Wabamun Lake Provincial Park- Visitor Guide

Wabamun Lake Provincial Park is a popular campground, day use, and recreation area near the town of Wabamun, west of Edmonton.

The lakeside day use area provides easy access to water sports and hiking trails, while the large campground offers forested campsites.

Things to Do at Wabamun Lake Provincial Park

Wabamun Lake Provincial Park has year-round recreational opportunities but is primarily a summer destination. Here are some things to do at the Wabamun provincial park.

Camping at Wabamun Lake Provincial Park

The Wabamun Lake Provincial Park campground has individual sites and group sites. The camping season is from April 30- October 31. All of the sites are able to be reserved in advance, so you may not have any luck getting a campsite if you show up without a reservation.

Wabamun Lake Campground

The Wabamun Lake campground has 276 campsites arranged into three separate sections- Aspen Loop, Deer Loop, and the West End Campground. There are also 4 group camping areas located throughout the park.

The campground has 109 sites with power hookups and the rest are unserviced. The sites are fairly large and can accommodate RVs and trailers of various sizes, but there are only 5 pull-through sites in the entire campground. All sites have a picnic table and fire pit.

Campsites in the five loops of the West End Campground are sheltered by tall spruce and evergreen trees, so you’ll feel like you’re camping deep in the forest. The trees make the sites shady and offer a decent amount privacy. Most the sites here are also well spaced out.

Since the west loops are at the far end of the park, they don’t get the traffic noise from the highway that some other areas of the campground experience. These sites are furthest from the beach, but there’s a trail you can walk or bike to get to the day use area.

In the middle of the campground, at the top of the big hill, is Deer Loop. The sites here are framed by cement curbs and offer less privacy because there are fewer trees. The sites are also closer together, especially the ones in the middle of the loop that back up against each other. This can be good if you’re camping with friends and want your sites to be close to each other.

There are trails connecting Deer to the day use area, but it’s an uphill walk to get back to your site. The biggest downside of getting a campsite in Deer is that the Yellowhead Highway is nearby so there’s some traffic noise.

Aspen is similar to the west end camping area, in that there are sheltered sites, but the trees and bushes aren’t as densely packed so more sunlight gets in. This camping loop is closest to the beach and day use area, but still requires some walking or a short bike ride to get there.

Amenities at the Wabamun Lake Provincial Park campground include playgrounds in each of the main camping areas, picnic shelters, tap water, showers, flush toilets and outhouses, and sewage disposal. Firewood is available for purchase.

Wabamun Lake Day Use Area

The Wabamun Lake day use area attracts a lot of people in the summer who come to enjoy the large sandy beach and go boating on the lake. In addition to the beach, swimming area, and boat launch, there’s also a playground, two beach volleyball courts, pier, picnic sites, and lakeside path.

There’s plenty of parking at the Wabamun Lake day use area, but in recent years the beach has become more popular so it doesn’t hurt to get there early on hot weekends.

Hiking Trails at Wabamun Lake Provincial Park

There are a few trails at Wabamun Lake Provincial Park that run throughout the campground and day use area, connecting the park with the town of Wabamun. The trails can be used for hiking and biking.

There’s an enjoyable route that starts at the beach then heads along Moonlight Bay towards the campground. The trail goes past a picnic shelter then moves in and out of the trees as it continues across the hilly area below the Deer camping loop.

The trail proceeds through the forest and passes by the west end camping area then exits the provincial park at the summer village of Lakeview, on the other side of the bay. From here you can take Spruce Drive into Wabamun or continue straight to the end of the road where Goose Landing Park is on the lakeshore.

The trail from the beach to the boundary of the provincial park is about 2.5 km one way.

Wildlife Viewing at Wabamun Lake Provincial Park

The Wabamun provincial park isn’t known for wildlife, but there are some opportunities to see birds.

Some species of birds you might see are mallards, terns, gulls, herons, loons, Canada geese, kingfishers, and sandpipers. Ospreys nest at Wabamun Lake and there are also nesting colonies of red-necked and western grebes.

Review of Wabamun Lake Provincial Park

Wabamun Lake Provincial Park is a wonderful destination for both camping and outdoor recreation. It’s especially pretty in the fall, when the aspen trees along the lake turn golden yellow.

The campground has a large selection of sites spread across a wide area, so it doesn’t feel too crowded, even on busy weekends. The distinct camping zones actually make it feel like there are three campgrounds instead of one.

If you’re visiting on a day trip from Edmonton, you’ll find the day use area has plenty of room to roam and the beach, lake, and trails provide enough activities to fill your trip with fun.

While Wabamun Lake Provincial Park isn’t primarily a hiking destination, it’s still a good choice if you want a shorter, front country outing in the forest, or you’re looking to add a nature walk or bike ride to some other outdoor activities.

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