Your Complete Guide to the Bagwa Canoe Route in Saskatchewan

Have you ever gone canoeing in Saskatchewan? I hadn’t until a few years back when I solo paddled the Bagwa Canoe Route in Prince Albert National Park. There’s nothing like gliding across pristine lakes next to beautiful boreal forests. Whether you’re a seasoned paddler or complete novice, or a group with varied skills, the Bagwa Canoe Route is the perfect place for easy flatwater canoe tripping. I’d highly suggest visiting in September.

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Last Updated: January 8, 2026

In September 2021, I made the trip over to Prince Albert National Park. I love exploring new provincial and national parks and had my eye on Prince Albert for quite some time. Canoeing in Saskatchewan was an intriguing prospect, as this prairie province is mostly known for golden fields and wide-open skies. To be honest, I hadn’t spent much time in The Land of Living Skies, other than a few work trips to Saskatoon and short stopovers in Regina. So I planned a Labour Day weekend trip to hike to Grey Owl’s Cabin with friends and then paddle the Bagwa Canoe Route solo. Nine hours of driving from Calgary to Prince Albert was worth finding one of the best canoe trips in Saskatchewan!

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Bagwa Canoe Route Map

About Bagwa Canoe Route — Beginner Canoeing in Saskatchewan

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Location: Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan
Distance: 26 km loop
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Time: 2 days (7 to 10 hours)
Season: June to September
Dog-friendly: Yes, but dogs must remain on leash.
Features: The Bagwa Canoe Route features multiple lakes connected via portages including Kingsmere, Bagwa, Lily, and Clare Lakes, with a few backcountry campgrounds along the route. Be prepared for three portages that add to the sense of accomplishment, as you paddle the well-marked backcountry route. Bagwa Canoe Route features a variety of wildlife to observe, including the Red-necked Grebes with their floating nests.

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Finding the Bagwa Canoe Route Boat Launch

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Paddlers start the Bagwa Canoe Route at the Kingsmere River boat launch, beginning from the same parking lot as Grey Owl Trail. From the town of Waskesiu, drive north past the marina and continue on Kingsmere Road for about 30 km until reaching the parking area. Your drive should take about 30 minutes. About halfway down, the well-maintained road becomes gravel after Hanging Heart Lakes for the final 17 km. While we found ample parking on Labour Day weekend, this parking area can become crowded during peak season. There’s an outhouse next to the parking lot as well.

Read next: 2 Days Backpacking the Grey Owl Trail in Saskatchewan

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Where to Stay Near Prince Albert National Park (Before & After Your Paddle)

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If you’re arriving the night before or staying after your paddle, Prince Albert is a convenient place to stay, with easy access to the park and hotels, groceries, fuel, and places to eat. Prince Albert National Park also has frontcountry camping options if you’d prefer to stay closer to the water. Saskatoon is another good option if you’re flying in or want more accommodation choices, though it’s about a 2.5-hour drive from the park and works best as a before-or-after stop.

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Reserving Campsites — Prince Albert National Park Camping

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Prince Albert National Park camping requires visitors to reserve sites in advance. Backcountry campsites can only be reserved in person, and all backcountry campgrounds require same-day bookings. While there’s a good chance you’ll get the campsites you want, come prepared with a plan B during peak season.

Paddlers can book campsites and pick up backcountry permits at the Parks Canada Visitor Centre in Waskesiu. Bring your Parks Canada Discovery Pass or pick up a day pass at the centre or buy online. I was surprised that Labour Day weekend wasn’t very busy in the backcountry, and my preferred campsites were available

Note: Call the Prince Albert National Park Visitor Centre in Waskesui at 1-306-663-4522 the day before your anticipated arrival to find out what sites are available. This information might help you determine the chance of snagging your desired campsites.

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Bagwa Canoe Route Distances

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When I visited Prince Albert National Park, I paddled the Bagwa Canoe Route in the counterclockwise direction. As I paddled up the western shore of Kingsmere Lake, I entered the Bagwa Channel and passed by Pease Point Campground before reaching Bagwa Lake Campground. On a calm day, paddling up Kingsmere Lake to Pease Point is the recommended route, saving the two portages for day two. However, if you’re faced with rough waters on Kingsmere, you might decide to start with the portage to Clare Lake and then paddle the route in the clockwise direction. See my map above for more location details.

Here are the estimated distances and locations along the Bagwa Loop:

KM	Location	Notes
0	Kingsmere River Boat Launch	Large parking lot. Outhouse nearby.
1.5	Southend Campground	4 single and 3 double campsites. Kitchen shelter, outhouse, bear cache, firewood, and fit pit & picnic table at each site.
9	Pease Point Campground	4 single and 1 double campsites. Outhouse, bear cache, firewood, and fit pit & picnic table at each site. Canoe/kayak and motorboat access.
13	Bagwa Lake Campground	2 single campsites. Outhouse, bear cache, firewood, and fit pit & picnic table at each site. Canoe/kayak access only.
16.5	Lily Lake Campground	2 single campsites. Outhouse, bear cache, firewood, and fit pit & picnic table at each site. Canoe/kayak access only
26	Kingsmere River Boat Launch

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Day 1 — Boat Launch to Bagwa Lake Campground (13 KM)

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After finishing a two-day trip on Grey Owl Trail, my friends and I arrived back at the Kingsmere Lake parking area around 3pm. After loading up their gear, they started the journey back to Saskatoon while I swapped my hiking boots and pack for dry bags and canoe. This was my first visit to Prince Albert National Park, and I planned to make the most of this Labour Day weekend! After loading my canoe with gear, I pushed off at the boat launch onto Kingsmere River around 4pm. Before anything else, I had to paddle upstream on the shallow Kingsmere River, making deep strokes next to impossible. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before reaching the start of the 1-km portage along the railway tracks.

Whether paddling solo or with a group, you’ll need to be prepared for 3 different portages on the Bagwa Canoe Route. And if that isn’t enough, you get to do the first and longest portage twice at the beginning and end of the trip. A fairly easy route, this 1-km portage takes most paddlers less than 15 minutes with boat carts. However, if the carts are at the other end, you will need to fetch the cart before beginning the portage (and portaging will take a bit longer). I found a cart waiting for me both times — lucky!

Heading out on my own, I planned to paddle 13 km to spend one night at Bagwa Lake Campground. I found my campsite after nearly 4.5 hours, after multiple photo breaks and beaver-watching along the Bagwa Channel. By the time I finished pitching my tent, it was pitch black and time for supper by headlamp. I didn’t really mind the late arrival, but wouldn’t suggest night paddling for beginner canoe trippers. The sunset over the calm and sheltered lake was spectacular. I mostly relied on my GPS to find the campsite and brought a paper map (just in case). Download the Bagwa Canoe Route on AllTrails — it’s fairly accurate.

Read next: 3-Day Milk River Canoe Trip in Alberta—The Ultimate Guide

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Bagwa Lake Campground

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Bagwa Lake Backcountry Campground is the natural halfway point on the Bagwa Canoe Route. No matter if you’re paddling counterclockwise by Pease Point or clockwise from Lily Lake, Bagwa Campground is approximately 13 km from the boat launch. As the only backcountry campground on the modest Bagwa Lake, this is an idyllic wilderness escape from everyday life.

Bagwa has two campsites available for reservation on a first come, first served basis, and this Prince Albert National Park camping offers true backcountry bliss. The campground is equipped with a bear cache, outhouse, and two fire pits (one for each campsite). Bring your own toilet paper (just in case) and only burn firewood provided by Parks Canada. Each site has a picnic table to sit and enjoy the stillness of the evening.

Note: All backcountry campgrounds on the Bagwa Canoe Route are equipped with groomed tent sites, pit toilets, picnic tables and fire pit at each site (firewood provided), and a bear cache.

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Day 2 — Bagwa Lake Campground to Boat Launch (13 KM)

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Starring out over Bagwa Lake, I realized how long it had been since I’d seen such a colourful sunrise. Waking up around 6 o’clock, I ate my instant oatmeal and packed up so I could paddle out and return home to Calgary. I wasn’t disappointed at all by this calm morning trip. I canoed over to Lily Lake and then portaged to Clare Lake, then found the portage trail from Clare Lake to Kingsmere Lake. Both portages were less than 10 minutes, and very easy for this solo paddler. Once on Kingsmere, it was time for the home stretch. Overall, the return trip took about 3.5 hours to the boat launch.

Day two was full of wildlife, starting with two pelicans flying overhead on Bagwa Lake. Then a couple of loons called on Clare Lake. I saw multiple beavers along the Bagwa Channel the evening before, and a red-necked grebe on Kingsmere. Though I have to say, the coolest sighting was the pair of white swans on Bagwa Lake as the sun went down — amazing!

Read next: Your Complete Guide to the Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit

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Bagwa Canoe Route Itinerary (2 – 4 Days)

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Paddlers have several itineracy options on the Bagwa Canoe Route:

Standard 2-day paddle (my itinerary):

Day 1 — Boat Launch to Bagwa Lake Campground (via Pease Point) (13 KM)
Day 2 —Bagwa Lake to Boat Launch (via Lily Lake) (13 KM)

3-day paddle with two different campgrounds:

Day 1 —Boat Launch to Pease Point Campground (9 KM)
Day 2 —Pease Point to Lily Lake Campground (7.5 KM)
Day 3 — Lily Lake to Boat Launch (9.5 KM)

Leisurely 4-day itinerary to visit every backcountry campground:

Day 1 — Boat Launch to Pease Point Campground (9 KM)
Day 2 — Pease Point to Bagwa Lake Campground (4 KM)
Day 3 — Bagwa Lake to Lily Lake Campground (3.5 KM)
Day 4 — Lily Lake to Boat Launch (9.5 KM)

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What To Bring — Bagwa Canoe Route Packing List

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Here’s my canoe camping gear list for the Bagwa Canoe Route:

Camping Gear

Canoe Gear

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Bagwa Canoe Route Wildlife

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Wildlife is abundant in Prince Albert National Park. The Bagwa Canoe Route is known for red-necked grebe sightings, one of the most impressive aquatic birds. In the Bagwa Channel, there’s a colony of grebes nesting on the water, and you also spot beavers, bald eagles, pelicans, and even black bears. Remember, we’re guests on the Bagwa Canoe Route which is home to a diversity of wildlife. Help keep the waters and natural environment healthy and wild by practicing Leave No Trace principles. Pack out anything you bring with you — take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints.

Prince Albert National Park is bear country. No grizzly bears here, but black bears frequent the area. We stumbled across a pile of black bear scat on the Grey Owl Trail nearby. Don’t forget to use the bear cache at each campsite to store food and other animal attractants (like garbage, toothpaste, and toiletries). Bring bear spray with you and know how to use it.

Read next: How To Make Your Outdoor Adventures More Sustainable

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Know Before You Go — Canoeing in Saskatchewan

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Booking: Reserve backcountry campsites in Prince Albert National Park in person at the Visitor Centre in Waskesiu. You can reach Prince Albert National Park by phone at 306-663-4522 or email panp.info@pc.gc.ca.

Canoe rentals: I brought my own canoe but I met friendly paddlers with rentals. You can rent canoes from the Waskesiu Marina and they’ll deliver for an extra fee.

Toilets: Outhouses are available at each campground, so you won’t need to dig a hole.

Water source: You’ll find plenty of fresh water in Kingsmere Lake and the other lakes along the Bagwa Route. Bring a water purification or filtration system. I use either my MSR TrailShot or MSR MiniWorks.

Fires & Firewood: Parks Canada provides firewood at every campground on the Bagwa Loop (Pease Point, Bagwa Lake, and Lily Lake). Fires are permitted in designated fire pits.

Navigation: The Bagwa Canoe Route is extremely well-signed, with large white triangles marking each campground and large white “X” showing portage routes. Big signs mark each campground. While there is excellent signage, paddlers should also bring a paper map and GPS mapping to navigate the waters.

Portages: Be prepared for four portages on the Bagwa Loop. The first and longest portage is on a railway track, but you may want to bring a canoe cart for the shorter portages.

Time: Average flatwater canoers travel about 4 km per hour. Give yourself enough time and daylight to reach your destination.

Leave no trace: Remember to pack out your garbage (including food waste) and belongings. If you’re paddling with your dog, bring a smell-proof bag to pack out the poop.

Fishing: Paddlers must purchase a fishing license (available at the Visitor Centre) before fishing in the lakes.

Motorboats: While motorboats are permitted on Kingsmere Lake, they are prohibited between the Bagwa Channel and the Clare Lake portage.

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Things To Do in Prince Albert National Park

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When you’re finished on the Bagwa Canoe Route, there are many other things to do in Prince Albert National Park. When you head back to town, Waskesiu Beach is quite close to the town centre and has newly built washrooms and showers. Ready for a dip in the refreshing lake? Showers are available to the public at no additional cost (felt great to clean up after a couple nights in the backcountry!). For a tasty treat, head into town and grab an ice cream cone at Big Olaf. There are restaurants and quick-bite options in Waskesiu as well, though some are seasonal and close early in September.

If you’re looking for another outdoor adventure, check out the Grey Owl Trail along the western shore of Kingsmere Lake. If you have a couple of days, it’s worth hiking to Grey Owl’s Cabin and spending a night at Northend Campground. You could hike out and back in one long day, if you have the energy!

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Bagwa Canoe Route Video

Have you paddled the Bagwa Canoe Route in Prince Albert National Park? What was your experience like? Leave a comment below!

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