Ridge access.
Campground · 7 km awayBoulton Creek CampgroundA wooded base camp with walk-in tents and full RV hookups.
Picnic area · 7.5 km awayBoulton Bridge Day Use AreaA creekside picnic stop with an almost 5 km trail nearby
Store · 7.5 km awayBoulton Creek Trading PostGroceries, campground basics, rentals and ice cream in one stop.
Picnic area · 7.8 km awayUpper Lake Day Use AreaA rocky lakeshore picnic, with two major trail starts.Parkwolf’s Peter Lougheed ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
