My Roadtrip to Nordegg, Alberta: Camping, Waterfalls, and Fishing

I finally got a chance to visit Nordegg this early summer.

Nordegg is located in central Alberta along David Thompson Highway.

If you live in Red Deer, it is 170 km drive and about 300 km from Calgary and Edmonton.

It is less touristy than Jasper of Banff and is perfect for anyone who prefers to enjoy nature without big crowds.

I wanted to spend a few days in the area and reserved two nights at Fish Lake campground.

How to Get to Nordegg from Calgary?

If you live in Calgary as I do, you have two options.

The more scenic route is to take TransCanada Highway and Icefield Parkway followed by David Thompson Highway East at Saskatchewan Crossing.

This is a slightly longer drive but you will have an option to visit Banff, Lake Louise/Moraine/Peyto, and several other stunning lakes along Icefield Parkway.

Keep in mind that you will need to purchase a national park pass if you are planning to stop anywhere in Banff unless you already have a yearly pass.

I have a yearly pass which works out to be cheaper if you visit national parks a lot.

I go snowboarding at Sunshine and Lake Louise a few times per year so yearly pass works great for me.

If you want to save time, you can take Highway 2 (Queen Elizabeth II) from Calgary and from Rocky Mountain House take David Thompson Highway West.

Driving to Nordegg from Calgary via Icefield Parkway

Since I was leaving Calgary on Friday morning, I decided to take Icefield Parkway to enjoy the scenic route before the weekend crowds.

I didn’t stop at Banff but planned to visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.

Unfortunately as usual Lake Louise had a huge line of cars trying to get in and Moraine Lake was still closed.

The next destination was Peyto Lake, but it was closed as well.

Looked like they were trying to upgrade the road there.

I decided to continue the drive and instead stopped at Bow Lake which was stunning.

I think it is as beautiful as Lake Louise and barely has any crowd so you can get the entire place to yourself.

I am definitely planning to come back to Bow Lake to spend more time there.

Maybe even do some camping in the area.

Waterfowl Lake was the next stop.

It is another beautiful green glacier lake that worth exploring.

The last stop was Abraham Lake.

I was really impressed with the sky blue colors of the lake and nearby scenery considering that this an artificial lake.

Where to Camp in Nordegg?

There are several camping options in Nordegg.

I stayed at Fish Lake Campground because I wanted to do some fishing and was able to reserve a nice spot right by the lake.

However, there are several other campgrounds in Nordegg.

You can also look into random camping at Public Land Use Zone (PLUZ) along Abraham Lake if you want to save money.

Apparently, Abraham Lake is a very popular destination in the winter because of the methane bubbles that get trapped beneath the ice.

This makes Abraham Lake a perfect place to take some cool Instagram photos.

Camping at Fish Lake Provincial Recreation Area

It was my first time camping in this area and I didn’t know what to expect.

However, I was pleasantly surprised by a campground and its location.

It is located around 7 km from Nordegg town which is quite small but can be worth a visit if you need to buy some snacks or liquor.

The camping spots were reasonably large and there was plenty of parking.

There were no shower facilities and no flush toilets.

The firewood was for sale – $8 for 12 pieces so it might be worth bringing your own if you want to make a fire.

The only complaint I had is that our neighbors were super loud well past midnight and it didn’t look like there was a park ranger or anyone else around to ensure that everyone is enjoying camping.

Fishing at Fish Lake Provincial Recreation Area

Fish Lake is stocked with Rainbow trout and is a popular fishing destination in Nordegg.

You don’t have to stay at the campground to fish at Fish Lake but since I stayed there I fished right from my camping spot which was pretty awesome.

There is a day-use area at Fish Lake if you are not camping but want to stop and do some fishing.

I caught a few trouts of a decent size so I was satisfied with my fishing experience.

A lot of people were using boats for fishing which I guess makes it a little more fun and probably increases your chances of landing a bigger rainbow.

There were also several loons on the lake which were pretty loud.

Few Other Things to Do in Nordegg

Visit Abraham Lake

I found Abraham Lake to be a great place to spend a few hours.

There are several awesome spots along the lake to take great Instagram worthy photos.

I was only able to find unpaved parking so it is better if you have good tires and a 4×4 vehicle.

Crescent Falls Provincial Recreation Area

This is another awesome spot to spend a few hours.

There are two stunning waterfalls that are located not too far from the highway.

The road to the falls is not paved and can get dusty or muddy depending on weather conditions.

Another falls that you can visit are Ram Falls but it takes much longer to get there on an unpaved road.

There are a lot of other hiking trails in the area that you can explore.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to do any hiking.

Overall I was impressed with Nordegg and I am definitely coming back to enjoy its unspoiled nature.

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