Alberta kayaking, tours, rentals
Canada travel, tourism

Kayaking in Alberta

Alberta, Canada kayaking is enjoyed on many of the rivers and lakes located throughout the province of Alberta.

There is a vast network of 240+ rivers and 600+ lakes in Alberta exploring the Rocky Mountains, the northern tundra, the southern Canadian Badlands and the central foothills and prairie grasslands.

In Alberta there are easy going rivers (class 1) with low flow rates and there are challenging rivers (class 4) with white water rapids, submerged boulders, floating trees, eddies, whirlpools, dams and portages with put ins and take out points.

Some of the kayaking rivers connect to lakes while others connect to more rivers. There are man-made reservoir lakes created by the damming of rivers. There are ponds, alpine lakes, wilderness lakes and community lakes to kayak.

The lakes and rivers in Alberta range from small to large, developed to natural and from "easy access" to "hard to get to". Some include paved boat launches and parking lots while others require hiking a trail (portage) to reach an access point.

Near the major kayaking destinations there are kayak operators providing rentals, tours, guides, equipment and lessons. Waterways for kayaking may include amenities like a marina, docks, swimming beach, moorage, restaurants, washrooms and showers... while others provide nothing but a pit toilet.

The system of lakes and rivers in Alberta are separated into various river basin waterways. The major waterways are the Milk River, Hay, Beaver, Peace River/Slave Lake, Athabasca and the North and South Saskatchewan river basins.

Some of the more popular rivers for kayaking adventures in Alberta include the Milk River, Old Man River, Bow River, Red Deer River, Peace River, Athabasca River and the North and South Saskatchewan River.

North Albert paddle destinations include the Lakeland Provincial Park and the Lesser Slave Lake and Lac La Biche regions.

In the Rocky Mountain parks of Alberta there are kayak adventures exploring on turquoise-green alpine lakes and white water rivers. The Rocky Mountain region includes the Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Kananaskis Country and Crowsnest Pass.

Some of the Central Alberta kayak destinations include Elk Island National Park and Pigeon Lake Provincial Park near Edmonton; the William A. Switzer Park near Hinton and the Sylvan Lake Provincial Park near Red Deer.

South Alberta kayaking can be enjoyed while exploring on the Bow River, Glenmore Reservoir and in the Fish Creek Provincial Park near Calgary; the Ghost Reservoir Lake near Cochrane; the Oldman Dam Recreation Area near Fort Macleod; the Park Lake Provincial Park and Henderson Lake near Lethbridge; the Little Bow Provincial Park near Vulcan and the Waterton Lakes National Park in the southwest corner of the province.