Backcountry Trip Suggestions

Ice Safety: Alberta Parks does not monitor ice conditions; learn how to assess them for yourself at the Canadian Red Cross.

Easy Trips for Families and Beginners

Point Backcountry Campground and Elbow Lake Backcountry Campground in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park are rated easy. They both involve short hikes (1-4 km), with minimal elevation gain in stunning settings.
Jewell Bay Backcountry Campground and Quaite Valley Backcountry Campground have minimal elevation gain and less than 4 km of distance. They are both in Bow Valley Provincial Park.

Kayak or Canoe Accessible Campgrounds

Jewell Bay Backcountry Campground is accessible by canoe. Start from the Barrier Lake Day Use boat launch and paddle approximately 1.5 km west across Barrier Lake to the campground.
Point Backcountry Campground is located on the west shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake. It is approximately a 4.5 km paddle from the Upper Lake Day Use boat launch. Caution is advised as winds can blow in and kick up large waves on Upper Kananaskis Lake.

Equestrian Trips

Big Elbow Trail and Little Elbow Trail provide access to extraordinary backcountry camping facilities such as Mount Romulus Backcountry Campground, Big Elbow Backcountry Campground and Tombstone Backcountry Campground. These backcountry campgrounds include equestrian-specific features such as storage containers for horse feed. They make great base camps for extensive exploration on horseback.

Two Night Trips with Minimal Elevation Gain

For an easy two night backpacking trip, hike 3.4 km along Upper Kananaskis Lake to Point Backcountry Campground for the first night. Continue through forested terrain via Three Isle Trail for another 6.2 km to Forks Backcountry Campground for the second night.
Elbow Lake Backcountry Campground to Tombstone Backcountry Campground is another great option. It’s a 1.3 km hike to Elbow Lake on the first night, and then another 6 km to Tombstone on the second. Bikes are permitted on this trail so you could ride to Tombstone. Note that the trail has some difficult sections due to large stones and washouts.

Trips for Individuals with Limited Mobility (caregiver assisted) or Individuals Travelling with Children in Chariots

Elbow Lake Backcountry Campground is a 1.3 km hike up a nice wide trail that is accessible to chariots and bikes.
Point Backcountry Campground and Jewell Bay Backcountry Campground are great for people with limited mobility or young children as they're accessible by boat.
For those with young children, both Point and Jewell Bay campgrounds can be accessed by short hikes (3-4 km) on trails that are wide enough for chariots. Both routes have minimal elevation gain. Note that there are sections on the trails to Point and Jewell Bay where you would need to pick up the chariot which would likely require 2 adults.

Difficult Trips

Turbine Canyon Backcountry CampgroundtoThree Isle Lake Backcountry Campground via North and South Kananaskis Passes is a beautiful multi-day hike that requires good route finding skills. This route takes you out of Alberta’s Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and into Height of the Rockies Provincial Park in British Columbia.
The route is 16 km toTurbine Canyon Backcountry Campground, where you would spend the first night. Alternately, you could break your journey up by staying at Forks Backcountry Campground the first night and then hike the remaining 8 km to Turbine Canyon for the the second night.
From Turbine Canyon, hike towards Maude Lake, then over the North Kananaskis Pass, and alongside Leroy Creek.The unmaintained route heads around the west ridge of Mount Beatty and climbs up through heavily forested terrain past BC Parks’ Beatty Lake Campground. 4 km later, it arrives at Three Isle Lake Backcountry Campground. The trail can be difficult to follow. If you are not confident with your party’s navigation skills, you may want to choose the easier option below.
An easier option is available via maintained trails staying within Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. After staying atTurbine Canyon Backcountry Campground return to Forks Backcountry Campground via the Maude-Lawson Trail. Then take Three Isle Lake Trail to reach Three Isle Lake Backcountry Campground, approximately 11 km from Turbine Canyon.