Warm up to fall in Cold Lake
Cold Lake, AB As Keith and Kelly Eagles wade into the cool waters of Cold Lake, on the shore of the Cold Lake M.D. Campground, all their cares quickly melt away. The couple, both teachers, already have back to school and back to work thoughts on their minds. As summer winds down, many of us know that same angst, of feeling the clock ticking down, the temperatures dropping, the pressures ramping up.
For those feelings, there is a simple cure: lake time. Around this time of year I always find myself craving just a little more of the glittering golden warmth of a beach day. For those cravings, Cold Lake always hits the spot just right.
PREVIEW: your zen warm up to fall in Cold Lake
Just three hours from Edmonton, the big, clear lake is often at its warmest by late August. Summer travel has died down and the beaches and trails still radiate that natural, soothing warmth.
The recipe for a perfect lake day differs depending on who you are, but the core ingredients remain the same: some warm up exercise, followed by cooling off at the lake and some rest and relaxation after.
Repeat as necessary, until you find yourself residing solely in the moment.
Warm up #1: golf at Cold Lake Golf and Winter Club
For the Eagles, one surefire warm up activity is golfing a round at the Cold Lake Golf and Winter Club. A couple of years ago the couple bought a membership to the public course, and have remained members ever since.
On a late August day, Keith and his friend Danik Becotte take turns whacking tiny white balls down the lush, green fairways. For Keith, the public course wins on all fronts: “It's not very busy and it's really inviting and accessible.”
“It’s still aesthetically a very nice course,” he continues, “but it takes away some of that stigmatism that you might feel, the pretentiousness.”
He praises the back nine for its natural beauty. “The sandy pines on the back nine that we were golfing today, it's beautiful back there. You know, with a sunset or sunrise, the fog or the dew lifting, it's beautiful."
Warm up #2: Biking Cold Lake Provincial park
Another great thing about Cold Lake is the close proximity of everything. It’s just 15 minutes’ drive to Cold Lake Provincial Park, where Keith and Danik jump on their bikes to explore the nine kilometres of single track multi-use trails.
From multiple spots along the shady, forested trails, there are benches and plateaus overlooking the lake.
“For access to nature, and provincial parks, and walking trails, all of those kinds of things, it’s pretty fantastic,” Kelly says later.
Cooling off in Cold Lake for a zen reset
Meanwhile behind the scenes, as the guys wind head for a post-ride beer, I get in a swim. It’s glorious to cool down, then stand in the sun after and air dry from its heat.
The beaches at Cold Lake serve up my favourite medicine. Our skin is our largest sensory organ, and nature serves up the best hot-cold plunge you can find. It makes me feel like a battery getting a 12-volt boost.
Warm up to fall in Cold Lake, with a zen reset by the lake
Keith, an avid outdoorsman, shares another tip: “the fishing here is world class. Especially if you're a big boat person, it's really easy to get into world class trout right away on Cold Lake.”
Feeding body and soul at Clarks’ General Store
Having wound up their afternoon, Danik takes his leave while Keith and Kelly head for dinner at Clarks’ General Store. The local restaurant has been a mainstay here for decades, although the building has been around much longer, going back to its time as an actual general store and outfitter starting way back in 1928.
It originally served as a trading post for the fur trade, explains artist-curator Nicole Gordon. She is restoring that history with an Indigenous approach, as she partners with Clarks’ to open an art gallery this fall 2026 in a secondary space of the restaurant. (What for a grand opening coming soon!)
But the food is an art on its own, from boozy milkshakes to banana pepper chicken or blackened haddock, it all hits the spot after an energetic day. Views of the marina and the lake across the road, surrounded by flowers and greenery, perfect the moment.
Rest and relaxation lakeside at Cold Lake MD Campground
For an evening wind down, the Cold Lake MD Camground is one of Alberta’s best kept car camping secrets.
Even locals will sometimes book lakeside sites here to be closer to nature by the lake just for a little while. Which means booking early for summer is essential; but late summer and into fall, spaces tend to open up.
“It's just a really nice time of year,” says Kelly. “It's quieter. Tourism has kind of died down, so you're not waiting for things, or, you know, there are more vacancies. It quiets down, but it doesn't mean that it's not just still as good.”
By the lake or not, every site in the campground is within strides from the lake, where Keith and Kelly finish their day. With feet in the water and the warm colours of sunset reflecting off the lake, a simple calm sets in.
For so many of us feeling the pressures of modern urban life, this is exactly the zen reset we need to restore our energy for the season ahead.
Know before you go
A small city that feels more like a large town, Cold Lake is a friendly lakeside retreat for your fall zen needs at just three hours from Edmonton.
Getting to Cold Lake
3h drive (approx) from Edmonton via Hwy AB-28-E
2h drive from Lloydminster via AB-897-N
How to make this itinerary your own
Stay at Cold Lake M.D. Campground or check out local B&Bs along the waterfront
Play at
Cold Lake Golf and Winter Club
Cold Lake Provincial Park
Eat at Clarks' General Store and check out the Flowing Hearts Indigenous Arts Collective gallery on site.
For more seasonal adventures in Cold Lake, check out the visitor section on the City of Cold Lake website. And for more beach day inspo, read this story.