Fishing - the Canadian Badlands!

CANADIAN BADLANDS SELF GUIDED TOURS
Family Fishing in the Canadian Badlands
Fish the many lakes, rivers and reserviors of the Canadian Badlands
Tour Summary
Red Deer & Area
• Enjoy family fishing at Bower Ponds
• Cast off in Dry Island Buffalo Jump
Provincial Park
This tour offers fine fishing destinations in
the Canadian Badlands for you and your
young children. They range from quiet
rivers to stocked reservoirs and ponds ideal
Red Deer
Drumheller & Area
• Fish alongside Rosedale Suspension Bridge
• Explore the Hoodoo Trail, rod and tackle
in hand
Brooks & Area
• Troll for walleye at the base of the
Bassano Dam
• Fish along the Kinbrook Marsh trail
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21
Hanna
9
Drumheller
Oyen
72
Calgary
36
1
56
24
Dinosaur
Provincial Park
41
1
Brooks
2
23
Kinbrook
Island
Provincial Park
Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat & Area
• Dangle your line from a canoe at Echo
Dale Regional Park
Lethbridge & Area
• Cast your line in the Oldman River
• Wade past ancient rock art at Writing-onStone Provincial Park
Royal Tyrrell
Museum
9
Special Areas
• Reel in a rainbow trout at Acadia Valley
Reservoir
• Angle for perch and trout in prairie
reservoirs near Hanna
• Explore lakes and streams at Cypress Hills
Interprovincial Park
for that first-time adventure. Select one
fishing hole for a few hours, or try your
luck at a few spots as part of a multi-day
vacation in the Canadian Badlands.
Lethbridge
1
1
Cypress Hills
Interprovincial
Park
2
4
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
41
Writing-on-Stone
Provincial Park
1-800-ALBERTA
canadianbadlands.com
[ 1 ]
CANADIAN BADLANDS SELF GUIDED TOURS
Visitor Information Centres
Travel Alberta
1-800-ALBERTA, travelalberta.com
Lethbridge - 2805 Scenic Drive
1-800-661-1222, chinookcountry.com
Medicine Hat - 8 Gehring Road SE
1-800-481-2822, tourismmedicinehat.com
Hanna - Just off Highway 9 at the west
entrance to Hanna
403-854-4494, hanna.ca
Drumheller - 60 – 1 Avenue West
1-866-823-8100, traveldrumheller.com
Brooks - Located at Tillebrook Provincial
Park, 6 km east of Brooks on Highway 1
403-362-6881, brookschamber.ab.ca
Red Deer - North of 32nd Street overpass
on Highway 2 1-800-215-8946
tourismreddeer.net
Accommodation
Visit the Alberta Hotel & Lodging
Association at travelalberta.com for
approved accommodation or contact
1-800-ALBERTA. Reservations are highly
recommended.
Camping
Tackle Box Basics
in February and during National Fishing
Week in July.
Your tackle box should include:
• Alberta Guide to Sportfishing Regulations
• fish identification information
• measuring tape
• cotton gloves (for safely handling and
releasing your catch)
• line suited to your reel, including an
extra spool of line
• barbless hooks
• sinkers and bobbers
• needle-nose pliers
• finger nail clippers
• filet knife
• net
Before you hit the water, pick up a current
copy of the Alberta Guide to Sportfishing
Regulations at your local fishing supply store
or download it from the SRD website. The
guide outlines what you can catch, the
number of each species you can keep and
what species are catch-and-release only.
Catch limits are set annually for each lake,
reservoir, pond and section of river. The
guide also provides basic illustrations for
identifying fish; detailed identification
information is on the website.
Alberta has a province-wide ban on barbed
hooks. Barbless hooks are easier to remove
from fish, increasing the chance of their
survival when released. Crimping a barbed
hook with needle-nose pliers will make it
barbless. The use of live bait fish is also
banned in Alberta. For definitions of live
bait, visit srd.gov.ab.ca/fishwildlife.
You should also consider carrying:
• sunscreen and hat
• bug repellent
• first-aid kit
• map
• camera
• drinking water
• snack
• cooler and ice, if you plan to keep your
catch.
You must have a pleasure craft operation
card to operate a motorized boat in Alberta.
For more information, visit Transport
Canada’s website (tc.gc.ca/BoatingSafety)
or phone 1-800-267-6687.
Sites with and without electrical and
water hook-ups are available in Red Deer,
Drumheller, Brooks, Medicine Hat,
Lethbridge and nearby rural communities.
Provincial park campgrounds are often
full by early afternoon. Reservations are
highly recommended. Travel Alberta’s
Campground Guide is available at
travelalberta.com or by phoning 1-800ALBERTA.
Red Deer
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21
Royal Tyrrell
Museum
9
Drumheller
Oyen
72
Calgary
36
1
56
Bed & Breakfasts/Guest
Ranches/Hotels
24
Dinosaur
Provincial Park
41
1
Numerous throughout the Canadian
Badlands.
Brooks
2
Know the Rules
To fish in Alberta, you must have an
Alberta Sportfishing License and a Wildlife
Identification Number, both available
through private issuers listed on the Alberta
Sustainable Resource Development (SRD)
website: srd.gov.ab.ca/fishwildlife. Those
under the age of 16, over 65 or a First
Nations member, are exempt. Everyone can
fish without a license on two free fishing
weekends a year – the Family Day weekend
Hanna
9
23
Kinbrook
Island
Provincial Park
1
Medicine Hat
1
Walsh
Lethbridge
Cypress Hills
Interprovincial
Park
2
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
Red Deer & Area
Drumheller & Area
Brooks & Area
Alberta’s Special Areas
41
4
Milk River
Writing-on-Stone
Provincial Park
Medicine Hat & Area
Lethbridge & Areas
The Canadian Badlands Touring Routes aim to follow good secondary highways and occasionally, offer gravel-road alternatives. Please drive carefully and respect private property. Every effort has been
made to ensure accurate information at the time of publication. You are advised to conduct further research on fishing opportunities in advance. This publication is for information purposes only. We are
unable to accept responsibility for any inconvenience, loss or injury sustained as a result of anyone relying upon this information.
[ 2 ]
CANADIAN BADLANDS SELF GUIDED TOURS
Catch–and-Release Tips
Catch-and-release fishing helps maintain
healthy fish populations. Minimize the
time the fish is out of the water, handle
it with wet hands or soaked cotton
gloves, and hold it under the belly, not
by the gills or tail. Instead of tossing the
fish back in the water, give it a moment
to get reoriented and let it swim out of
your hands.
Trout Tips
Many ponds, reservoirs and lakes in the
Canadian Badlands are stocked with
trout. Worms, salmon eggs and maggots
are popular bait; for lures, try a five of
diamonds or red devil, with barbless
hooks. Trout are drawn to drop-offs and
warm, shallow waters, though on a hot
summer day, they’ll head to cooler depths.
Experience your first catch
brown trout. Alternatively, launch a canoe
or boat from Fountain Drive or McKenzie
Lake boat launches.
Red Deer & Area Fishing
There’s lots of great family fishingrelated fun in the Red Deer area.
Waskasoo Park is also home to the troutstocked Bower Ponds and Waskasoo Park
Pond. At Bower Ponds, rent a kayak or
paddle boat and have your kids hang
their line just above the bottom, where
trout prefer to swim. Back on shore,
spread your picnic lunch in the shade of
the nearby restored Cronquist House. At
Waskasoo Park Pond, located in
Heritage Ranch, let your children fish
from shore for trout, then take them to
the ranch house for horseback riding.
Continue your fishing adventure outside
the city, following the Red Deer River
Combine fishing in the city’s river
or stocked ponds with paddle
boating, horseback riding or cycling
along valley trails.
Begin your family fishing adventure in the
heart of Red Deer. The city’s Waskasoo
Park has 85 km of paved trails, many
which follow the Red Deer River. Take
your pick of shoreline, set your kids’ lure,
and let them cast for pike, walleye or
e
Lak
falo
Buf
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Red Deer
Stettler
11
Joffre Bridge
Pine Lake
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Dee er
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Elnora
Huxley
To Calgary
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Tolman
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Dry Island Buffalo
Jump Provincial Park
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Trochu
Three Hills
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Hanna
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9
Royal Tyrrell Museum
Drumheller
9
[ 3 ]
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Walleye Tips
Look for walleye in shallower, warmer
water. But on hot days, you’ll likely find
them in deeper, cooler water or in the
mouth of a river. Walleye like minnows but
also go for flashy lures or spinners. Keep
your line taut and jig vertically.
Northern Pike Tips
Smaller pike are usually found in weedy
areas, while larger ones tend to patrol areas
where prey, such as walleye, swim. Pike also
like minnows and bugs.
Perch Tips
Perch are usually found close to shore, in
about two to five metres of water, and are
relatively eager to bite. Use your smallest
and lightest tackle, including bobbers and
attracter hooks, where possible. When you
get a bite, use a sharp jerk to set the hook.
downstream into the Canadian Badlands.
Along the river, the prairies yield to
eroded cliffs, towering hoodoos and deep
valleys. This unique river valley is an
outdoor playground for kids, where besides
fishing they can search for dinosaur fossils,
swim in the slow-moving river and skip
rocks. The following river crossings offer
public access: Joffre Bridge Day Use
Picnic Area, 12 km east of Red Deer on
Highway 11; Content Bridge, Intersection
of Highways 11 and 21; Tolman Bridge,
22 km east of Trochu on Secondary 585
See a fossil? Let it be! Fossils uncover
stories of past times when left on the
ground with other fossils and rocks. Mark
the spot and report it to the Royal Tyrrell
Museum (403-823-7707) so a
palaeontologist can check it out.
Collecting fossils in Alberta is illegal
without a permit.
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial
Park, on the Red Deer River, is a unique
place for a family to spend the day. To
reach the park, go east of Highway 21 on
Township Road 344, between Elnora
and Huxley. You can access the river from
the day-use picnic area, nestled in
cottonwood trees and surrounded by
badlands. Set your kids up along the bank,
particularly near a small inlet or downed
tree, which offer shelter to trout, pike,
walleye and perch. The nearby boat
launch offers easy access for wading into
the river.
CANADIAN BADLANDS SELF GUIDED TOURS
Here, you can also join your kids in
exploring the riffs and rills of the
eroded landscape surrounding the
picnic area. Informal trails lead to the
200-metre “dry island” for which the
park is name. En route, your children
might enjoy a scavenger hunt with a
Drumheller & Area Fishing
Continue your family fishing
adventure in the haunts of dinosaurs
and the dramatic DrumhellerValley.
Drumheller is best known for the
nearby, world-renowned RoyalTyrrell
Museum, but it’s also home to some
great fishing. Much of the town’s 18
km pathway system follows the Red
Deer River, so your family can stroll
or cycle to good fishing spots for
pike, walleye, sauger and goldeye.
Newcastle Beach Recreation Area,
west of downtown Drumheller, is one such
spot, with easy access to the river and lots
of room to cast from shore. Pack a picnic
to enjoy on the sandy beach, where your
kids can also build sandcastles. If they still
have energy to burn, take them to a nearby
playground or to central Drumheller,
where Rotary Spray Park and the
waterslide at the Aquaplex are popular
family diversions on a typically hot
summer’s day. Also nearby, the World’s
Largest Dinosaur is a hit with children of
all ages.
On hot days, it’s also worth heading west of
town on the Dinosaur Trail (Highway
838) to Midland Provincial Park. Here,
you can fish in the shade of cottonwood
trees along the McMullen Island
riverside walk, an oasis of greenery in the
Drumheller Valley’s badlands.
Take your kids to the nearby Royal
Tyrrell Museum to get up close with
the life-like and life-sized dinosaurs.
The museum’s Devonian Reef reflects an
ancient time when a tropical sea covered
much of the area. Your kids can learn
about the fish that would have nibbled
OTHER FISHING
OPPORTUNITIES
digital camera, taking shots of the
weirdest hoodoo, tiniest gorge, most
colourful wildflower, oldest rock or
bluest sky. Alternatively, your family
can explore Dry Island on horseback.
Buffalo Jump Canyon Ranch, near the
park entrance, offers trail rides.
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Buffalo Lake, 20 km N of Stettler
Kerbers Pond, 32 km SW of Stettler
Pine Lake, 42 km SE of Red Deer
Stettler Pond, Stettler
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27
9
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hill
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Th Cre
Bleriot Ferry
McMullen Island
Newcastle Beach
Recreation Area
Horseshoe Canyon
To Calgary
chi
chi
Mi am ion
D at
re
Rec Area
Royal Tyrrell Museum
Midland Provincial Park
838
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An Da
Rotary Spray Park and Aquaplex
Rosedale Suspension Bridge
Hoodoos Recreation Area
Rosedale
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Sev ervoi
Res
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Ha Lake
Drumheller
9
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Dinosaur Trail
9
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Lar
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Horsethief Canyon
Orkney Viewpoint
21
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Lak
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Do
56
10 East Coulee
ish
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Litt Lake
East Coulee School Museum
Atlas Coal
Mine National
Historic Site
Red eer
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570
Hoodoo Trail
their hooks – or walked onto land to greet
them – had they gone fishing some 375
million years ago.
Continue west on the Dinosaur Trail,
stopping to gaze down at the wondrous
badlands formations in Horsethief
Canyon. A little further on, your kids will
enjoy riding the free Bleriot Ferry, one of
the few remaining cable ferries in Alberta;
the ferry enables them to fish on either side
of the Red Deer River. Before returning to
Drumheller, make one more panoramic
stop at Orkney Viewpoint, overlooking
the Drumheller Valley.
A trip to Drumheller is not complete
without exploring the 24 km Hoodoo
Trail (Highway 10) southeast of town.
Have your kids bring their fishing rod and
tackle, as there’s always time for a cast or
two. Your first stop is in the lovely town
of Rosedale. Walk across the Red Deer
River on the 117-metre Rosedale
Suspension Bridge to the former Star
coal mining site and to the sandy river
bank, a favourite fishing spot for locals.
Back on Highway 10, stop at The
Hoodoos Recreation Area to check out
the unusual rock pillars before continuing
to the East Coulee School Museum –
[ 4 ]
check out the old, fully-furnished
classroom and tea room – and Atlas Coal
Mine National Historic Site. Take your
kids on the rattling “mantrip” ride at
Atlas Coal Mine and then walk to the top
of Canada’s last remaining wooden coal
tipple. Top off your day with a few casts
from the public dyke in East Coulee,
accessed from River Drive Road.
SIDE TRIP
Michichi Dam Recreation Area is 28 km
northeast of Drumheller on Secondary 849. Built
to refill steam-powered trains on the Calgary-toSaskatoon Goose Lake Line, the dam’s reservoir is
now a great place to fish for stocked trout, enter
an annual fishing derby and have a picnic lunch.
The campground is a great base for visiting the
nearby Royal Tyrrell Museum.
OTHER FISHING
OPPORTUNITIES
Andersons Dam #2,
13 km W of Drumheller
Braconnier Reservoir,
4 km S of Three Hills
McLaren Dam,
24 km N of Drumheller
Severn Reservoir,
40 km SW of Drumheller
CANADIAN BADLANDS SELF GUIDED TOURS
Brooks & Area Fishing
Brooks is a good launching point
To Calgary 56
for a number of prairie fishing
Bassano
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Bas am
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adventures. At nearby Kinbrook
842
542
can troll for large pike in Lake
Newell, practice their casting in
One of the park’s best spots for shore
fishing is the craggy point midway
between the public beach and the boat
launch sites. Just down the beach from
the Lake Newell Sailing Club, the point
offers easy access to deeper waters
without interference from boaters or
swimmers. There’s more shore fishing
from the dyke dividing Lake Newell and
Kinbrook Marsh. Reedy weeds and
shallow waters make this an excellent,
uncrowded place for catching pike and
for kids learning to cast.
At 17 km long, Lake Newell provides
ample space to anchor your boat or troll
in search of monster 14-kilogram pike or
its prey: perch, whitefish and burbot. If
you’ve successfully obtained for the
special walleye license, stock up with
minnows and enjoy watching your kids
jig for this tasty fish.
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Kinbrook Marsh
539
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the Red Deer River with the
Lake Newell is Brooks’ premiere fishing
hot spot and summer playground. Bring
boogie boards, sun umbrellas, sandcastle
supplies and, of course, rod and tackle.
The sand is soft, the sun is warm, and
the fish are usually biting. Set your
family up at Kinbrook Island
Provincial Park, on the lake’s eastern
shores. The campground and day-use
area offer access to the boat launch and
fish-cleaning station.
544
539
Provincial Park combines fishing in
ancient dinosaur fossils.
1
534
adjacent Kinbrook Marsh and play
excitement of learning about
Dinosaur
Provincial Park
36
873
Island Provincial Park, your kids
on warm sand beaches. Dinosaur
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Kinbrook Island
Provoncial Park
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Rolling Hills
875
Vauxhall Hays
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Medicine Hat
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Bassano Dam, 50 km W of Brooks
SIDE TRIP
After you’ve caught your fish, take your kids to the
Brooks Aqueduct National Historic Site, 3 km
south of Brooks, to learn about the area’s irrigation
history and how it has helped create many of the
region’s fishing hot spots.
The other Brooks-area playground is
Dinosaur Provincial Park, but for
entirely different reasons. It’s home to
Canada’s most extensive badlands, and
the trail system provides kids with
opportunities to explore this lunar-like
landscape. The park is also a great base
for fishing the Red Deer River. Often the
best time to fish is early morning or
evening, leaving the rest of the day open
to take an interpretive bus or hiking tour
in the park.
Brooks Children’s Pond, 1 km SE of
Brooks
Crawling Valley Reservoir, 10 km NE
of Bassano
Enchant Pond, Enchant
Hays-Grantham Reservoir, 13 km SW
of Hays
Interlake (Johnson Lake), 1 km N of
Brooks
J Reservoir, 11 km SE of Brooks
Jamieson Lake, 4 km N of Brooks
Kitsum Reservoir, 35 km SW of Brooks
via Highway 36 and Secondary 539
McGregor Lake, 100 km W of Brooks
via Highway 1 and Secondary 842
Lost Lake, 23 km NW of Vauxhall
Marsh Lake, 7 km SW of Vauxhall
OTHER FISHING
OPPORTUNITIES:
Rock Lake, 11 km NW of Brooks
Badger Lake Reservoir, 45 km SW of
Brooks, just off of Secondary 539
Rolling Hills Reservoir, 21 km S
of Brooks
Shays Reservoir, 12 km SE of Hays
Snake Reservoir, 12 km SE
of Bassano Dam
Tilley B. Reservoir, 27 km E Brooks
Travers Reservoir, 80 km SW of
Brooks via Highway 36, Secondary 539,
Secondary 845 and Secondary 529
Twelve Mile Coulee, 10 km E of
Rolling Hills
There are many different ways to enjoy the waters of
the Canadian Badlands
[ 5 ]
CANADIAN BADLANDS SELF GUIDED TOURS
Alberta’s Special
Areas Fishing
Alberta’s Special Areas boasts
a vast prairie landscape, with
views to the horizon almost
uninterrupted by fences. It’s also
home to some great reservoirs
and ponds, where kids can fish
and soak in rural life.
Hanna is your western gateway to
Alberta’s Special Areas. Teach your
kids to bait their own hook with a
worm and have them fish for perch in
the Canadian National Railway
(CN) Reservoir, just south of the
railroad tracks in town. For lunch,
head back into town to the Doll
Palace Museum for a home-cooked
meal and sticky buns. You can even
search for a replica of a childhood doll
or action figure among the more than
4,000 in the museum’s collection.
Just 2 km west of Hanna is Helmer
Dam and Fox Lake Park. At these
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Helmer Dam
Hanna
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Fox Lake Park
Drumheller
Gooseberry Lake
Consort Provincial Park
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Oyen
36
Blood Indian
Park
prairie oases, you can set up for an
overnight stay at the campground or
just plan a day of water sports. Kids can
fish for rainbow trout from Helmer
Dam, then spend the rest of the day at
Fox Lake swimming, building
sandcastles and, if the wind is up,
flying a kite.
Blood Indian Park is a feather in the
Special Areas’ fishing hat. Just 30 km
south of Youngstown via Secondary 884,
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Acadia
Valley
the park’s reservoir attracts anglers
from hundreds of kilometres away in
search of rainbow trout. There’s lots of
random camping available, and your
kids will enjoy the playground,
swimming area and picnic sites. Plenty
of stocked rainbow trout can also be
found in the Oyen Reservoir, 30 km
north of Oyen. While passing through
Oyen, check out the town’s new
swimming pool, an art walk and a
prairie golf course.
There’s still more rainbow trout at
Acadia Valley Reservoir, just west of
Highway 41, a favourite fishing hole
for local farmers and ranchers. Set up a
chair and umbrella to provide some
much-needed shade from the prairie
sun. Looking for a mid-day break? Your
kids can learn about the fastdisappearing wooden grain elevators at
the Prairie Elevator Museum and
Tea Room in nearby Acadia Valley.
OTHER FISHING
OPPORTUNITIES
Berry Creek (Carolside) Reservoir,
43 km SE of Hanna
Consort Reservoir, Consort
Coronation Reservoir, Coronation
Gooseberry Park Pond, 18 km N
of Consort
Oyen Concrete Plant Pond, Oyen
Display your fishing prowess at Acadia Valley Reservoir
[ 6 ]
CANADIAN BADLANDS SELF GUIDED TOURS
Medicine Hat &
Area Fishing
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To Brooks
The Medicine Hat area is a great
1
family destination for wrestling
Medicine Hat
with mighty sturgeon and pike,
to make pottery, and fishing and
So
Beem with pride as you reel in the big one!
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61
Foremost
enjoy success from such places as
Strathcona Park and Police Point
Park. At Strathcona Park, eat lunch at
one of the many river-side picnic tables
and then let the kids cool off in the misty
sprays of the nearby waterpark and
playground.
Echo Dale Regional Park, located 10
km west of Medicine Hat, is a great place
to spend the day as a family. Your kids
can fish from a riverside trail or learn to
cast in Echo Dale Trout Pond. After
fishing, tour the park’s historic farm, visit
Ajax Mine or have the kids splash
around in the neighbouring swimming
lake. Across the South Saskatchewan
River are colourful, red-striated coulees,
one of many sources of clay deposits that
helped shape Medicine Hat’s famed
pottery and brick industries. Your
children can make their own pottery at
Medalta Potteries in the city’s Clay
Industries National Historic District.
The region’s premier fishing destination
is Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park,
a treasure trove of lakes and creeks 75 km
southeast of Medicine Hat via the TransCanada Highway and Highway 41.
At the park entrance, try your luck at
sizable Elkwater Lake. Fish the middle
of the lake by boat, or have your kids cast
from the dock next to the concession and
public beach. Alternatively, rent bikes or
stroll the boardwalk along the lake’s
[ 7 ]
Walsh
41
Burdett
Taber
oasis of Cypress Hills
Medicine Hat’s many parks and more
than 80 km of paved trails provide great
access for fishing the South
Saskatchewan River. While fishing by
boat is the best way to catch – and
release – sturgeon, shoreline anglers also
uth
Redcliff
Echo Dale Park
Strathcona Island Park
41
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Isla
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Police Point
Ma Lak
Park
Clay Industries
National Historic
District
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camping in the nearby prairie
Medicine Hat is divided by the South
Saskatchewan River, which boasts
record-setting sturgeon, large northern
pike and an abundance of walleye – all
which can be caught right in the city.
Keep in mind sturgeon are catch-andrelease only, in an effort to help
dwindling populations recover.
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B o er
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exploring prairie coulees, learning
Interprovincial Park.
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Cypress Hills
Interprovincial Park
41
south side, stopping to fish for pike and
perch in the shallow, reedy waters.
Further east, the more intimate Reesor
Lake is a tranquil spot to fish from shore,
canoe, belly boat or motor boat. It’s also a
fine place for playing on the beach and
secluded camping. Other prime fishing
spots in Cypress Hills Interprovincial
Park are Battle Creek and Spruce
Coulee Reservoir.
OTHER FISHING
OPPORTUNITIES
Bow Island Town Reservoir, Bow Island
Bullshead Creek,
3 km E of Medicine Hat
Bullshead Reservoir, 25 km NW of
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
Burdett Reservoir, Burdett
Foremost Reservior, Foremost
Forty Mile Reservoir,
25 km S of Bow Island
Heningers Reservoir,
32 km SW of Foremost
Medicine Hat College Pond,
Medicine Hat
Michel (Michelle) Reservoir,
93 km SW Medicine Hat
Murray Lake, 28 km SW of
Medicine Hat
Sauder Reservoir, 30 km W of
Medicine Hat on Secondary 523
CANADIAN BADLANDS SELF GUIDED TOURS
Lethbridge & Area Fishing
Lethbridge is a family paradise, with
plentiful fishing holes in the river
valley parks, which are linked by
paved cycling trails. Also in the area
is Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park,
an outstanding camping destination,
with good river fishing mixed with
To Calgary
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High Level Bridge
2
Old
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Indian Battle Park
Botterill Bottom Park
Popson Park
Cottonwood Park
Coaldale
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Start your fishing adventure in the heart of
Lethbridge at Indian Battle Park.
Beneath the towering High Level Bridge,
your kids can cast in the winding Oldman
River for 4 kilogram pike, 2 kilogram
walleye or the rarer sauger and goldeye.
Nearby, you can relive the notorious whisky
trade era at the reconstructed Fort WhoopUp or learn more about the valley’s natural
history through hands-on activities at the
Helen Schuler Coulee Centre.
Lethbridge has an excellent park system
along the Oldman River, flanked by deep
coulees and traversed by kilometres of
cycling paths. You’ll find good shoreline
fishing at Cottonwood Park, Popson
Park, Alexander Wilderness Park and
Botterill Bottom Park. Your kids can take
breaks from fishing by skipping rocks,
hunting for prickly pear cactus or surveying
the shoreline for beaver.
Henderson Lake is a fun stop for kids
looking to catch fish. The shale pathway
around the lake provides easy access to the
shore, with a playground and ice cream
concession nearby for diversion.
If you’d like to try small-town fishing.
combined with shady camping, head 30 km
iver
Taber
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Stirling
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Raymond
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Lethbridge
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swimming holes and hoodoos
exploration.
Picture Butte
Alexander
Wilderness Park
Henderson Lake
Milk River
Writing-on-Stone
Provincial Park
south of Lethbridge on Highway 5 to
Magrath’s Jubilee Park. The park’s
Children’s Pond is at the head of the nature
trail, just off Highway 62.
Fincastle Lake, 13 km NE Taber
The Milk River – aptly named for its
milky waters – meanders through the vast
prairie landscape to a prize jewel of the
Canadian Badlands, Writing-on-Stone
Provincial Park. It’s a great family
getaway, where your kids can fish for trophy
sauger, explore hoodoos, float down the
placid river from a sandy beach and roast
hot dogs and marshmallows over a
campground fire. They can also view
interactive displays in the new visitor
centre and take in some fascinating
Aboriginal history by going on a short
guided tour of North America’s most
extensive collection of rock art in its
Archaeological Preserve.
Horsefly Reservoir, 8 km SE of Taber
OTHER FISHING
OPPORTUNITIES
Stafford Reservoir, 30 km E of
Lethbridge
Chin Reservoir, 21 km S of Taber
Corner Lake, Raymond
CPR (Northeast) Lake, 12 km NE of
Coaldale
Cross Coulee Reservoir,
43 km SE of Lethbridge
Stirling Children’s Pond, Stirling
Goldsprings Reservoir, 10 km SE of
Milk River
Keho Lake, 37 km N of Lethbridge
McQuillan Reservoir, 22 km SE of
Coaldale
McVinnie Reservoir, 40 km N of
Lethbridge
Milk River Ridge Reservoir, 45 km SE
of Lethbridge via Highways 5 and 52 and
Secondary 844
Park Lake, 16 km NW of Lethbridge
Picture Butte Reservoir, Picture Butte
Riverstone Pond, Lethbridge
Scope Reservoir, 49 km NE of Taber
Sherburne Reservoir, 27 km SE of
Taber
Taber Lake, 5 km E of Taber
Tyrrell Lake, 50 km SE of Lethbridge
Looking for a family adventure down the
Red Deer River? Check out the Middle
Red Deer River Paddling Tour at
canadianbadlands.com.The Alberta
Recreational Canoe Association’s Middle
Red Deer River Map at abcanoekayak.ca
also offers helpful information.
The Canadian Badlands is like no other place on earth. Home to the world’s most extensive dinosaur bonebeds, badlands and
hoodoos and a world-class dinosaur museum, our natural heritage is more than 75 million years old. Our culture is literally layered
in the land. National historic sites and provincial parks reveal First Nations rock art, farming and
ranching history and a rich industrial heritage. Communities large and small boast festivals, rodeos,
live theatre, local art and tea houses.Whether you prospect for fossils, canoe a meandering river
or horseback ride in glacier-carved coulees, the Canadian Badlands experience is as vast and
1-800-ALBERTA
remarkable as the landscape. Call 1-800-ALBERTA or visit canadianbadlands.com for more
canadianbadlands.com
Canadian Badlands Touring Routes.
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