Sawmill Day Use Area

Overview

About Sawmill Day Use Area

Why stop

Picnic tables and benches face two named mountain ridges.

Heads up

The view and a short leg-stretch are the main draws.

Map

Where it is

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Full map

Picnic areaSawmill Day Use Area50.74841, -115.24537

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

The site has food lockers, a self-registration kiosk and a washroom for its hiker-cyclist camping. That camp runs May 28 through September 19 for people traveling under their own power without motor-vehicle support; all other overnight camping at Sawmill is prohibited. Don’t plan on vehicle camping here.

Same access, more to do

The South Sawmill Loop heads south from here on the High Rockies Trail, then follows forest along Mount Kent’s west-facing slope. The same access serves hikers, cyclists, cross-country skiers and snowshoers, so the area is useful beyond a summer picnic. The day-use stop is still a modest one; the longer visit comes from joining the trail network.

4 active Peter Lougheed alerts

ClosureTrail closures and Three Isle detourThree trail sections remain closed; stay out of closed areas and follow the signed Three Isle detour to reach the open backcountry campgrounds.Official details
CautionBear activity near Elpoca and ValleyviewFrequent bear activity has been noted along Valleyview Road from Elpoca Day Use Area south to Highway 40, near Little Highwood Pass and Valleyview Day Use Areas; use bear precautions.Official details

See all 4 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Peter Lougheed Tour Guide

Your drive to Sawmill Day Use Area, narrated.

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 tour

Recorded for this place

Sawmill: Picnic Views and Ski Roots

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“Sawmill Day Use Area is coming up, with picnic tables and benches looking toward Mount Murray and Kent Ridge. I'd stop for a short break and the view; you don't need to take on a hike.”

Plays as you drive up to Sawmill Day Use Area in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed Tour Guide.

More about Sawmill Day Use Area

A good place to pauseSawmill is a small picnic area on the High Rockies Trail in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park,…

Sawmill is a small picnic area on the High Rockies Trail in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, with tables and benches facing Mount Murray and Kent Ridge across a grassy clearing. It makes an easy leg-stretch and a worthwhile mountain-view break if you’re already driving through. Keep the stop short unless you’re using the trails or the seasonal camp.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Peter Lougheed

All Peter Lougheed wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Peter Lougheed. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.