David Thompson Country is located in West Central Alberta and encompasses all of Clearwater County. The area that I am most familiar with is the stretch of highway 11, officially named the David Thompson Highway, from Red Deer through Rocky Mountain House to Nordegg and ending at the Banff Park boundary at the Saskatchewan Crossing.
If you were to drive straight through from Red Deer to Rocky Mountain House and on to the the Crossing, the trip would take about 3 hours. If you do travel that route, you will undoubtedly want to stop and participate in some of the adventures offered along the way. I would suggest stopping for a few nights at one of the many provincial campgrounds or find a random camping spot on the North Saskatchewan River. A popular overnight stop for travellers, particularly those pulling large trailers or travelling in motor homes is Preachers Point. Preachers Point is located about 60 km. southwest of Nordegg. It is a large open area right off the highway and there is no charge for camping there. The perfect spot from which to stage your daily adventures.
On that drive you would observe the transition from prairie to foothills to the towering eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. I have heard it said, and I agree, that this area is one of the jewels of the Rocky Mountains. When I first moved to Alberta in the mid 1970's, this particular stretch of road was not high on the list of places to go, mainly I think because people just didn’t know much about it. Over the years, however, it has become a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. I frequently take this route when I travel to Lake Louise or Banff as it connects to Highway 93 at the Saskatchewan Crossing. I have also photographed many bears and other wildlife on this route.
The stretch between Rocky Mt. House and the Saskatchewan Crossing is where you’ll find much of the outdoor recreational hotspots. There are numerous provincial campgrounds right off the highway as well as random camping along the way. I have found beautiful random camping spots back in the bush and right on the Saskatchewan River.
For the hiking enthusiast, there are countless marked trails for every level of hiker. I was recently at Crescent Falls and did the short hike to a location from where you can view the upper and lower falls. This is a family hike suitable for small children. Other hikes are more vertical in nature and would require some planning. There are tour companies that offer guided hikes on many of the routes. One such company is Pursuit Adventures out of Red Deer. Due to years of wear and tear on my body, my preference now is to explore the back country on horseback. I have already posted a review of my favourite outfitter, McKenzie’s Trails West, but there are other outfitters in David Thompson Country that offer that adventure.
The abundance of activities and outdoor adventures to be found just along this stretch of the David Thompson Highway are too numerous to list. You will surely want to take in the mine tour at Nordegg—I’ll talk about that in another post.
I mentioned above that I am most familiar with the David Thompson Highway portion of David Thompson Country. One of my favorite camping spots, however, is deeper into the heart of DTC. Peppers Lake is a provincial campground located just over an hour southwest of Rocky Mountain House and only about a half-hour to the Ram River Falls Provincial Park. If you are lucky enough to arrive at Peppers Lake at the right time, you might get one of the four spots overlooking the lake. There is nothing more peaceful than listening to the sounds of loons in the evening and as the sun rises.
Here are some websites that you will find helpful when travelling to David Thompson Country:
www.davidthompsoncountry.ca
www.playoutsideguide.com/2016/09/camping-in-david-thompson-corridor.html
www.albertaparks.ca
If you were to drive straight through from Red Deer to Rocky Mountain House and on to the the Crossing, the trip would take about 3 hours. If you do travel that route, you will undoubtedly want to stop and participate in some of the adventures offered along the way. I would suggest stopping for a few nights at one of the many provincial campgrounds or find a random camping spot on the North Saskatchewan River. A popular overnight stop for travellers, particularly those pulling large trailers or travelling in motor homes is Preachers Point. Preachers Point is located about 60 km. southwest of Nordegg. It is a large open area right off the highway and there is no charge for camping there. The perfect spot from which to stage your daily adventures.
On that drive you would observe the transition from prairie to foothills to the towering eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. I have heard it said, and I agree, that this area is one of the jewels of the Rocky Mountains. When I first moved to Alberta in the mid 1970's, this particular stretch of road was not high on the list of places to go, mainly I think because people just didn’t know much about it. Over the years, however, it has become a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. I frequently take this route when I travel to Lake Louise or Banff as it connects to Highway 93 at the Saskatchewan Crossing. I have also photographed many bears and other wildlife on this route.
The stretch between Rocky Mt. House and the Saskatchewan Crossing is where you’ll find much of the outdoor recreational hotspots. There are numerous provincial campgrounds right off the highway as well as random camping along the way. I have found beautiful random camping spots back in the bush and right on the Saskatchewan River.
For the hiking enthusiast, there are countless marked trails for every level of hiker. I was recently at Crescent Falls and did the short hike to a location from where you can view the upper and lower falls. This is a family hike suitable for small children. Other hikes are more vertical in nature and would require some planning. There are tour companies that offer guided hikes on many of the routes. One such company is Pursuit Adventures out of Red Deer. Due to years of wear and tear on my body, my preference now is to explore the back country on horseback. I have already posted a review of my favourite outfitter, McKenzie’s Trails West, but there are other outfitters in David Thompson Country that offer that adventure.
The abundance of activities and outdoor adventures to be found just along this stretch of the David Thompson Highway are too numerous to list. You will surely want to take in the mine tour at Nordegg—I’ll talk about that in another post.
I mentioned above that I am most familiar with the David Thompson Highway portion of David Thompson Country. One of my favorite camping spots, however, is deeper into the heart of DTC. Peppers Lake is a provincial campground located just over an hour southwest of Rocky Mountain House and only about a half-hour to the Ram River Falls Provincial Park. If you are lucky enough to arrive at Peppers Lake at the right time, you might get one of the four spots overlooking the lake. There is nothing more peaceful than listening to the sounds of loons in the evening and as the sun rises.
Here are some websites that you will find helpful when travelling to David Thompson Country:
www.davidthompsoncountry.ca
www.playoutsideguide.com/2016/09/camping-in-david-thompson-corridor.html
www.albertaparks.ca
