Campground · Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
A 15-site forest camp reached by a long Kananaskis hike.
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 tourMore 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
Turbine Canyon Backcountry Campground is a 15-site forest camp north of Maude Brook. It’s a remote overnight stop on the Upper Kananaskis Lake and Kananaskis Pass route, not a quick roadside camp. Reserve a site before you set out; I’d choose it when the long backcountry trip is part of the plan.
The standard route from North Interlakes Day Use Area is 15.1 km one way with 525 m of elevation gain, via the Upper Kananaskis Lake Circuit, Three Isle Lake and Maude-Lawson trails. The last stretch climbs steeply away from the river after Forks Campground. Trail detours can add distance and time, so check the current trail report before leaving.
The tent sites sit in forest, with pit or vault toilets, bear-safe food storage and a cooking area. The listed water source is the river, so bring a way to treat it before drinking. Fires aren’t allowed; cooking is campstove only. Take the short walk downstream to Turbine Canyon itself—that’s the standout side trip from camp.
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
ChallengingBlacksmith Ridge Trail via Smith-Dorrien Creek6.8 km · 4 hr · 5.7 km awayA steep climb with a hidden fork and an open ridge.
ChallengingBlack Prince Lakes Trail9.8 km · 5 hr · 5.8 km awayCairns lead beyond Warspite Lake to an unsigned alpine cirque.
EasyBlack Shale Suspension Bridge Trail6.8 km · 2 hr · 5.8 km awayA forest walk builds to a 73 m suspension bridge.
ChallengingWarspite Ridge Trail10 km · 4.5 hr · 5.9 km awayA steep, hands-on climb to the ridge above Warspite Lake.
EasySouth Kananaskis Pass Trail4.2 km · 1.3 hr · 6.3 km awayA short backcountry spur to the Alberta–B.C. divide.
ChallengingJames Walker Creek Trail11.3 km · 4.5 hr · 7.2 km awayA creek valley hike to tarns, falls, and a steep alpine basin.
EasySawmill Loop Snowshoe Trail5.1 km · 1.8 hr · 7.2 km awayA snowy creekside loop through quiet Kananaskis forest.
EasySouth Sawmill Loop3.7 km · 1.5 hr · 7.2 km awayA gentle winter loop on Mount Kent's forested west slope.
Picnic area · 5.9 km awayBlack Prince Day Use AreaA practical picnic break on the Smith-Dorrien drive.
Campground · 6.3 km awayThree Isle Lake Backcountry CampgroundA two-loop lakeside camp is the reward for a 10-kilometre hike.
Campground · 6.5 km awayForks Backcountry CampgroundA creek-side overnight base for Three Isle Lake and Turbine Canyon.
Picnic area · 7.2 km awaySawmill Day Use AreaA useful break for views of Mount Murray and Kent Ridge.
Sight · 7.3 km awayBlackshale Creek Suspension BridgeA 73-metre span makes a creek crossing the payoff.Parkwolf’s Peter Lougheed ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
