Parking
Start at William Watson Lodge main building. The official lodge map marks parking lots around the facility; a Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for vehicles parked there.
Overview
About Bill Benson Trail
Why go
- Barrier-free access to a peninsula on Lower Kananaskis Lake
- A picnic viewpoint with forest and mountain views at the end
Heads up
- The return retraces the same short path
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Peter Lougheed map
Full mapElevation1,672–1,691 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Peter Lougheed Tour Guide
Your drive to Bill Benson Trail, 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 tourRecorded for this trailhead
William Watson Lodge: An Accessible Retreat0:00 / 0:36
“You're nearing William Watson Lodge, a barrier-free retreat overlooking Lower Kananaskis Lake.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Elkwood Amphitheatre: The Walk to Marl Lake
- From Beaver Pond to Meadow
- Discovery Centre: Exhibits and Meadow Bears
- Canyon Day Use: The Lake and the Lost Trail
- 41 audio storiesacross Peter Lougheed’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Canada Lynx, Black Bear, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 66 trails, 41 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bill Benson Trail
A short lake walkBill Benson Trail is a 0.
Bill Benson Trail is a 0.7 km one-way, barrier-free walk from William Watson Lodge to a peninsula on Lower Kananaskis Lake. Walk back the same path for 1.4 km round trip; allow about 30–60 minutes if you stop at the water. The route passes the lodge’s accommodation cabins before continuing to the shore, making it an easy access-first outing rather than a long shoreline hike.
The lakeside endThe path continues beyond the last cabin to the peninsula.
The path continues beyond the last cabin to the peninsula. The lodge map marks a Lake Viewpoint and picnic sites here, with a view across the lake to forested mountain slopes. At the lookout, keep a little water below the far shore in your frame so the trees and mountains read as a lakeside view.
Start at the lodgeStart at the William Watson Lodge main building; the lodge map marks parking lots around the…
Start at the William Watson Lodge main building; the lodge map marks parking lots around the facility. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for vehicles parked there. Dogs are allowed on Alberta Parks trails but must stay on a leash no longer than 2 m. The lodge reopened in June 2022 after a two-year renovation and $6 million accessibility upgrade, reflecting the access-first purpose behind this short route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Peter Lougheed
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.
