Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

Peter Lougheed sits in Kananaskis Country, sharing the same Front Range peaks as Banff but with easier reservations, cheaper permits and a fraction of the traffic. The park centres on the Kananaskis Lakes and offers everything from car-camping loops to alpine backpacks (Northover Ridge is a Rockies classic). Winter brings tracked nordic trails and ice-climbing on Grotto Canyon nearby.

• Rocky Mountain scenery without Banff prices
• Kananaskis Lakes and Highwood Pass drive
• Northover Ridge overnight — one of Canada's best backpacks
• Serviced RV loops rare in national parks

Size

501 km²

Established

1977

Campsites

600+ across 6 campgrounds

Highwood Pass

Highest paved pass in Canada, 2,206 m

• Kananaskis Lakes paddle

• Highwood Pass drive

  Closed Dec 1 – Jun 15 for wildlife

• Rawson Lake day-hike

• Winter nordic ski at Pocaterra

Reservations: Required · Frontcountry: Yes · Backcountry: Yes · RV: Yes · Glamping: Yes

• Elkwood, Boulton Creek, Interlakes, Canyon, Lower Lake, Mount Sarrail campgrounds
• Backcountry sites on Aster Lake and Three Isle routes
• Comfort camping tents at Boulton Creek

• Rawson Lake

  Moderate · 8 km

  The area's signature day-hike — turquoise lake below Sarrail Ridge.

• Ptarmigan Cirque

  Moderate · 4 km

  Short but stunning alpine loop from Highwood Pass.

• Northover Ridge

  Hard · 40 km

  3-day loop through Aster Lake; a bucket-list Rockies traverse.

• Elbow Lake

  Easy · 3 km

  Family hike to a backcountry lake and campground.

• Rawson Lake mirror morning
• Highwood Pass wildflowers (July)
• Upper Kananaskis Lake at sunrise
• Golden larches at Chester Lake (mid-Sept)

Peak: July-August + third week of September (larches) · Shoulder: Late June, first week of October

Book through Alberta Parks Reserve — opens 90 days ahead of arrival.

Requires Kananaskis Conservation Pass on top of camping fee.

• weekend

  Kananaskis Lakes Sampler

  Two nights at Interlakes, paddle Upper Lake, hike Rawson day two.

• 3-day

  Larch Weekend

  Chester Lake, Ptarmigan Cirque, Rawson Lake in the third week of September.

• canoe

  Northover Ridge Loop

  3-day backpack via Three Isle and Aster lakes.

Our Travel Concierge builds custom itineraries around Peter Lougheed Provincial Park — permits, campsites, driving times, and shoulder-season strategy included.