Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
| Peter Lougheed Provincial Park | |
|---|---|
 Upper Kananaskis Lake in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park | |
  Location of Peter Lougheed Park in Alberta | |
| Location | Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada |
| Nearest city | Calgary, Canmore |
| Coordinates | 50°41′58″N 115°11′16″W / 50.69944°N 115.18778°WCoordinates: 50°41′58″N 115°11′16″W / 50.69944°N 115.18778°W |
| Area | 304 km2 (117 sq mi) |
| Established | September 22, 1977 |
| Governing body | Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation |
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada. The park is in Kananaskis Country about 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of Calgary, along the Kananaskis Trail.
The park is named after Peter Lougheed who served as premier of Alberta from 1971 to 1985. The park was originally named Kananaskis Provincial Park. Key people in creating the park were Bill Milne, a Calgary architect and environmentalist and Alberta Highways Minister and area MLA Clarence Copithorne. Legend says Premier Lougheed created the park in 1977 after a single helicopter flight over the area arranged by Milne and Copithorne.[1]
The park was dedicated on September 22, 1977. It is one of the largest provincial parks in Alberta, encompassing 304 square kilometres (117 sq mi) around the Kananaskis Lakes. The park provides amenities for camping and fishing along with trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. There are currently six vehicular access campgrounds and six backcountry campgrounds in the park.
A variety of wildlife can also be found in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, such as grizzly bears, black bears, elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, cougars, lynx, wolves and the occasional mountain goat.
Some of the most popular backpacking trips in Kananaskis are found in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The Northover Ridge is a three to four-day backpacking trip, as is the North and South Kananaskis Pass.
Activities
The following activities are available in the park:[2]
- Camping and backcountry camping (May to August, permit required)
- Canoeing, kayaking, power boating, sailing, windsurfing
- Cross-country skiing (on Boulton Creek, Elk Pass, Little Highwood, Highwood Meadows, Hydroline, Lodgepole, Lookout, Pocaterra, Ptarmigan Cirque, Rolly Road, Upper Kananaskis Lake, Wheeler and Whiskeyjack trails)
- Fishing and ice fishing
- Front country hiking (trails include Black Prince Cirque, Boulton Creek, Burstall Pass, "Canadian Mt. Everest Expedition", Chester Lake, Elbow Lake, Elk Pass, Hydroline, Kananaskis Canyon, Lodgepole, Lookout, Lower Kananaskis Lake, Marl Lake, Maude-Lawson Lakes, Pocaterra, Ptarmigan Cirque, Rawson Lake, Rock Glacier, Rolly Road, Smith-Dorien, Three Isle Lake and Upper Kananaskis Lake trails)
- Mountain biking (on Burstall Pass, Chester Lake, Elbow Lake trail, Elk Pass, Hydroline, Lookout, Pocaterra, Rolly Road, Smith-Dorien, Three Isle Lake, Wheeler and Whiskeyjack trails)
- Horseback riding (on Elbow Lake trail)
- Snowshoeing
- Climbing
See also
References
- ↑ "Alberta Parks Kananaskis Country History". www.albertaparks.ca. horizontal tab character in
|title=at position 34 (help) - ↑ Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation & Culture. "Activities in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park". Retrieved 2007-07-22.
External links
- Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation & Culture. "Peter Lougheed Provincial Park". Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- Park page at Alberta Government - Community Development site
- Hiking Trails In Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
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