Fort Carlton Provincial Park 4.0 (reviews)

Fort Carlton Provincial Park takes you back in time to the rugged, adventurous days of the fur trade before Canada was a country. This is the original site of a Hudson’s Bay Company fur-trading post that operated between 1810 and 1885.

Today, you will see a reconstructed palisade, fur and provisions store, trade store, clerk’s quarters, and tepee encampment; each of these appears much like they would have in the late 1800s. You can see, touch and smell artifacts such as buffalo hides, beaver pelts, war clubs, blankets, guns, twist tobacco, birch bark baskets and so much more.

Staff will guide you through these areas, answering your questions and leading you in activities like playing the spoons or packing furs for the trip to England. Outside the walls of the fort, you can take a short stroll to the North Saskatchewan River. You can trek along the original Carlton Trail, where you can still see the ruts left by Red River carts.

Wander through our Visitor Centre displays and gift shop. Stay for a picnic in our maple grove or spend the night in the campground, where you might hear coyotes howl and will see the same stars your ancestors gazed at. The park is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily from the May long weekend to August.