One of the busiest camping spots along Abraham Lake and the only one allowing OHVs with direct connections to the trail system.
Above: The North Saskatchewan River below the dam
This popular camping spot has undergone a lot of changes over the past two years as the province upgraded roads, added toilets and created a new staging area for OHVs.
We’ll be updating this guide in the coming weeks now that construction is wrapping up.
The meeting locations for tours offered by Rockies Heli Canada, McKenzie’s Trails West, Banff Canyoning and Girth Hitch Guiding are less than 25 minutes away along the David Thompson Highway.
Nearby Services
You’ll find a restaurant, gas station, basic supplies and gift shops at David Thompson Resort, 20 minutes away.
Nordegg is only 25 minutes away where you’ll find gas stations, basic supplies, restaurants and shops. An RV sani-dump is available at the Nordegg Lodge.
Getting Here
The camping area is located 28 km west of Nordegg on Highway 11 and Range Road 170A.
A pretty camping spot with great mountain views, easy access to adventures and amazing paddling on Abraham Lake in the fall.
Above: In late summer and fall this is a great spot for photography with flooded aspen trees
This spot is located across the bay from the main Preacher’s Point camping area with more secluded camping spots that still offer great views of the surrounding peaks.
The water level fluctuates a lot here, from the original channel of the North Saskatchewan River in early summer to a full lake by early fall making it a popular spot for photographers.
Over the past few years the provincial government turned it into an official camping area with access roads and toilets. It is included in the public lands camping pass, allowing you to stay for up to 14 days at a time for $30 per adult per year.
Please note that motorized vehicles are not allowed below the high water mark or on the lake bottom from April 30 to December 1.
The meeting locations for tours offered by Rockies Heli Canada, McKenzie’s Trails West, Banff Canyoning and Girth Hitch Guiding are less than 10 minutes away along the David Thompson Highway.
Popular hikes in the area include Siffleur Falls, Coral Creek Canyon, Tuff Puff Ridge and Thompson Creek Falls. This is a good spot to finish a river trip from the Icefields Parkway or to paddle on the lake once the reservoir fills up in late summer. Keep in mind that the water is cold all year and that winds can pick up quickly as you plan your water adventure.
Nearby Services
You’ll find a restaurant, gas station, basic supplies and gift shops at The Crossing Resort, 25 minutes away, and David Thompson Resort, 10 minutes away.
Nordegg is only 40 minutes away where you’ll find gas stations, basic supplies, restaurants and shops. An RV sani-dump is available at the Nordegg Lodge.
Getting Here
The camping area is located on Highway 11, 60 km west of Nordegg and 30 km east of Saskatchewan River Crossing.
This is one of the most easily accessible lakeside camping spots in the region, making it one of the most popular.
Above: In late summer and fall this is a great spot to paddle through the flooded aspen trees
Located at the furthest end of Abraham Lake from the Bighorn Dam, roughly 30 km away, this area sees large fluctuations throughout the year. If you visit in the spring or early summer you’ll find the North Saskatchewan River flowing through its original channel. Come back in late summer or the fall and you’ll find a full lake, often overflowing its banks into the nearby aspen trees and making it a popular spot for paddling and photography.
Over the past few years the provincial government turned it into an official camping area with access roads and toilets. It is included in the public lands camping pass, allowing you to stay for up to 14 days at a time for $30 per adult per year.
Please note that motorized vehicles are not allowed below the high water mark or on the lake bottom from April 30 to December 1.
The meeting locations for tours offered by Rockies Heli Canada, McKenzie’s Trails West, Banff Canyoning and Girth Hitch Guiding are less than 10 minutes away along the David Thompson Highway.
Popular hikes in the area include Siffleur Falls, Coral Creek Canyon, Tuff Puff Ridge and Thompson Creek Falls. This is a good spot to finish a river trip from the Icefields Parkway or to paddle on the lake once the reservoir fills up in late summer. Keep in mind that the water is cold all year and that winds can pick up quickly as you plan your water adventure.
Nearby Services
You’ll find a restaurant, gas station, basic supplies and gift shops at The Crossing Resort, 25 minutes away, and David Thompson Resort, 10 minutes away.
Nordegg is only 40 minutes away where you’ll find gas stations, basic supplies, restaurants and shops. An RV sani-dump is available at the Nordegg Lodge.
Getting Here
The camping area is located on Highway 11, 60 km west of Nordegg and 30 km east of Saskatchewan River Crossing.
A central location with great views of Abraham Lake and close access to some of the best adventures in the region.
Above: Filming methane bubbles coming up from the ground in late summer. This area is a popular spot for the ice bubbles in the winter.
This spot has some amazing views of Mount Michener, Abraham Mountain and Elliot’s Peak. It’s location near Cline River makes it a great base to head out on a flight with Rockies Heli Canada, a horseback ride with McKenzie’s Trails West or to join us on one of our tours.
It’s also close by to popular trails like Vision Quest, Coral Creek Canyon and Whitegoat Falls.
This has long been a popular camping spot along the shores of Abraham Lake. Over the past few years the provincial government turned it into an official camping area with access roads and toilets. It is included in the public lands camping pass, allowing you to stay for up to 14 days at a time for $30 per adult per year.
Please note that motorized vehicles are not allowed below the high water mark or on the lake bottom from April 30 to December 1.
Explore the Region From The Allstones Camping Area
The meeting locations for tours offered by Rockies Heli Canada, McKenzie’s Trails West, Banff Canyoning and Girth Hitch Guiding are less than 5 minutes away along the David Thompson Highway.
Nearby Services
You’ll find a restaurant, gas station, basic supplies and gift shops at David Thompson Resort, 5 minutes away.
Nordegg is only 25 minutes away where you’ll find gas stations, basic supplies, restaurants and shops. An RV sani-dump is available at the Nordegg Lodge.
Getting Here
The camping area is located on Highway 11, 40 km west of Nordegg and 50 km east of Saskatchewan River Crossing.
A popular spot on the shores of Abraham Lake with cliff jumping in late summer and access to the Allstones Lake and Creek trails.
Above: The hike up Allstones Creek to a pretty waterfalls
One of the best lakeside camping option in the region, with great views of Abraham Lake and the front range of the Canadian Rockies.
It’s a great location close to the many tours and activities available at Cline River, near popular hiking trails like Vision Quest and with the trails to Allstones Lake and Creek starting right from the campsite.
Later in the summer, once the reservoir is full, it’s also a popular spot for cliff jumping but make sure that water is deep enough first.
Explore the Region From The Allstones Camping Area
The meeting locations for tours offered by Rockies Heli Canada, McKenzie’s Trails West, Banff Canyoning and Girth Hitch Guiding are less than 10 minutes away along the David Thompson Highway.
The popular Allstones Creek and Allstones Lake hikes start from the parking lot across the cove from this campsite.
Nearby Services
You’ll find a restaurant, gas station, basic supplies and gift shops at David Thompson Resort, 10 minutes away.
Nordegg is only 20 minutes away where you’ll find gas stations, basic supplies, restaurants and shops. An RV sani-dump is available at the Nordegg Lodge.
Getting Here
The camping area is located 31 km west of Nordegg on Highway 11. The camping area is west of the Allstones Lake staging area.
This trail is a great option for those looking at getting started with winter hiking.
Tershishner icefall makes for a great introduction to hiking in winter. This relatively short hike up a creek ends in a small icefall at the mouth of Tershishner Canyon. With little elevation gain, easy navigation and low commitment of time, this trail is a superb option for families. If there is lots of fresh snow, this trail can become much more difficult. The snow collects on the creek bed and can be notoriously deep; bring snowshoes just in case!
At a Glance
Distance: 3.2 km return
Elevation gain: ~85 m
Challenge Level: Easy | Family Friendly
Trail type: There and back
Congestion: Minimal
Management: Kiska / Wilson PLUZ
Other Trail Uses: None
Trailhead: Approximately 26km west of Nordegg and 64km east of Banff National Park boundary.
This snowshoe gives you a sense of wilderness and great views on an adventure that can be done in half a day.
This hike takes you behind Mount Stelfox to a great viewpoint looking down into Coral Canyon and up the massive valley of Coral Creek.
With a large, easy trail to follow, this adventure takes you quickly into the backcountry giving you a feeling of remoteness. There are also impressive open views up the Cline River valley and towards Sentinel Mountain. This is one of the better options for snowshoeing in the area when there is snow.
At a Glance
Distance: 7.5 km return
Elevation gain: ~190 m
Challenge Level: Moderate | Family Friendly
Trail type: There and back
Congestion: Minimal
Management: Kiska/Wilson & Job/Cline PLUZ
Other Trail Uses: Horses and OHV (trapline use only)
Trailhead: The trail starts at the Coral Creek White Goat Staging Area, approximately 48 km west of Nordegg and 42 km east of Saskatchewan River Crossing. Toilets are available at the trailhead.
On this adventure, you will walk through the forest, climb up and down old glacier moraines, experience amazing views over the canyon and stand below a stunning icefall along the Cline River. There is a little bit of everything on this hike that will be sure to satisfy a multitude of tastes. The parking lot fills on weekends and there is almost always at least one group on the trail on weekdays. With this trail becoming more popular every year, please tread lightly, pack out your garbage and pick up your dog’s poop!
We’ve been offering this as a guided hike for almost a decade at Nordegg Adventures. Until the pandemic we only saw the occasional hiker or ice climber, now it is becoming a popular trail. Keep in mind that what we find busy would be considered a quiet trail in Banff or Jasper.
At a Glance
Distance: 3.4 km return
Elevation gain: ~75 m
Challenge Level: Moderate | Family Friendly
Trail type: There and back
Congestion: Moderate
Management: Kiska/Wilson PLUZ
Other Trail Uses: None
Trailhead: This trail starts at the Pinto Lake Staging Area, located approximately 50 km west of Nordegg and 42 km east of Saskatchewan River Crossing. Toilets are available at the trailhead.
Head Out On Your Own
Distances
0.6 km | Short but steep hill
0.9 km | Trail narrows
1.0 km | Abraham Lake views
1.1 km | Short but steep hill
1.2 km | Narrow canyon
1.3 km | Icefalls viewpoint
1.4 km | Canyon viewpoint
1.5 km | Canyon acess
1.7 km | Icefalls
The Trailhead
The Pinto Lake Staging Area where this trail starts is easy to miss as you drive down the highway. There is a small parking area near the road, the only place to park in a snowy winter, with a larger parking area a little further down the driveway in an abandoned gravel pit. Alberta Environment and Parks has plans to improve this parking lot and a toilet has already been added in recent years.
This trailhead serves a few different trails and there are no clear signs for most of them. The Cline River Canyon trail starts on the right-hand side as you enter the gravel pit. Going up the old access road you quickly gain a view of Mount William Booth and the Whiterabbit Valley on the other side of Abraham Lake. The trail goes through an area often used as a campsite before entering the pine forest. The next section is on a fairly flat plateau with the Cline River at the bottom of the valley on your right.
The Forest Walk
The walk through the forest is a pleasant one with glimpses of the White Goat Wilderness Area and the Cline River Valley whenever the trees open up. There is one short but steep hill in this section as you make your way from one plateau to the next. It can get quite icy but a pair of ice cleats makes it easily manageable.
Soon the trail narrows and drops down to your right. There are two openings in the forest ahead affording distant views of Windy Point Ridge and Mount Abraham. These openings in the forest are caused by water seeping out of the ground, causing the area to slowly slump toward the river below. Continue on the trail ahead, making your way down another short but somewhat steeper hill. The trail from here changes slightly from year to year, making its way through the forest to the first view of the Cline River Canyon. Be careful here: the edge of the canyon is unmarked and slopes toward the cliff. Make sure to stay at least at body length away from the edge.
This is one of the skinniest and most dramatic sections of the canyon, making it hard to see the river at the bottom. You can see multiple icefalls plunging over the cliffs on the other side of the canyon.
The Canyon
Follow the trail to the left to another viewpoint with a natural railing made of rock. This is your first view of the icefalls where you’re going. There are a number of great viewpoints ahead on the trail, looking straight at the canyon and the peaks framing the valley ahead.
To access the canyon, continue on the trail until you reach an opening in the forest that looks like the end of the trail. Access the small stream on your right and make your way down the drainage. This section is a mix of snow, ice and rocks depending on how much snow the winter has brought. In most years ice cleats work best while snowshoes are great in years where heavy snow fills in the bottom of the gully.
IN THE CANYON
Once at the river, take a left and head towards the icefalls, passing over river rocks and a small water source coming out of the rocks. This source isn’t particularly warm but runs all winter long, even on the coldest days.
An extra jacket will help you enjoy your time here since it’s often much colder in the canyon. Take your time to enjoy the peacefulness of the place, the ice covering the canyon walls and the river running through it. The ice on the walls comes from water seeping above the canyon walls, not from a creek or a stream. On some days you can see the water slowly dripping down the icicles and they get bigger as the season goes on.
A few things to keep in mind to ensure a safe experience include:
Stay on the ice that is sitting on rocks at the base of the icefalls. The river in the canyon freezes from time to time but we don’t recommend going up the canyon since the river is deep in sections, the ice is unstable and there is a risk of falling rocks or ice.
Ice climbers break off a lot of ice chunks, some quite large, while climbing. Stay a good distance back to avoid getting hit.
The ice does break off the wall and falls down below from time to time. This mostly happens when we have large temperature fluctuations and we see this often when the temperatures suddenly drop to -30C. Enjoy the views without getting too close to the canyon walls and stay aware of your surroundings.
THE RETURN
Retrace your footsteps to return to the trailhead.
A fun little canyon hike filled with rock features and a frozen waterfall.
Allstones creek is a great hike for most abilities and families. You enter a deep canyon with lots of interesting, exposed rock that ends at a frozen waterfall.
It’s not too long that you get tired and not too short that you barely stretch your legs or have time to explore. It is not often there is a fun-filled route this close to the highway and of this length. What are you waiting for!
At a Glance
Distance: 3.2 km return
Elevation gain: ~80 m
Challenge Level: Easy | Family Friendly
Trail type: There and back
Congestion: Moderate
Management: Kiska/Wilson PLUZ
Other Trail Uses: None
Trailhead: The trail starts at the Allstones Lake Staging Area, approximately 31 km west of Nordegg and 52 km east of Saskatchewan River Crossing. Toilets are available at the trailhead.
The trail guide
Distances
1.2 km | Frozen waterfalls
2.4 km | Trailhead
The Journey
There are two options to park for this hike, one on the north side of Allstones Creek and one on the south. Both have toilets available but no garbage cans. The north lot fills up quickly when it is accessible and is often filled with snow during the winter months. The parking lot on the south side is usually accessible all season long.
Cross the highway and enter the creek from the left side (south) or if you want to start with an adventure, you can take the culvert from the parking lot side to cross under the highway. Immediately, you will find yourself surrounded by beautiful, vertically exposed rock ribs. Start heading up the frozen creek bed past the vibrant coloured rock as the canyon starts to constrict around you.
Follow the creek for multiple twists and turns, snaking your way past water-carved cliffs and overhangs. Be sure to take the time to appreciate the artwork created over many years of erosion by the persistent creek. Most years the creek freezes and covers the rocks in the creek bed, creating an easy pathway to follow.
In a mostly flat 1.6 km you will reach an intimate waterfall, frozen in time, as it cascades over a headwall. See if you can hear and see the water moving behind the ice!
A pretty frozen waterfall that’s well worth the short hike through the forest.
These falls may not be as dramatic in the winter as others nearby like Siffleur Falls, the Cline River Canyon or Crescent Falls but they’re still worth the effort. They are not as busy as the better-known frozen waterfalls meaning that you often have the place to yourself and the ability to walk right to the base of the falls allows you to really appreciate their scale.
The best times to visit are first thing in the morning and shortly before sunset when the light on the falls is at its best. Snowshoes are best after a snowfall but this trail is usually well packed enough to use ice cleats only on most days.
At a Glance
Distance: 3.6 km return
Elevation gain: ~120 m
Challenge Level: Easy | Family Friendly
Trail type: There and back
Congestion: Minimal
Management: Kiska / Wilson PLUZ
Other Trail Uses: Snowmobiles are allowed on a section of the trail
Trailhead: Approximately 45 km west of Nordegg and 45 km east of Saskatchewan River Crossing. During the winter months the road to the Cline River Waste Transfer Station is not maintained. Park at the highway and walk up the access road.
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