Edmonton 
No matter what kind of fun you’re after on a day trip from Edmonton, the surrounding Provincial Parks have you covered for all types of summer fun.
Use the last month of hot summer days to plan a day trip to the nearby beaches courtesy of Provincial Park lakes, and spend the day with a picnic, games, or with your inflatable floatie. With all the surrounding lake areas, you can also hitch up your boat, rent canoes or kayaks, and spend your morning or evening fishing.
You can plan several types of day trips with Edmonton’s nearby provincial lands, but all of them provide picnic areas, places to explore, and a variety of ways to explore (boat, bike, or on foot).
Wabamun Lake Provincial Park
Hit the beach this August at Wabamun Lake, a top destination near Edmonton for swimming and boating! Launch smaller craft like SUPs, inflatables, or kayaks from the Day Use area, or head a little further along the sand to the larger boat launch for launching motorized craft. The PP area encompasses Moonlight Bay and is a quieter space than the large lake. So, in order to use boats for tubing or waterskiing, or for going fast in general, you must exit Moonlight Bay/the beach area at 12km/hr. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 30-60 minutes (Directions)
Pigeon Lake Provincial Park
Both the Zeiner Day Use and The Pigeon Lake Day Use Areas, and their public beaches, are on the west end of the lake, opposite Ma-Me-O. You can spend a quiet day with a picnic in the trees (some areas are also equipped with firepits), or spend time floating around the beach waters. Before your meal or swim, explore Pigeon’s 12km of trails which lead to lakeside lookouts. On the August long weekend, you can also enjoy the sounds of the Pigeon Lake Music Festival.
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1-1.5 hours (Directions)
Cross Lake Provincial Park
You can spend almost your entire day on the water at Cross Lake Provincial Park with swimming, power boating, windsurfing, canoeing/kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, or fishing. Cross Lake is an especially important bird habitat, with the songs of several species filling the air: hear from and spot white-throated sparrows, ruffed grouse, several warbler species, osprey, bald eagles, or great blue herons. Pack a picnic, too, as the area’s picnic sites include shelters and cooking firepits. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1.5-2 hours (Directions)
Aspen Beach Provincial Park
The expansive and sandy waterfront area of Aspen Beach Provincinal Park, on Gull Lake in central Alberta, make for a close daytrip from Edmonton for all sorts of interests. You can relax all day on the sand, and float in the shallow beach, or launch motorized and nonmotorized boats from the dock off the main parking lot.
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1-1.5 hours (Directions)
Coal Lake Provincial Recreation Area
The amazing and narrow Coal Lake is a wonderful daytrip destination from Edmonton- for fishers and boaters alike. Keep it mind while on your boat that it is a shallow lake. If you aren’t coming to Coal Lake for the water, you and your family can spend the day hiking the 5km loop trail through the Pipestone Creek on the lake’s south-west side. Along your hike stop to watch and listen for wildlife, including several bird species.
Drive-time from Edmonton: 30-60 minutes (Directions)
Rochon Sands Provincial Park
The shores of Buffalo Lake, southeast of Edmonton, include the Narrows PRA and Rochon Sands PP. The areas, through the Summer Village of Rochon Sands, offer a beach for swimmers, boat launches for motorized boats and canoes or kayaks, sailing and windsurfing. If you travel along the waters, you can watch for wildlife like deer, coyotes, or the odd black bear, or you may canoe past a blue heron, ducks, or pelicans. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1.5-2 hours (Directions)
Pembina River Provincial Park
The Pembina River offers people in Edmonton many reasons for a daytrip, such as the Pembina River Tubing experience. You can also visit the Pembina River Provincial Park for a less extreme day on the river, or beside the river. The Park has a couple of sheltered picnic areas, a small beach for shallow river fun, and trails that lead to a historic site along the banks. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1-1.5 hours (Directions)
Thunder Lake Provincial Park
Hidden gem north of Edmonton with a beach equipped with a playground, washrooms, and a volleyball area, swim and float lazily along the lake’s shores, take a boat out and tow water-skis or a tube, take the boating a little more slowly on a canoe, kayak, or SUP. Follow the lakeside trail, make it for a Saturday to enjoy the farmers’ market, or set up a beach picnic. You can also choose from more secluded picnic sites in the trees with their own grill areas. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1-1.5 hours (Directions)
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Long Lake Provincial Park
A day trip to Long Lake Provincial Park is one you will want to plan ahead for as the popular beach has limited parking and person capacities. Leave Edmonton earlier in the morning to guarantee a day of either wildlife viewing and birding, picnics and games, hiking White Earth trail system, mountain biking, fishing, or boating. The day use area now also offers SUP, canoe, and kayak rentals! Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1-1.5 hours (Directions)
Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area
This incredibly large piece of protected land in central Alberta offers seemingly endless hiking trails! Cooking Lake-Blackfoot is a nice and easy day trip for a solid day of hitting the trails on foot while hiking or jogging, on horseback, or with a bike, with certain activities permitted on certain sections of trails. Overall, you’ll have 170km of park to discover and explore. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 30-60 minutes
Big Knife Provincial Park
The PP and day use area sit on the banks of a wide opening of the Battle River, and Big Knife Creek. The slow-moving and low-lying waters of the Battle River make it excellent for canoeing or kayaking, especially for beginners. Pack a picnic to enjoy in the trees after your boating, or hike to the Big Knife hoodoos and viewpoints of the Battle River valley. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1.5-2 hours (Directions)
J.J. Collette Natural Area
Pack a lunch for a picnic at J.J. Collette Natural Area before hitting it’s 18km of trails. The trails sit within a protected spruce and aspen forest dotted with wetlands that also feature small sand dunes. The Foundation offers several different types of checklists which you can turn into a scavenger hunt on your travels: look for mammals like beavers, deer, or moose; listen for woodpeckers, mallards, or hawks; and, watch for the various types of butterflies fluttering around. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1-1.5 hours (Directions)
Eagle Point Provincial Park/Blue Rapids Provincial Recreation Area
These two connected park areas follow the North Saskatchewan River for a long stretch, with Drayton Valley at the centre of it all. Both parks have day-use areas with the Blue Rapids area further to the south, and Eagle Point’s further north/closer to Edmonton. If you want to explore the river valley by bike or on foot, head to the Eagle Point Day Use Area where you can find the heads to a few different trails. If you want to explore with an OHV, head to the Blue Rapids Day Use where you can find staging areas for your adventure.
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1.5-2 hours (Directions)
Garner Lake Provincial Park
Garner Lake is on the western edge of Alberta’s Lakelands, and is a smaller lake filled with tons of recreational opportunities. The Day Use area has its own beach, boat launch, picnic areas, beach volleyball nets, and playground. If you do plan a picnic, stop by Bonnyville on Saturdays to stock up on snacks at the Farmers’ Market. From the boat launch you can take out motorized boats and tow waterskies or tubes, or non-motorized boats for a slower ride around the lake. While you paddle or hike around the lake, watch for wildlife like deer, elk, or moose. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 1.5-2 hours (Directions)
Crimson Lake Provincial Park
There are two lakes to explore within the Provincial Park including of course Crimson Lake, as well as Twin Lakes, both of which have day use areas. Head to Crimson for swimming, beach activities like games and picnics, or for a boat ride around the lake. Twin Lakes (actually one lake) is a peaceful place to fish for perch or trout, or to launch a canoe or kayak. Both lakes also have areas for hiking, with the Twin area having a wheelchair and stroller-accessible boardwalk. Details
Drive-time from Edmonton: 2-2.5 hours (Directions)
