Lakeland Canoe Circuit

The Lakeland Canoe Circuit is a series of lakes, dotted with official campsites and portage trails. The best place to start is the Jackson Lake Staging Area at the north end. There is a 3km portage trail to get to the lake, but the trail is pretty good, there are canoe carts available and a dock at the lake.

The lakes are relatively small and paddling is quite good. We've been wind-bound a couple times with new paddlers, but strong paddlers probably won't have too many problems. When the water is low, some spots are mucky and hard to get through with canoes. These are not mountain or Canadian Shield lakes - the water is not particularly clear or great for swimming. That being said, it is beautiful and peaceful here.

This is boreal forest with a mix of mostly spruce and poplar. Lots of wildlife - beavers in the evenings around campsites are common. There are lots of water and songbirds. Moose, deer, and bears are all around. The campsites have locking food storage - make sure you use it! We had a curious black bear at one of our campsites, but it wandered off without getting too close.

For more information, you can download a nice little pamphlet and free map here: https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/northeast/lakeland-pp/