Top 8 things to do in Elk Island National Park

Elk Island National Park lies in the Beaver Hills about 30 miles (50 km) east of Edmonton, Alberta: a rolling country of aspen forest, meadows, lakes and wetlands, fenced all the way around since the early 1900s, when it was set aside to save one of the last herds of elk in the region. It went on to help save the bison. Herds raised here have restocked parks and reserves across North America, and today plains bison roam the north of the park and wood bison the south, among moose, elk, deer, beavers and some 250 kinds of birds. These are the eight outings we would put first. The order starts with what the park is known for, then goes by what an outing gives back for the time and effort it takes. Distances are approximate; times are our estimates and do not include stops.

Bison look slow but can run faster than a horse and turn in an instant. Watch them from your vehicle, and on foot stay at least 110 yards (100 m) away; give elk and moose plenty of room too, above all in the fall rut and the spring calving season. Bison sometimes walk the trails, so turn back or go around them widely. Mosquitoes and ticks are common in early summer, and winter brings deep cold, often below -4°F (-20°C).

1. Drive the Bison Loop Road

This short loop leaves the main parkway near the north end of the park and winds through open meadows and aspen groves where the plains bison graze, often right beside the road and sometimes on it. It is the surest place in the park to see them, and in July and August, during the rut, the bulls bellow, wallow in the dust and spar. Stay in your vehicle, drive slowly and let the bison move off the road on their own.

Distance: about 6 miles (10 km) loop
Allow: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Start: off the Elk Island Parkway, north of Highway 16
When: spring to fall; early morning and evening for wildlife
Suits: everyone

2. Spend a day at Astotin Lake

Astotin Lake is the heart of the park, a large lake scattered with wooded islands, with a beach, a picnic area, a campground and a boat launch on its east shore. In summer you can paddle a canoe or kayak among the islands, watching for loons, grebes and pelicans, and in winter the lake is cleared for skating. It is also the best place in the park to watch the sunset.

Allow: half a day or more
Start: Astotin Lake area, off the Elk Island Parkway
When: all year; summer for paddling, winter for skating
Suits: everyone

3. Walk the Lakeview Trail

This loop follows the shore of Astotin Lake through aspen and spruce forest, past beaver ponds, dams and lodges, with frequent views over the water and its islands. Beavers live all through the park, and they have shaped much of its landscape. Walk it early in the morning or at dusk to see them swimming, along with ducks, muskrats and, sometimes, moose.

Distance: about 2.2 miles (3.6 km) loop
Allow: 1 to 1.5 hours
Start: Astotin Lake area
When: spring to fall; dawn and dusk for beavers
Suits: everyone

4. Cross the floating boardwalk on the Amisk Wuche Trail

Amisk Wuche means Beaver Hills in Cree, and this loop shows the land the name describes: aspen and birch woods, spruce bog and beaver ponds, crossed by a floating boardwalk across a pond. It is short and easy, with plenty of chances to see birds, beavers and, now and then, a moose browsing in the wetland. The trail sits just off the parkway, south of the Astotin Lake area.

Distance: about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) loop
Allow: 1 hour
Start: Amisk Wuche trailhead, off the Elk Island Parkway
When: spring to fall
Suits: everyone

5. See the Ukrainian Pioneer Home

Thousands of Ukrainian settlers made new homes on the farmland around the Beaver Hills from the 1890s. Near Astotin Lake stands a thatched log house built in the style of their first homes, with a steep thatched roof, as a memorial to the settlers who farmed this region. It is a short stop on the way to the lake.

Allow: 20 minutes
Start: Astotin Lake area
When: all year, from outside
Suits: everyone

6. Walk the Shoreline Trail

This trail follows the north shore of Astotin Lake on an old road, flat and wide, past marshy bays where waterbirds gather, with the islands of the lake on one side and aspen forest on the other. It is a good walk for families, and in winter it becomes one of the park’s easiest ski and snowshoe routes.

Distance: about 3.7 miles (6 km) round trip
Allow: 1.5 to 2 hours
Start: Astotin Lake area, at the north end of the beach
When: all year
Suits: everyone

7. Ski or snowshoe in winter

When the snow comes, many of the park’s trails are track-set for cross-country skiing, and the rest are open for snowshoeing, through silent aspen forest where you may meet bison, elk or moose in the snow. Astotin Lake is cleared for skating, and the warm-up shelters by the lake make it a good winter day out from Edmonton.

Allow: half a day
Start: Astotin Lake area and the trailheads along the parkway
When: December to March, when there is snow
Suits: everyone, dressed for deep cold

8. Look up at the stars

Elk Island is part of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve, and despite being so close to a big city, its skies are dark enough on clear nights for the Milky Way and, often in fall and winter, the northern lights. The park holds dark-sky events in some seasons, and the shore of Astotin Lake makes a fine place to sit and watch.

Allow: an hour or two after dark
Start: Astotin Lake area
When: all year, near the new moon; fall and winter for the northern lights
Suits: everyone

Before you go

This list covers what stays the same from year to year. Closures, trail conditions and wildlife warnings change, and Parks Canada posts them on its own site. The link is on our Elk Island National Park guide, with the map and how to get there.