Prairie View Trail

For the most current information on trail closures and advisories, please visit the Alberta Parks website. Also known as Barrier Fire Lookout Trail, Prairie View Trail follows an old forestry road to a viewpoint looking over Barrier Lake. The trek begins with an easy trail around the lake, which narrows and becomes steeper after a couple of kilometres. When you reach the viewpoint, you’ll be rewarded with gorgeous views of the lake and the surrounding area. You can even see downtown Calgary on a clear day. The trail usually takes 3-4 hours to complete the roundtrip. You can choose to do a loop instead of a return trip, by adding 5 km (3.1 miles) to the total distance and coming back by Jewell Pass (about 18 km total). During the winter, spikes are recommended as some sections can be icy. Distance: 13.2 km / 8.2 mi / Return Elevation: 421 m / 1,368 ft Difficulty: Moderate