Museums and Archives - Museum or Archive Details

Some communities take you completely by surprise, nestled in out-of-the-way places with treasures that delight. Cold Lake is like that, with its lakeshore drive and the largest inland marina in Canada-certainly not what you would expect three hours northeast of Edmonton on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

On a beautiful summer day, one can wander the lakeshore watching the sails dotting the horizon. The appeal is irresistible, drawing visitors to these towering spruce and pine forests, sandy beaches and northern sunsets of Cold Lake Provincial Park.

The park is located on a peninsula jutting out into this spectacular northern lake. Located between aspen parkland and boreal forest, the bird watching is magnificent. It’s here-on the fringes of the boreal forest-that neotropical migrants (birds that spend the winters in South America) spend their summers. It’s here they display their mating rituals and plumage, delighting die-hard and amateur birdwatchers alike. And, despite its name, the lake’s depth actually acts as a large reflector for the sun, preventing ice from forming well into December.

Open year round. Office hours: Mon-Fri 8:15-4:30. Cold Lake Provincial Park is located 281 km (175 mi.) NE of Edmonton off Hwy 28; 3 km (1.9 mi.) E of the town of Cold Lake. .