Abraham Lake is beautiful year-round, but the Ice Bubbles have really made it a popular winter attraction and kept nearby Nordegg cabins and restaurants busy even in cold weather.

Abraham Lake is a reservoir that was made with the completion of the Bighorn Dam in 1972. The Lake is about 33 kms long and is well-known in the summer for its bright glacial blue colors. It was named through a contest held by the Alberta Government, after Silas Abraham, a guide from the Stoney Nakoda First Nations during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Mount Abraham that overlooks the lake was also named after Silas Abraham.

The water levels fluctuate dramatically from season to season. More water leaves the reservoir than comes in from about November to June, resulting in very low water levels in late spring and early summer. In July, the lake starts to fill up again and usually reaches its peak in mid October. In the summer, a good rain in the mountains can raise the water level several inches overnight. In the winter, the dropping water levels can leave slabs of ice sitting on the rocky beaches as the water pulls back from the edges of the lake making it difficult to walk off the lake up the sloping ice.

The ice bubbles are created when methane gas is captured by the freezing surface. As the ice freezes more deeply, you can get stacks or layers of bubbles. The methane is released by the decay of trees and grass covered by the water as the reservoir fills.

Many lakes have ice bubbles, but we can see the ice bubbles on Abraham Lake because of the tremendous winds that clear the ice. Numerous photographers have had to chase their tripod that chilly winds have carried away. In the spring and summer these winds can create 3 foot high swells and may blow a canoe or kayak across the lake quite quickly.

The lake’s ice coverage varies throughout the winter. Abraham Lake is usually frozen over by the end of December, but we need several days of -30 degree weather to get it to freeze. We recommend using the help of a tour guide that knows the lake well and can provide you with proper gear for exploring Abraham Lake and the nearby trails and waterfalls.  There are guide companies based out of Nordegg.

For those looking for services in the winter, Nordegg has 2 gas stations, restaurants, a hotel, and many cabins to rent. Rocky Mountain House, about 50 minutes from Nordegg, has all services available.

Please use these services so you do not leave any waste around the lake. For garbage we promote “If you pack it in, you can pack it out or just keep your trash at home.”

Abraham Lake lays along the David Thompson Highway west of Nordegg in Clearwater County, a truly magnificent part of the David Thompson Country Tourism Region in Alberta, Canada.

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