
If you have done any amount of Crown Land recreation in Alberta, you may have noticed areas that seem more developed than the surrounding Public Land Use Zones (PLUZ). These areas are known as Public Land Recreation Areas (PLRA) and they designate areas of more traffic due to trail accesses, staging areas, skiing areas, or other geographical features. They generally exist within public land zone areas.
PLRAs usually come with some amenities such as information boards, interpretive signage, washrooms, parking areas, and other amenities that are uncommon in PLUZ areas.
This was originally included in my Beginners Guide to Crown Land Camping in Alberta post, but I decided that it deserved its own page.
I have compiled a list of the 55 public land recreation areas that Alberta has listed on their website as well as the GPS coordinates to find them in the backcountry.
Locations of Alberta Public Land Recreation Areas
Public Land Recreation Areas | Area/Town | PLRA Coordinates (approximate) |
---|---|---|
Allison Day Use/Cross Country Ski Staging (Chinook PLRA) | Crowsnest Pass | 49°40’16.0″N 114°35’47.1″W |
Barrier Lake | Kanananaskis | 51°01’58.0″N 115°01’02.6″W |
Bison Flats | Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 | 54°26’24.5″N 118°21’25.3″W |
Blackstone Gap | Clearwater County (near Nordegg) | 52°35’42.6″N 116°34’26.6″W |
Blackstone Viewpoint | Clearwater County (near Nordegg) | 52°36’53.0″N 116°19’41.4″W |
Brown Creek Viewpoint | Clearwater County (Near Nordegg) | 52°45’54.8″N 116°21’49.4″W |
Bustard Island Remote* | Wood Buffalo (Near Fort Chipewan) | 58°47’41.7″N 110°44’14.6″W |
Cadotte/Peace River Remote* | Northern Sunrise County (Near Peace River) | 56° 43′ 16″ N 117° 10′ 21″ W |
Calling River Water Access | Opportunity No. 17 (Near Calling River, AB) | 55° 5′ 35″ N 112° 53′ 1″ W |
Cardinal River | Yellowhead County (Near Lovettville) | 52° 52′ 0″ N 116° 35′ 8″ W |
Cardinal River Divide | Yellowhead County (Near Lovettville) | 52°54’19.2″N 117°13’06.7″W |
Caribou Creek Remote* | Lac La Biche | 55°38’05.9″N 112°04’57.2″W |
Cascade Rapids Remote | Wood Buffalo | 56° 42′ 17″ N 110° 17′ 17″ W |
Christina River Remote | Wood Buffalo | 56° 40′ 10″ N 111° 4′ 6″ W |
Clausen’s Landing Remote | Wood Buffalo (Near Fort McKay) | 57° 27′ 4″ N 111° 37′ 17″ W |
Crescent Falls | Clearwater County | 52° 23′ 25″ N 116° 20′ 23″ W |
Crow Lake Walk-in Tenting | Lac La Biche | 55° 47′ 24″ N 112° 10′ 53″ W |
Cutoff Creek | Clearwater County | 51° 57′ 5″ N 115° 41′ 37″ W |
Cutoff Creek Equestrian Staging | Clearwater County | 51° 58′ 43″ N 115° 37′ 1″ W |
Eagle Creek | Clearwater County | 51° 43′ 20″ N 115° 29′ 49″ W |
Eccles Pond Day Use | Yellowhead County | 53° 33′ 27″ N 117° 13′ 22″ W |
Economy Lake | Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 | 54° 54′ 52″ N 118° 15′ 4″ W |
Elk River | Yellowhead County | 52°56’50.2″N 116°06’22.5″W |
Engstrom Remote* | Wood Buffalo | 56° 45′ 48″ N 110° 33′ 37″ W |
Greentree Remote* | Wood Buffalo | 56° 39′ 19″ N 110° 57′ 32″ W |
Hilltop Lake | Saddle Hills County (Near Grande Prairie) | 55° 31′ 15″ N 119° 2′ 16″ W |
Hornbeck Cross Country Skiing | Yellowhead County (Near Edson) | 53° 38′ 9″ N 116° 38′ 33″ W |
Hummingbird | Clearwater County | 52° 4′ 42″ N 115° 59′ 9″ W |
House River | Lac La Biche | 55° 38′ 27″ N 112° 9′ 0″ W |
Jackknife Springs Day Use | Brazeau County (Near Lodgepole) | 53° 3′ 19″ N 115° 21′ 22″ W |
Jumpingpound Demonstration | Sibbald Creek Trail (Near Bragg Creek) | 51° 1′ 50″ N 114° 48′ 33″ W |
Little Sundance Creek | Yellowhead County (Near Edson) | 53° 41′ 22″ N 116° 47′ 56″ W |
Mariana Lake | Wood Buffalo (Along Highway 63) | 55°57’13.9″N 112°00’59.7″W |
Mason Creek Day Use | Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 | 53° 55′ 37″ N 118° 49′ 49″ W |
Meander River | MacKenzie County | 59° 5′ 57″ N 117° 40′ 53″ W |
Mile 18 Water Access | Lac La Biche | 55° 8′ 41″ N 111° 59′ 21″ W |
Miseieutin Remote* | Wood Buffalo | 56° 41′ 14″ N 110° 48′ 4″ W |
Musreau Lake | Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 | 54° 32′ 30″ N 118° 38′ 9″ W |
Nose Lake Remote* | Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 | 54° 32′ 30″ N 119° 36′ 7″ W |
Panther | Bighorn No. 8 | 51° 37′ 0″ N 115° 22′ 50″ W |
Pearson Lake | Wood Buffalo | 57° 58′ 17″ N 111° 14′ 5″ W |
Pinto Lake | Clearwater County | 52° 7′ 28″ N 116° 51′ 48″ W |
Richardson River Remote* | Wood Buffalo | 58° 25′ 23″ N 111° 17′ 12″ W |
Semo Lake Remote* | MacKenzie County | 58° 50′ 5″ N 114° 57′ 21″ W |
Siffleur Falls Staging | Clearwater County | 52° 2′ 59″ N 116° 24′ 37″ W |
Six Lakes Remote | Wood Buffalo | 57° 58′ 4″ N 111° 0′ 41″ W |
Steeper Water Access | Yellowhead County | 53° 8′ 20″ N 117° 6′ 29″ W |
Struble Lake Water Access | Clearwater County (Near Rocky Mountain House) | 52° 12′ 6″ N 114° 59′ 58″ W |
Syncline Cross-Country Skiing | Pincher Creek No. 9 | 49° 22′ 52″ N 114° 21′ 35″ W |
Upper Clearwater River Staging Area | Clearwater County | 51°45’33.8″N 115°32’46.0″W |
Wandering River | Athabasca County No. 12 | 55° 18′ 41″ N 112° 29′ 15″ W |
Waskahigan | Lac La Biche | 55° 43′ 8″ N 112° 13′ 46″ W |
Westview | Municipal District of Greenview No. 16 | 54° 21′ 15″ N 118° 20′ 48″ W |
Whitemud Falls Remote* | Wood Buffalo | 56° 41′ 31″ N 110° 3′ 48″ W |
Winefred Lake Remote* | Lac La Biche | 55° 27′ 11″ N 110° 35′ 11″ W |
Related Posts
- Top 3 Crown Land Locations Near CalgaryCalgary has some incredible public land right on our doorstep yet many Calgarians don’t even know of its existence. Of Alberta’s 19 Public Land Use Zones, 8 of them are within a 2 hour drive from Calgary with 2 of those being 45 minutes orContinue reading “Top 3 Crown Land Locations Near Calgary”
- All About Abraham Lake – A Crown Land FavouriteIf you follow the Crown Land Camping Alberta Facebook group at all you will find that Abraham Lake is definitely one of the more popular destinations in the Alberta Public Land Use Zones (PLUZ). The lake is located alongside several PLUZ including Kiska Willson PLUZ, Upper Clearwater/Ram PLUZ, and Job/Cline PLUZ (technically doesn’t have any shoreline but it is very close and overlooks the lake). The David Thompson Highway runs along the northern shore of the lake and offers some amazing views if it is more of a road trip that you are searching for!
- Exploring Alberta’s Crown Land: Ghost – Public Land Use ZoneGhost is a Public Land Use Zone (PLUZ) found in Southern Alberta. Like other PLUZ, Ghost is a popular place for backcountry campers and off-road enthusiasts. For people in north Calgary (or Cochrane/Airdrie) this is the most accessible PLUZ. Due to its large size, cool terrain, and wide range of activities – Ghost has long been a favorite for people looking to enjoy our gorgeous crown land (Ghost is my personal favourite PLUZ).
- Exploring Alberta’s Crown Land: Livingstone – Public Land Use ZoneLivingstone is a Public Land Use Zone (PLUZ) found in Southern Alberta. Like other PLUZ, Livingstone is a popular place for backcountry campers and off-road enthusiasts. Livingstone is one of the newer PLUZ. It was created in 2018 alongside Porcupine Hills PLUZ in order to provide designated trails to protect the environment and provide OHV recreation access for southern Albertans.
- Exploring Alberta’s Crown Land: Porcupine Hills – Public Land Use ZonePorcupine Hills is a Public Land Use Zone (PLUZ) found in Southern Alberta. Like other PLUZ, Porcupine Hills is a popular place for backcountry campers and off-road enthusiasts. It was created more recently in 2018 in order to provide users with a designated set of motorized trails.
8 thoughts on “Locations of Alberta’s Public Land Recreation Areas 2023 (With GPS Coordinates)”