Upper Kananaskis Lake is a natural

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

that was turned into a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

Kananaskis Country Kananaskis Country is a multi-use area west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the foothills and front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The area is named for the Kananaskis River, which was named by John Palliser in 1858 after a Cree acquaintance. Cove ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Upper Kananaskis Lake, along with the

Lower Kananaskis Lake Lower Kananaskis Lake is a natural lake that was turned into a reservoir in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, Canada. Lower Kananaskis Lake is in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park along with the Upper Kananaskis Lake. The lake is part of a series of ...

, is located in

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the A ...

. The lake is part of a series of natural and man made lakes in the Kananaskis and

Bow Valley Bow Valley is a valley located along the upper Bow River in Alberta, Canada. The name "Bow" refers to the reeds that grew along its banks and which were used by the local First Nations people to make bows; the Blackfoot language name for th ...

s used for hydro electric power,

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

, and water reserves for the Bow River water users such as the city of Calgary. The lake is also used for recreational activities, with

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

paths surrounding the lake (and

cross-country ski Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

ing trails in the winter).

Hiking trails

*Upper Kananaskis Lake Circuit *Rawson Lake Trail *Aster Lake Route (also goes to Hidden Lake) *Three Isle Lake Trail *Maude-Lawson Trail (To Lawson Lake) *Mount Indefatigable Trail *Elk Pass Trail (To Fox, Frozen, Upper Elk, and Lower Elk Lakes) *Northover Ridge Route

Climate

Based on the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, this vicinity is located in a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 C with wind chill factors below −30 C.

Gallery

Image:Kananaskis_Lakes_aerial2.jpg, Lower and Upper Kananaskis Lakes Image:Kananaskis_Lakes_aerial1.jpg, Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes Image:UpperKanLake.JPG, Upper Kananaskis Lake from the summit of Mount Tyrwhitt Image:U-Kananaskis-Lk-Szmurlo.jpg, Upper Kananskis Lake and

Mount Lyautey Mount Lyautey is a mountain summit located in Kananaskis Country in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Mount Lyautey is situated 2.0 kilometres east of the Continental Divide, within Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Its nearest higher peak ...

File:Upper Lake, Kananaskis Country.jpg,

Elpoca Mountain Elpoca Mountain is a mountain summit located at the southern end of the Opal Range in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The nearest higher peak is Mount Evan-Thomas, to the north. Elpoca Mountain is situated 4.0 kilometres south of Moun ...

and the Opal Range seen from Upper Kananaskis Lake

References

Kananaskis Lake, Upper Kananaskis Lake, Upper Kananaskis Improvement District {{AlbertaRockies-geo-stub