Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park - Alberta

What visitors say

Cypress Hills rises out of the prairie near the Saskatchewan border, and visitors keep describing the Alberta block as an oasis. Elkwater Lake is the centre of things, with a few small sandy beaches, a boardwalk along part of the shore, green picnic areas and playgrounds. Several reviewers single out the lake at sunset.

The campgrounds suit different setups. Ferguson Hill and Lodgepole, up on the hill, have smaller, treed sites that lean toward tents, while Beaver Creek and others lower down are more open and easier for trailers, and one campground is fully serviced. Most reviewers found the showers good, and one visitor praised the cleaning team as the best they had seen in a provincial park. Staff get positive mentions for being helpful and easy to find.

Hiking is the big draw. The trails are well marked and many are easy, so families can manage them, and there is a small bike park and trails for riding too. The park is large, so no one covers it in a day. The Elkwater townsite has a pub and cafe, an ice cream truck often parks by the beach, free mini golf gets a mention, and Reesor Lake is recommended for a quieter outing. Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, is a short drive away on the back roads.

The complaints are mostly a few years old. One camper found the camp store and laundromat closed, outhouses with broken locks, goose droppings on the beach and swimmer's itch in the lake. Another had a poor stay at Medicine Lodge, with bugs and no interior lighting, and suggested camping instead. Bring insect repellent for the woods, check for fire bans before you go, and note the 30 km/h speed limit through the park.

Summarised from visitor reviews on Google Maps. Based on 199 Google reviews. Details change — confirm hours, prices and bookings with Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park - Alberta directly.