Visitor Information
The eagle count is conducted on the banks of the Kananaskis River at Hay Meadows near Mount Lorette in the Kananaskis Country region of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Find directions to our site, information about Kananaskis, where to stay if visiting, and other attractions in the area below. A more comprehensive guide to Kananaskis can be found at the Kananaskis Country website.
- Finding the Mount Lorette/Hay Meadow site
- Purchasing the required Kananaskis Conservation Pass
- Places to Stay nearby
- Attractions in Kananaskis
Finding the Mount Lorette/Hay Meadow Site
Turn south from the Trans Canada Highway 1 onto Highway 40 and after about 25 km turn right at the sign for Kananaskis Village and the Nakiska Ski Resort. Drive west 1 km. Pass the turn for Kananaskis Village on your left and almost immediately turn right onto a paved road signposted Troll Falls Trailhead. You will find a good parking area just a few hundred meters down this road. Leave your vehicle there.
Note that Stoney Trailhead is now called Troll Falls Trailhead. Map not to scale.
There are two ways to the site from the parking lot. You can follow the gravel road to the north and just after it straightens out after swinging west to avoid a wet area, fork right. The road crosses Hay Meadow to two wooden huts (pump houses) beside the Kananaskis River. The viewing area is a short distance south of these huts. For a prettier, slightly shorter route you can take the trail that is across the parking lot from the restrooms onto the well maintained Hiking/Ski trail and follow it until you reach the site. The walk to the site is about 1km and involves no elevation rise.
There are restrooms at the parking lot, but no facilities are available at the watch site.
Read more about the Hay Meadows site.
Observation Disclaimer
The Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation (RMERF ) will not accept any responsibility for injury or loss sustained by participants (for any perceived reason including negligence) in any field activities or other functions organized by or for RMERF
Kananaskis Conservation Pass
Any vehicle entering Kananaskis is required to have a Kananaskis Conservation Pass
Places to stay
Within 4 km of the Kananaskis eagle watch site is Kananaskis Village, which has a number of high end hotels. The G8 Summit in 2002 and the G7 Summit in 2025 were held at this location. More moderately priced and quite basic accommodation nearby is the HI Kananaskis Wilderness Hostel.
Near the junction of Highways #1 and #40 is the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino. As well as offering casino facilities this enterprise of the first nations Stoney Nakoda offers 111 reasonably priced rooms just 26 km from the parking spot for the Hay Meadow site.
Of course Calgary 90 km (55 miles), Canmore 52 km (31 miles) and Banff 70 km (42 miles) all have a wealth of fine places to stay for those who like more active surroundings and a wider variety of restaurants and entertainment.
Attractions near Kananaskis
Kananaskis Country contains hundreds of excellent hiking, mountain biking, cross-country and snow shoe trails through magnificent mountain scenery.
Troll Falls, a small waterfall on Marmot Creek, is about 1 km from Hay Meadows. It is a popular destination for families with small children as the distance from the parking lot is short and the trail mostly flat.
For downhill skiing enthusiasts the nearby Nakiska Ski area offers slopes of all grades. This was the venue for downhill events during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Of course Banff National Park is close and other excellent skiing may be found at Lake Louise, Sunshine and Mt. Norquay.
After a day of eagle watching or skiing relax in the natural hot pools in Banff.
Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Parks are well known to have some of the world’s finest mountain scenery. The Ice Fields Parkway drive is particularly recommended.
Calgary, amongst many other attractions, has an excellent zoo and a very fine heritage park.
The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology is situated 135 km east of Calgary in Drumheller. This town is in the heart of Alberta’s bad lands famous the world over for dinosaur remains. A visit is highly recommended for all ages. First Class!
Bird watching opportunities are excellent in the immediate vicinity of the Hay Meadow observation site.
In fact within short walking distance of the site there is a wealth of different habitats and of course a wealth of birds.
