Alberta, Alberta Gardening, Alberta Parks, camping, Clipper Canoes, Clipper Cascade Canoe, David Thompson Highway, Day Hike, Hiking, Paddling, Road Trip - July 9, 2021

David Thompson Country - HWY 11

One of our families favorite places to travel in Alberta is in David Thompson Country. This area of Alberta is a Gem that connects the flat prairies into the majestic Canadian Rockies. You can watch the transformation before your eyes as you travel down Highway 11 towards the Icefields Parkway.

If you are looking for endless places to hike, camp, paddle or waterfall chase; this place is for you. We have completed many adventures in this area over the years so check out our other Blogs as well to see places like Allstones lake and Siffluer Falls Wilderness Area. Our first stop was just after the Historic Nordegg at Goldeye Lake Campground. This Campground is 1st Come 1st serve like many are along this highway so make sure to arrive early to get the best campsite. Goldeye Lake has an upper and a lower loop that is closer to the lake. We found the lower loop to be more for smaller units, tents or vans and was not as private. The upper loop had larger sights with lots of tree cover and was secluded. We choose Goldeye lake as it is known for paddling, fishing and has a nice shallow shoreline for swimming with the little ones.

Please note that Goldeye lake does not have an amazing view of the Rockies however just a short drive away the views are spectacular. We did not try our hand at fishing, that being said many anglers were on the lake. We enjoyed a paddle in our 17' Clipper Canoe with our little one instead and a night just relaxing by the fire and exploring the trails around the Campground.

The next day we took a drive South down the Forestry Trunk Road towards Ram Falls Provincial Park on Alberta 734. Make sure you have a 4X4 or All wheel Drive as this road is Gravel with lots of twists and turns. The Views along the way are Breathtaking and keep your eyes peeled for wildlife as there is no shortage along the way.

The Forestry Trunk Road travels through the heavily forested area of the Foothills and is a total of 268km starting in Coalspur south of Highway 40 and running South to Debolt west of Highway 43. This is a hot spot area for Crown Land Camping in Alberta also referred to as PLUZ (public land use zone.)

We drove the Section from Nordegg to Ram Falls which is approximately 64 km and takes about and hour and 15 minutes to arrive at Ram Falls. However take your time as there are several places to pull out and take in the view. You can also access Ram falls from the South Forestry Trunk Road or Rocky Mountain House down Alberta 752 or 591; We have never taken the other ways.

Ram Falls Provincial Park has a large reservation campground and also a beautiful Day use area. Take a walk through the Day use trails to make your way towards the lookout to the impressive 20 meter Ram falls. You can take in the view from up top or walk the long staircase down into the valley. Either way the views are breathtaking. Ram falls sits at an elevation of 5151 feet.

We hoped back into our truck and headed North up the Forestry Trunk Road and made our way to Crescent Falls Provincial Park located off Highway 11; 22 km west of Nordegg and 6 km North on a Gravel Road. This road is very rough we recommend a vehicle that has some clearance. Once you arrive at the park you can park your vehicle in the upper parking lot and walk down the hill or take a hike on the trails; Don't forget your bear spray and water! You can also drive down the gravel hill to the lower parking lot or cross the creek into the 1st come 1st serve campground and recreation area. If travelling into the campground we recommend a 4x4 with clearance and a short trailer or tent setup. We have seen too many people bottom out or wreck their units crossing the creek.

Crescent Falls is a two tier 27 meter Waterfall located on the Big Horn River with lots of hiking trails to explore the Big Horn Canyon. This is a popular Day use spot so it can get quite busy on the Summer Weekends.

Crescent Falls is also an equestrian Staging area into the beautiful Clearwater Backcountry. If you have time for a hike we recommend parking at the Bighorn Canyon lookout along the gravel road into the park. This trail is approximately 5 km as is an easy hike with beautiful views of the canyon and falls.

Follow the trail along the along the canyon through the forest until you will come to a split in the trail; you can head left for some spectacular canyon views of crescent falls and fallow the loop around to the main trail or head right to shorten your hike and head straight to the falls.

After chasing waterfalls all day Saturday we decided to take a drive on Sunday and head to the Abraham Lake and David Thompson Resort Playground. If you are travelling with kids the David Thompson Resort Rocket Playground is a must stop. The playground is constructed of steel and in the shape of a Rocket with some pretty cool slides for the kids. The playground is open to the public and also has a restaurant, gas station, gift store and Mini Golf.

If you want to see more about this cool playground, check out our Playground Blogs or you click the link at the end to watch our YouTube Vlog.

On your way down Highway 11 to the David Thompson Resort you will come across the Majestic Abraham Lake. Lake Abraham is a man made reservoir and Alberta's largest reservoir. The lake is 32km long by 3.3km wide with a surface area of 53.7km2. This is a beautiful spot to take pictures as the Kootenay Plains meet the Canadian Rockies. We do not recommend swimming or paddling this lake as the weather changes very fast and the lake level fluctuates without notice due to the Big Horn Dam at the North end. Lake Abraham was created in 1972 by the former Tras Alta Power Company.

There is several areas to stop along the lake from road side turn outs, to staging parking lots with outhouses for public access. Please be safe this is a very busy road where people like to travel at high speeds towards the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93). We hope our experience helps you plan your road trip out West. If you want to see more detail of our adventures; Click the link below.