Best time to go
Crandell Lake is listed among the park's July-to-October fishing waters, and a Parks Canada fishing permit is required. Check the current dates and rules before bringing a rod; no particular fish species is confirmed here.
Overview
About Crandell Lake
Why stop
- A lakeside backcountry campground makes an overnight visit possible.
Heads up
- Even the short Akamina approach climbs steadily.
Map
Where it is
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Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Best time to go
7 active Waterton Lakes alerts
- ClosureBelly River Campground closedBelly River Campground is closed to all traffic and travel because a carcass is in the area. - Violators may be charged under the Canada National Parks Act, with a maximum penalty of $25,000.Official details
- ClosureBlakiston Fan closed to protect rutting elkThe Blakiston Fan area is closed to traffic and travel to prevent disturbance of elk rutting there.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Waterton Lakes Tour Guide
Your drive to Crandell Lake, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Waterton Lakes National 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 Waterton Lakes audio tourRecorded for this place
Crandell Lake Trailhead and McNeely’s0:00 / 0:25
“The Crandell Lake trailhead is coming up, for a short hike to a small lake between Mount Crandell and Ruby Ridge.”
Plays as you drive up to Crandell Lake in the Parkwolf Waterton Lakes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
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- 51 audio storiesacross Waterton Lakes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Black Bear, Elk, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 47 trails, 70 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!!!!”
Guide
More about Crandell Lake
Take the short routeCrandell Lake is a small mountain lake in a forested saddle between Mount Crandell and Ruby…
Crandell Lake is a small mountain lake in a forested saddle between Mount Crandell and Ruby Ridge. For a day visit, take the Akamina Parkway approach: 3.6 km return, about an hour, with 75 m of climbing. Its trailhead is about 7 km along the parkway from Waterton townsite. The grade climbs steadily, so it is a short hike rather than a roadside stop.
Make it a longer outingYou can also walk from the townsite: 12.4 km return, about four hours and 270 m of gain.
You can also walk from the townsite: 12.4 km return, about four hours and 270 m of gain. That route follows the parkway for a stretch before turning through forest, and it is shared with mountain bikers. Unless the walk itself is the point, the Akamina approach is the easier way to fit the lake into your day.
Stay by the shoreA small backcountry campground sits at the lake.
A small backcountry campground sits at the lake. Parks Canada's backcountry sites have tent pads, outhouses, food-storage bins and picnic tables; overnight stays require a backcountry permit. Treat or boil water from the campground sources, and use a gas stove for cooking. Fires are allowed only in designated metal rings. These are camping facilities, not confirmed day-use services.
Look for a still reflectionA trail follows part of the western shore and reaches small beaches.
A trail follows part of the western shore and reaches small beaches. When the water is calm, the surrounding mountains reflect across the lake; early or late in the day can bring those still conditions, but wind can break up the mirror. Mount Galway is visible to the north.
The mountain behind the nameMount Crandell, on the lake's eastern side, was once called Bear Mountain.
Mount Crandell, on the lake's eastern side, was once called Bear Mountain. It was renamed in 1914 for Edward Henry Crandell, a Calgary businessman and city councillor who was interested in the early oil industry.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Waterton Lakes
83 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
563 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
146 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
113 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
55 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
53 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Waterton Lakes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
