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This post is all about how to hike the Grey Owl Trail in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan, Canada.
There are so many unique landscapes to hike in Canada and hiking the Grey Owl Trail in Saskatchewan is one of them. A less popular destination for travellers, hiking in Prince Albert National Park is definitely a hidden gem! This Grey Owl Trail trip report is part of my series where I share my outdoor adventures in the hopes that it will help you get outside and start exploring!
About Prince Albert National Park
Prince Albert National Park is one of two national parks in Saskatchewan, Canada. Saskatchewan is known for its extensive prairies but did you know this province has approximately 94,000 lakes? Prince Albert National Park is a great place to visit to see incredible examples of the beautiful lakes Saskatchewan has to offer. This park was founded in 1927, stating conservation as it’s priority. But, this founding greatly impacted the Treaty 6 indigenous peoples who lived on the land and practiced conservation long before the park was founded. I strongly recommend reading more about this history and its impacts here, before you visit.
There are a variety of activities you can partake in when visiting this park including canoe camping, day hiking and backpacking. In this post, we will be reviewing the Grey Owl Trail but read more about the other hiking and paddling options here.
Backpacking Map and Trail Overview
Grey Owl Trail is a 40km round-trip trail that leads to, conversationalist, Grey Owl’s cabin. You can read more about Grey Owl and his life here. This is a beautiful route hiking in the boreal forest along the stunning Kingsmere Lake. You can pick up an official map for your trip at the Prince Albert National Park Visitors Centre.
Grey Owl Trail Camping Reservations, Permits and Rules
This Saskatchewan national park is one of the few left where backpacking reservations are on a first come, first serve basis. This means, whoever arrives at the visitors centre first to book their campgrounds will secure first choice of campsite. So, you won’t know until you arrive, exactly where you will be sleeping that evening but the earlier you arrive, the more likely your chances are of securing your preferred campsite.
Campground rules include packing out garbage, using bear caches and only using the firewood provided on site. You can read the full list of rules here. As always when participating in nature activities, ensure you follow the Leave No Trace principles to protect the area for future hikers and wildlife. Always remember to review trail conditions and safety notices prior to leaving for your trip.
Grey Owl Trail Tips
My top tips for the Grey Owl Trail are surrounding trip planning and securing campsites based on the first come, first serve reservation policy. If you plan to hike the whole trail, my recommendation is to pick a weekend where you can take a Friday off. Then, arrive early on Friday morning to get your first choice of where to camp all weekend.
Another option is to book two nights at the same campground based on what is available. Then, do a day hike out to visit Grey Owl’s cabin. Please note that depending on which campground is available, this could be a significant day hike of 30+ km round trip.
Lastly, doing a portion of the trail is also a great option. The beginning sections of the trail are very beautiful with sandy beaches where you can enjoy lunch and a swim. There is no need to hike the whole trail as every section has beautiful views to offer!
Directions to Grey Owl Trail
Your first stop on the way to Grey Owl Trail will be the Prince Albert National Park Visitor Centre. From there it’s a 35 minute drive on the east side of Waskesiu Lake to the trailhead. The visitors centre is a 2 hour 15 minute drive from Saskatoon and an 8.5 hour drive from Calgary. Both drives mainly go through small towns with limited places to stop. My recommendation is to always keep your gas tank half full and stop whenever you see a Tim Hortons to grab a snack and use the facilities since you might not have access to another one for a few hours.
Campsite Review
During our trip we stayed at one campground as a base camp and decided to day hike to Grey Owl’s Cabin. We were really pleased with the facilities and the lake access from our site.
Chipewyan Portage Site
The Chipewyan Portage Site is 6.7 km from the trailhead and 13 km from Grey Owl’s Cabin. If you choose to do a base camp at this site then it’s approximately a 26 km day hike to visit the cabin and return to camp on the 2nd day of your trip.
The campground facilities here were excellent including great food storage facilities to keep food safe from black bears. Definitely be sure to take your food storage seriously as we saw a bear on trail during our hike! The campsite also offered an enclosed outhouse, huge firewood pile, picnic table and fire pit. The campsite itself was good for two small tents and had relatively flat soft ground. We didn’t use this area much since we could walk the few feet down to the lake to swim, cook, play games and enjoy the sunset. If you’re looking for a short weekend backpacking trip or you’re looking for a base camp, I think this is a great site for both options!
This post covered how to hike the Grey Owl Trail and included the complete guide to backpacking in Prince Albert National Park. Happy hiking!
