Fortress Lake is located in Hamber Provincial Park, a Class A Provincial Park (which stringently esteems the highest level of environmental protection of all BC Parks). Hamber Park is in a remote reach of the province of BC, and is butted against Jasper National Park. The region is also a  UNESCO World  Heritage Site.

There are no roads, few hikers, no industrial activity, and no motorized access to the location except for the few that fly in each year.  The only other access is a 30 km hike to our location which limits use of Fortress Lake to very few people outside our retreat users. The valley  is dominated by several mountain peaks. The lake is 4380 feet elevation and the mountains angle steeply to heights well over 10,000 feet.

Fortress Pass is at the east end of Fortress Lake and is on the Continental Divide. It separates the headwaters of the Chaba River (Athabasca River drainage that flows to the Arctic Ocean) in Jasper National Park, Alberta from Fortress Lake, in Hamber Provincial Park, British Columbia (Columbia River drainage that flows into the Pacific Ocean).

Travel:
Direct Domestic & International flights are commonly available to Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. Each city has its benefits in travel. By flying to Calgary, guests can fish the Bow, Red Deer, and Ram Rivers and their tributaries, and drive the Icefield Parkway - an internationally renowned highway through the heart of the Continental Divide Ranges of the Canadian Rockies connecting Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper. While Calgary is further from our float plane base than Edmonton, it does have these benefits and we encourage guests who wish to experience our other waters to fly to Calgary - 5 hours from Hinton (our float plane base). By flying in to Edmonton, guests can still enjoy fishing the other waters which are a touch further away than to fly in to Calgary, however, the drive is shorter and more direct to our float plane base. For guests wishing to strictly fish Fortress Lake, we encourage flying to Edmonton and driving 3 hours to Hinton.

Connector Flights Available
Our float plane company also has larger, wheeled aircraft available to provide connector flights direct from both Edmonton and Calgary International Airports. Flight time is approximately 1 hour with up to 5 guests on board. The rate for this service is approximately $2400 return (total price / # in your party). This has a unique benefit as it is possible to fly from your home city,  land at the International Airport, fly connector flight to Hinton, and fly by float plane directly in to Fortress Lake. Using this method, guests could easily leave home in New York City in the morning and arrive at Fortress in the late afternoon.

Directions for travel: 

• From Edmonton: Head 2.5 to 3 hrs due west on hwy #16 to Hinton. The airport is 10 minutes west.
• From Banff & Lake Louise: Head north on hwy #93 to Jasper, then east on #16 to just west of Hinton. Approximately 1.75 hrs from Lake Louise and 2.5 hours from Banff.
• From Calgary International Airport: Head north on #2 to Edmonton and due west to Hinton. Approximately 5 hours from the International Airport. We encourage you to travel hwy #1 west to Banff & Lake Louise and then on to #93 north to Jasper as part of a site seeing tour of the Canadian Rockies.
• From Jasper: Simply head 30 minutes east on #16 to just west of Hinton.