Birch Cove, Alberta is a peaceful summer village located on Lac La Nonne, 99 kilometres northwest of the Edmonton. It is located off of Highway 33, 19 kilometres south of the town of Barrhead. Other nearby communities include Alberta Beach, Onoway, and Lac Ste. Anne.
There is fun for everyone at Birch Cove, Alberta!
Break out your fishing gear and check out Lac La Nonne. Open each year for fishing from May to March, Birch Cove makes the ideal fishing spot, both in the summer, and during the winter while ice fishing. The most common fish to catch in Lac La Nonne are Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, and Walleye.
If you are not much of a fisher, try taking the boat for the sail or take your canoe out for a paddle. Just be sure to wear a life jacket!
If none of these activities are for you and you prefer relaxing and spending quality time with friends and family, be sure to take advantage of the lakeside recreational park. Open year round, the recreational park has a community shelter and picnic tables free for use!
Maybe you want to pop out for a quick game of golf? You are in luck! Birch Cove is located 10 minutes north of the Rich Valley RV and Golf Resort. Play 9 or 18 holes of golf, have a drink with your friends, and unwind.
Rich Valley RV and Golf Resort (13km away)
Range Road 33
Glenevis, AB T0E 0X0
Phone: 780-964-2916
Email: info@richvalleyrvresort.com
https://www.richvalleyrvresort.com/
Indulge in some of the best food in the area:
Barrhead is a further drive from Birch Cove but offers a wide selection of restaurants sure to satisfy everyone:
While Birch Cove, Alberta is a small community, there are some nearby accommodations to consider when planning your trip:
There are often cottages and cabins for rent around Lac La Nonne and in the surrounding communities on AirBNB. The listings change often, but it is a good place to check.
The nearby community of Barrhead (20 minutes north of Birch Cove) has several accommodations available:
If you prefer to camp or RV, here are some great options for ressorts and campgrounds in the Birch Cove area:
There is plenty of wildlife to be found in and around Birch Cove, Alberta. This quiet community is no stranger to the occasional animal visitor.
The Lac La Nonne Natural Area, at the northern end of Lac La Nonne, is a great location to spot some of these beautiful creatures, since it is part shorefront, forest, and wetland. Some of the birds you may be able to spot are American white pelicans, bald eagles, great horned owls, song sparrows, and blue heron. Smaller mammals can be found including minks and muskrats. If you keep an eye out, wood frogs can often also be found at this location.
Lac La Nonne, translating to “Nun Lake”, is a popular recreation lake. However, Lac La Nonne is considered hypertrophic, meaning it contains high levels of phosphorous and nitrogen. This contributes to excessive blue-green algae blooms, particularly in the summer months.
It is important to remembeer that when blue-green algae is visible, avoid all contact with the water. Do not swim or wade in the lake and or allow your pets to enter the lake. Do not consume water from the lake. If you come into contact with blue-green algae, wash the area immediately with tap water. Also consider limiting your consumption of fish harvested from the lake, since toxins can accumulate in their liver, but fish fillets are still okay to consume safely.
Symptoms from contact include, but are not limited to, skin irritation, eye irritation, mouth and throat irritation, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Symptoms usually occur soon after contact (one to three hours) and often resolve naturally in one or two days. These symptoms tend to be more pronounced in children, but anyone can develop symptoms. If symptoms persist or worsen, contact your family doctor. For persistent pet symptoms, contact your veterinarian.
With winter camping becoming a more popular activity among Albertans, campgrounds are taking advantage of this with many extending their seasons into the winter. The local campgrounds and RV resorts around Birch Cove and Lac La Nonne are no exception. Birch Cove and the surrounding areas provide the perfect opportunity to dust off (or brush all the snow off) the RV and get back into nature for a weekend or winter break getaway.
The Sunny Beach RV Resort (located 7.7km away from Birch Cove) camping season runs from May 1 - April 30, allowing campers to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Alberta snow. Some of the popular winter activities to participate in include ice fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. It is important to note that this is exclusive to RV camping and there will be no tent camping spots available.
Additionally, there are several cabins in the Birch Cove/ Lac La Nonne area for rent this winter season. What better way than to enjoy your Christmas than curled up around the fire in a cozy winter cabin? Check the local AirBNB listings and for cabin rentals in the area for an up-to-date list of offerings.
There will be ice fishing rods, snowshoes, and cross-country skis for rent in town at the Birch Cove community center. Please call us or stop by during our open hours to see our availability and to rent any materials. Bait is also available for purchase.
With your family’s winter vacation coming up, make sure you book your camping lots soon as possible since we are expecting more people this winter than ever due to the increasing popularity for staycations and in province getaways. You will not want to miss out on this chance to reconnect with nature and get outside for some fun winter activities.
