• Day Use Areas Intro
• Bragg Creek Provincial Park
• Visitor Information Centre
• Allen Bill Pond
• McLean Pond
• McLean Staging Area
• McLean Creek/Elbow R.
• Beaver Lodge
• Elbow River Launch
• Elbow Canyon
• Elbow Falls
• Forgetmenot Pond
• Cobble Flats
• Moose Mountain
• West Bragg Creek

Lat: 50.90363   Long: -114.66748  Click to see map

This is as unofficial as it gets. It is not recognized as a day use area and you have to drive past a no motorized vehicle sign to park. Some fishermen and siteseers seem to think it is worth risking a ticket as there are often a few cars parked there. It was very busy when the Highway 66 bridge was closed. It is located opposite the turnoff to the McLean Creek OHV Zone. There is nothing here – that’s part of its charm. No toilet, no picnic tables, no trails; nothing but McLean Creek flowing into the Elbow River. There is a bit of sandy beach, some gravel bars and a fairly wide expanse of open river with rock cliffs in places. You can splash your toes in the water, explore the shoreline or settle down for a blanket picnic lunch. There is nothing dramatic or even beautiful here but it is a nice place to pass some quiet time with the river gurgling and splashing nearby.

• Tire tracks

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  It’s not what you would call pretty, but it is interesting and easily accessible. I guess that is why people insist on driving here where they aren’t allowed.

  

• Park opposite McLean OHV road

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  This is really more of a ditch than a parking lot. There is a “No Motorized Vehicles” sign just off to the right. The river is a short walk that takes a minute or two. The twisted metal things are conduits for drainage that got wrecked.

  

• McLean Creek

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  The creek is in the foreground with Elbow River in the distance just over the rock wall dam that forms a bit of a pool. I imagine fishermen take advantage of this pool to catch some of the stocked rainbow trout that might escape from McLean Pond.

  

• Rock dam

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  This photo was taken in early July shortly after the flood. The water is still a bit high and turbid. I usually associate McLean Creek with the sound of a two-stroke engine. But this is a quiet place.