Locations of Alberta’s Public Land Recreation Areas 2023 (With GPS Coordinates)

Photo by Nick Valmores on Pexels.com

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.

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Locations of Alberta Public Land Recreation Areas

Public Land Recreation AreasArea/TownPLRA Coordinates (approximate)
Allison Day Use/Cross Country Ski Staging (Chinook PLRA) Crowsnest Pass49°40’16.0″N 114°35’47.1″W
Barrier LakeKanananaskis51°01’58.0″N 115°01’02.6″W
Bison FlatsMunicipal District of Greenview No. 1654°26’24.5″N 118°21’25.3″W
Blackstone GapClearwater County (near Nordegg)52°35’42.6″N 116°34’26.6″W
Blackstone ViewpointClearwater County (near Nordegg)52°36’53.0″N 116°19’41.4″W
Brown Creek ViewpointClearwater 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 AccessOpportunity No. 17 (Near Calling River, AB)55° 5′ 35″ N
112° 53′ 1″ W
Cardinal RiverYellowhead County (Near Lovettville)52° 52′ 0″ N
116° 35′ 8″ W
Cardinal River DivideYellowhead County (Near Lovettville)52°54’19.2″N 117°13’06.7″W
Caribou Creek Remote*Lac La Biche55°38’05.9″N 112°04’57.2″W
Cascade Rapids RemoteWood Buffalo56° 42′ 17″ N
110° 17′ 17″ W
Christina River RemoteWood Buffalo56° 40′ 10″ N
111° 4′ 6″ W
Clausen’s Landing RemoteWood Buffalo (Near Fort McKay)57° 27′ 4″ N
111° 37′ 17″ W
Crescent FallsClearwater County52° 23′ 25″ N
116° 20′ 23″ W
Crow Lake Walk-in TentingLac La Biche55° 47′ 24″ N
112° 10′ 53″ W
Cutoff CreekClearwater County51° 57′ 5″ N
115° 41′ 37″ W
Cutoff Creek Equestrian StagingClearwater County51° 58′ 43″ N
115° 37′ 1″ W
Eagle CreekClearwater County51° 43′ 20″ N
115° 29′ 49″ W
Eccles Pond Day UseYellowhead County53° 33′ 27″ N
117° 13′ 22″ W
Economy LakeMunicipal District of Greenview No. 1654° 54′ 52″ N
118° 15′ 4″ W
Elk River Yellowhead County52°56’50.2″N 116°06’22.5″W
Engstrom Remote*Wood Buffalo56° 45′ 48″ N
110° 33′ 37″ W
Greentree Remote*Wood Buffalo56° 39′ 19″ N
110° 57′ 32″ W
Hilltop LakeSaddle Hills County (Near Grande Prairie)55° 31′ 15″ N
119° 2′ 16″ W
Hornbeck Cross Country SkiingYellowhead County (Near Edson)53° 38′ 9″ N
116° 38′ 33″ W
HummingbirdClearwater County52° 4′ 42″ N
115° 59′ 9″ W
House RiverLac La Biche55° 38′ 27″ N
112° 9′ 0″ W
Jackknife Springs Day UseBrazeau County (Near Lodgepole)53° 3′ 19″ N
115° 21′ 22″ W
Jumpingpound DemonstrationSibbald Creek Trail (Near Bragg Creek)51° 1′ 50″ N
114° 48′ 33″ W
Little Sundance CreekYellowhead County (Near Edson)53° 41′ 22″ N
116° 47′ 56″ W
Mariana LakeWood Buffalo (Along Highway 63)55°57’13.9″N 112°00’59.7″W
Mason Creek Day UseMunicipal District of Greenview No. 1653° 55′ 37″ N
118° 49′ 49″ W
Meander RiverMacKenzie County59° 5′ 57″ N
117° 40′ 53″ W
Mile 18 Water AccessLac La Biche55° 8′ 41″ N
111° 59′ 21″ W
Miseieutin Remote*Wood Buffalo56° 41′ 14″ N
110° 48′ 4″ W
Musreau LakeMunicipal District of Greenview No. 1654° 32′ 30″ N
118° 38′ 9″ W
Nose Lake Remote*Municipal District of Greenview No. 1654° 32′ 30″ N
119° 36′ 7″ W
PantherBighorn No. 851° 37′ 0″ N
115° 22′ 50″ W
Pearson LakeWood Buffalo57° 58′ 17″ N
111° 14′ 5″ W
Pinto LakeClearwater County52° 7′ 28″ N
116° 51′ 48″ W
Richardson River Remote*Wood Buffalo58° 25′ 23″ N
111° 17′ 12″ W
Semo Lake Remote*MacKenzie County58° 50′ 5″ N
114° 57′ 21″ W
Siffleur Falls StagingClearwater County52° 2′ 59″ N
116° 24′ 37″ W
Six Lakes RemoteWood Buffalo57° 58′ 4″ N
111° 0′ 41″ W
Steeper Water AccessYellowhead County53° 8′ 20″ N
117° 6′ 29″ W
Struble Lake Water AccessClearwater County (Near Rocky Mountain House)52° 12′ 6″ N
114° 59′ 58″ W
Syncline Cross-Country SkiingPincher Creek No. 949° 22′ 52″ N
114° 21′ 35″ W
Upper Clearwater River Staging AreaClearwater County51°45’33.8″N 115°32’46.0″W
Wandering RiverAthabasca County No. 1255° 18′ 41″ N
112° 29′ 15″ W
WaskahiganLac La Biche55° 43′ 8″ N
112° 13′ 46″ W
WestviewMunicipal District of Greenview No. 1654° 21′ 15″ N
118° 20′ 48″ W
Whitemud Falls Remote*Wood Buffalo56° 41′ 31″ N
110° 3′ 48″ W
Winefred Lake Remote*Lac La Biche55° 27′ 11″ N
110° 35′ 11″ W
* No road access. Access at your own risk!

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