Wood Bison Trail

Elk Island National Park

The area south of Highway 16 was added to the park in 1947. Wood bison, the largest mammal in North America, have called this area home since 1963. The bison share the area with moose, elk, deer and a whole range of small mammals and birds. The trail begins in large, open aspen forest and eventually leads to Flyingshot Lake, a great place to observe waterfowl. The ridges on the west side of the trail afford excellent views of the surrounding areas. A series of boardwalks lead through wide open grassland, giving a sense of the Great Plains ecosystem.

Length: 15.6 km
Time: 4 to 5 hours

Level of Difficulty: Level of Difficulty: Difficult Difficult

Significant Features: Aspen forest. Great for viewing moose, elk and birds. This is the only trail on which you can see wood bison, the larger and rarer subspecies of bison.

Trailhead: Access from the Yellowhead Highway. The entrance to the parking lot is directly across the road from the South Entrance leading to the Visitor’s Centre.

GPS Co-ordinates for Trailhead (in decimal degrees):
Lat.: 53.569875 Long.: -112.846615

Trail map

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