I came to Canada with my running group and our first run was here at Barrier Lake. This pretty lake is located at the north end of Kananaskis Country in Alberta and is an hour drive from Calgary. Barrier Lake is man-made and has lots of hiking trails and beautiful mountain views. It is great for canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding during the summer months. We ran on the Jewell Pass Trail to the waterfall and back. It ended up being around seven miles (11 km) round-trip. I had a nice view of Mount Baldy while on my run. To park here, you need a Kananaskis Conservation Pass. There were restrooms and helpful information signs where we parked. Barrier Lake was featured in the "X2: X-Men United" movie. read more

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What a gorgeous lake, I love the colour! I took my kids kayaking but wasnt crazy about the fact its dammed---- check out the gorgeous view from the top of the mountain right beside it - Yates! Its where our friend lives at the top of the mtn 6 months a year- great views all the time :) read more

Barrier Lake - Hiking Near Me

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Pretty lake with good views of the mountains around it! Larches were out late September and there's quite a few of them, very pretty. Yates Mountain is also a nice hike! read more

An hour away from Calgary! Great place for a day trip. Don't forget to get your passes to enter kananaskis county, it will be $15.75 (with taxes). It was not clear how to enter the lake area because there was sign that says Barrier Lake is closed and we almost didn't go, but fortunately we were able to enter at a sign that says Barrier Dam! So lot of hikers! read more