Upper Lake Day Use Area

Upper Lake Day Use Area is a rocky-shore picnic stop on Upper Kananaskis Lake in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, with mountains rising across the water. It’s one of the park’s most popular day-use places. Come even if you aren’t hiking: the lake view is right at the day-use area, and the boat launch and two trail starts are here. The site is listed for year-round use.

Parking and picnic tables serve the shore, with some tables facing the water. They’re exposed, so wind can make lunch uncomfortable. Pit or vault toilets, firepits, a water pump and a boat launch are provided. The pump’s drinking-water status wasn’t confirmed, so check before relying on it for potable water. There’s no food service listed here; pack a picnic if you want to eat by the lake. Arrive early on busy holidays if you want a table or a spot near the shore, though how crowded it feels varies. The water is cold if you’re thinking of swimming.

The Upper Lake Trail circles the lake, and the Rawson Lake Trail branches from it. The Rawson section from the junction is a steady 3.9 km climb one way, gaining 320 m through subalpine forest before reaching an alpine lake among peaks and meadows. That’s a proper hike, not just an extension of the shoreline stop. Groups on the Rawson Lake Trail are limited to 15. Step-free access from the parking area to the water isn’t confirmed; the short descent to shore may be steep.

Before dams raised the lake, Upper Kananaskis had several wooded islands. In 1917, surveyors named five after Royal Navy ships: Cressy, Hawke, Hogue, Pegasus and Aboukir. Only Hawke and Hogue still rise above the water; Cressy may reappear when the lake is low. A log dam between Upper and Lower Kananaskis lakes went in during 1932 to regulate downstream power flows. A larger dam followed in 1942, lifting the lake enough to submerge most of the islands.

You don’t need a hike for the classic view: the rocky edge, lake and surrounding peaks are all visible from the day-use area. Put a strip of shoreline in the foreground so the mountains don’t flatten into a distant backdrop. The Upper Lake Trail gives you other angles along the water.