The Narrows Buffalo Lake Campground

The Narrows Campground Alberta Provincial Park.

The Narrows Buffalo Lake campground is located on a narrow channel in between south west end of Buffalo Lake and Parlby Bay approximately 75km east of the city of Red Deer and 135km south east of the city of Edmonton. There are 61 well treed sites on a fist come first serve entry. Access may be dusty due to 6km of gravel road before the entrance. This campground offers campsites for both tents and larger RV's, pump water, fire wood, picnic tables, dry toilets, boat launch and a fish cleaning cleaning station. Buffalo Lake offers good northern Pike fishing, you'll need a fishing license to try your luck. The narrows itself are absolutely beautiful and would be perfect for canoeing or Kayaking. Grasses along the edge are well over 2 meters high. Common Cattails are huge here with a tall green stem and dark brown candle like seed head. There is also a rare orchid that grows here called "Yellow Lady's Slipper". The campsites are located in the surrounding Boreal Forest and offer good privacy. Elk, Deer and Moose frequent the area and it is also excellent for bird watching. Buffalo Lake Campground and Rochon Sands Campground are also located nearby. Night skies here rank # 4-5 on the Bortle Scale. I found the narrows between Buffalo Lake and Parlby Bay very nice but the campground itself felt somewhat neglected. If you own a canoe or kayak you'll love this spot. Larger boats can also access Buffalo Lake from here but remember the 6km gravel road in will dust your gear. It's interesting to note that In 1858, Father Lacombe, then a young missionary, travelled for two days in bitter weather to help a group of Blackfoot Indians dying of scarlet fever in their encampment on the east shore of Buffalo Lake. After treating them for 20 days, he too almost died from the fever, but later recovered to become a leading figure in Alberta's history. (Source U of A)