Edmonton 
All around the shores of the large Lesser Slave Lake are incredible opportunities for recreation.
From the more remote Hilliard’s Bay Provincial Park to Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park closer to town, there are several scenic areas for hiking, cycling, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing. And with those provincial parks around the lake, it might be easy to miss another great opportunity for recreation on the trails at the Nine Mile Creek Recreation Area.
The shores of Lesser Slave Lake are surrounded by the dense boreal forest. And the lake’s south forests are where you can find the Nine Mile Creek Recreation Area for year-round adventures. The parking area also serves as a picnic site with a small chalet and a fire pit for public use.
The Nine Mile Creek Trails
Hike, snowshoe, or cross-country ski across the main trail and its several adjacent loops within the Nine Mile Creek Recreation Area. Dogs are also welcome on the trails and are permitted to be off leash.
- The Box trail is the main out-and-back trail for the Nine Mile Creek at 3km in length. An out-and-back trip on the Box trail could easily take up a few hours at 6km total. The Box trail follows the Nine Mile Creek for most of the way.
- The Yogi trail is the easiest of the loops but also connects to the more intermediate 1.5km Grizz loop.
- Next long the Box trail are the Bobcat and Trapper loops. Both are considered intermediate and offer several small hills to add a bit more challenge to the trek. Being the longest of the loops, the Trapper trail also has a rest and viewing area.
- The Coyote and Wolverine trails are toward the end of the Box trail. With the trek out, around the loops, and back to the parking lot, these create routes over 7-8km and easily fill a day on the trails.
Exploring the Provincial Park Trails
As with the Nine Mile Creek trails, those at Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park are free to use and open year-round. This includes winter trails that are exclusively for cross-country skiing, like the Old Group Use loop, or the Power Line loop. This still leaves six more trails and 20km of pathway for snowshoers and cross-country skiers to share.
The park’s summer trails are multi-use as well. A few trails, including the Lilly Lake loop, Marten Mountain loop, and Songbird trail, are exclusively for hiking. And like the winters, this still leaves six other trails and over 20km of path for cyclists and hikers to share around Lesser Slave Lake PP.
Nearby Dining & Exploring Slave Lake
The town of Slave Lake will have all the amenities and services needed to create a full day of adventure around the Nine Mile Creek Recreation Area. It is also about halfway between Nine Mile Creek and the Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park.
- Choose between a handful of local dining options in Slave Lake like the Slave Lake Grill, Carlos Pizza & Steak House, Burgers Plus, Alimo’s Pizzeria, Susan’s Kitchen, TA’s Asian Grill & Steakhouse, or The Landing. These make perfect pit stops, or places to grab picnic foods to take to the parks.
- During the spring or fall seasons, the forests, trails, and parks around Lesser Slave Lake are incredibly busy with migratory birds. This is considered one of the best birding hot spots in Alberta any time of year but offers an especially diverse range of bird species during the migration seasons. Dive deeper at the Provincial Park’s Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation, the June Songbird Festival.
- And during the summers, Lesser Slave Lake is home to a huge stretch of sandy beach and swimming areas.
- On top of summer recreation, the region is also host to summer events like Beach Fest and Slave Lake Riverboat Daze.
Planning Your Trip – The Nine Mile Creek Recreation Area
What: The Nine Mile Creek Recreation Area, on the south side of Lesser Slave Lake, is a year-round park and conservation area with over 10km of trail to explore.
During the winter, the trails are open to hiking, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing, and tracks are groomed for skiing throughout the winter. And during the warmer months, the trails permit hiking or biking.
Location and how to get there: 10km west of Slave Lake on Highway AB-2, south on Range Road 73.
Nine Mile Creek Recreation Area is located approximately 270 km north of Edmonton.
Cost: free
Best time to go: open year-round
For more information:
Nine Mile Creek Recreation Area
Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park
