When you look at Abraham Lake on a map you could be forgiven for thinking it is in the middle of nowhere. Abraham Lake is indeed quite remote, however, there is a great adventure to be had in visiting the frozen bubbles at Abraham Lake. The lake is a short pivot off the Icefields Parkway, one of Canada’s most sought after road trips. Whether you’re travelling North from Calgary to Edmonton or doing the trip southbound, we’ve got the guide for you!
Getting to Abraham Lake
The frozen methane bubbles are one of the most mesmerising natural phenomenons to lay your eyes on. The bubbles freeze in time alongside the process of the lake freezing at the beginning of winter. Although it looks remote to reach Abraham Lake, getting here is half the fun.
Abraham lake is a short way from the Icefields Parkway and easy to visit throughout your trip travelling North or South bound. I recommend travelling South on the Icefields Parkway as it is less busy and leads up to the main event: Banff and the beautiful Lake Louise.
For this journey, fly into Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta. This city really surprised me with a lot of cool restaurants, bakeries and bars.
It is around 3.5 hours drive to reach the Canadian rockies from either Edmonton (Southbound) or Calgary (Northbound). There is only one road into Abraham Lake and that is the David Thompson Highway (H11). This veers off the Icefields Parkway.
When can you see the Frozen Bubbles at Abraham Lake?
Although winter hits Alberta as early as October, the frozen bubbles at Abraham lake are subject to mother nature. A safer bet would be to visit towards December and even January and February as it is progressively colder at this time of year. The ice forming process heavily fluctuates from year to year depending on the temperature, so be sure to check the ice bubbles have frozen already before making the trek out there.
Once you make it out here, you will be spoiled by untouched landscapes, especially in winter. There are a handful of places to stay in the area, with Aurum Lodge being the pick of the crop. This lodge has views overlooking the lake and the lodge owner has been photographing the phenomenon for years (he’s also a wealth of knowledge!)
Travelling the Icefeilds Parkway
This adventure takes part of a greater adventure, known as the Icefields Parkway. This beautiful winter road trip encapsulates all there is to explore in remote parts of Alberta and surprisingly, winter is the low season. Not only is this the best time to experience frozen lakes and ski slopes, but being low season it also means you can escape the summer crowds.
More Travel Guides for Canada
How to travel through Alberta in 10 days: Itinerary
A Guide to Visiting Banff National Park in Winter
A Guide to Visiting Jasper National Park in Winter
A City Guide to Edmonton, Alberta
The Complete WOW Guide to Vancouver
Brooke Saward founded World of Wanderlust as a place to share inspiration from her travels and to inspire others to see our world. She now divides her time between adventures abroad and adventures in the kitchen, with a particular weakness for French pastries.
