Around 400 plains bison and 300 wood bison live here, along with elk, moose, deer and more than 250 kinds of bird. It is 50 kilometres from downtown Edmonton, the shuttle costs nothing, and you can be standing on a boardwalk over a lake by mid morning.
Pick your date below. The seat is free. You hold it with a $15 deposit per person, and that comes back to you when you board.
Dates not open yet
We put seats on sale one season at a time, and this one is not up yet. Nothing is hidden and there is no list to pay to join. Leave your email and you hear the day the dates open.
See every trip with dates on saleEverything we run from Edmonton
Cancel 14 or more days before you go and you get 90% back.
Choose your own adventure: we drop you off, and the bus picks you up in the same spot.
A short, flat walk on even ground, at your own pace.
Elk Island is where bison conservation in Canada was rebuilt. The herds here have been used to start herds everywhere from Grasslands to Banff, so if you see a bison in a Canadian national park, the odds are good its family came from this bit of aspen parkland east of Edmonton.
Around 400 plains bison and 300 wood bison live here now, alongside elk, moose, deer and more than 250 species of bird. They are wild and they move where they like. You watch them from the bus, from a trail, or from a safe distance in a meadow, and you do not approach them.
The rest of the park is quieter than that makes it sound. Eleven trails run through forest and native grassland. Astotin Lake has islands you can paddle out to, a beach to picnic on, and the Living Waters Boardwalk running out over the water, which is the easiest wildlife watching in the park.
Elk Island is part of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve and a UNESCO biosphere reserve. It is one of the darkest places you can reach this quickly from a Canadian city.
Wild bison and prairie sky, 50 kilometres from downtown Edmonton.
Astotin Lake on every date, with a stop at the Visitor Information Centre first on Backstage Bison Tour dates.
We pick you up
11970 104 Ave NW, just west of downtown in the Brewery District. Turn up fifteen minutes early and look for the bus with the bison on the back.
We pick you up
9810 103a Ave NW, on the museum side of the street. Turn up fifteen minutes early and look for the bus with the bison on the back.
This is the heart of the park and where you spend the day. The lake has islands, a beach and rentals, the boardwalk runs out over the water, and several of the eleven trails start from here. Parks Canada usually has an interpreter around and often an event running.
Good to know:
Facilities: Washrooms, Beach and picnic area, Playground, Canoe and kayak rentals
Note: On dates with a Backstage Bison Tour the bus stops at the Visitor Information Centre first for the one hour tour, then carries on to the lake.
We drop you back
The bus calls at both pickup points on the way back, so you get off where you got on.
This is our estimated return time, not a guarantee. Traffic can change it and some trips do run late, so please leave yourself some room afterwards rather than booking something tight against it.
There is no shop at Astotin Lake, and the bus has no washroom, so pack for the day.
Keep a long distance, stay on the trail, and never get between an animal and its calf. A bison that has noticed you and stopped eating is telling you that you are too close.
They cross the road whenever they feel like it, which is one more reason it is nice not to be the one driving.
The seat itself is free. The deposit holds it, and it comes back to you when you board.
On dates when Parks Canada charges admission, that fee comes out of the deposit and the rest is returned. Admission to Parks Canada places is free from 19 June to 7 September 2026 under the Canada Strong Pass, so on those dates the whole deposit comes back.
On selected dates you get an hour with a Parks Canada interpreter at the Plains Bison Handling Facility: the Heritage Barn, the corrals and the chutes where the herd is managed, and the story of how this park became the source of bison for the rest of the country.
It covers about a kilometre over uneven grass and gravel, so wear proper shoes. The dates that include it are listed when you book.
Dates run through the season and each one opens for booking two weeks ahead. That is new for 2026, and it exists so the whole summer does not vanish in one morning.
Placeholder dates · the real ones come from our booking system
We're Canada's outdoor bus service. Since 2010 we've taken more than 300,000 people to parks and trails without a car. You bring a daypack. We handle everything else.
TD and CPAWS Northern Alberta pay for this shuttle, in partnership with Parks Canada. You hold your seat with a $15 deposit and get it back when you board.
Around 400 plains bison and 300 wood bison live here. They wander where they like, including across the road, and you do not have to go looking for them.
Eleven trails, a lake with canoe and kayak rentals, a beach, a playground and a boardwalk over the water. Or a bench and a book. Nobody is timing you.
On selected trip dates, Parkbus riders get a one hour Backstage Bison Tour with a Parks Canada interpreter. It is not something most visitors ever see.
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0 on Google
Speaking from someone who doesn't drive. This is a must!! I highly recommend this!Linda Ann · Facebook · Jun 2024
This is a great service if you don't have a vehicle or just don't want to drive. I'm so happy to have discovered this. There will definitely be more Parkbus trips in my future!James Taylor Wilson · Happy Parkbus customer
All stops enable guests ample time to explore the destination. This is a highly a good idea trip for those that appreciate spending time in nature minus distractions.OnAir48444 · Tripadvisor · Oct 2025
This is the 1st time I used Parkbus but it won't be the last.Brenda H. · Google
Parkbus is an official partner of VIA Rail and Parks Canada, helping keep car-free trips to Canada's parks and wild places genuinely affordable.
Factor in the cost of gas, parking and renting a car, it's a lot cheaper than taking a personal vehicle.Toronto Star
Parkbus is a great option for nature lovers, whether it's a day trip or overnight camping getaway.The Globe and Mail
Cancel more than 14 days before departure and you get a 90% refund, with 10% withheld for payment processing. Inside 14 days refunds are not available, except for a medical emergency in the 48 hours before departure, which needs a signed doctor’s note within 14 days of the missed trip and returns 50%. Tickets are transferable: you can change the passenger name up to 48 hours before departure.
If Parkbus cancels a trip, you get a full refund. We decide no later than 48 hours before departure and only on confirmed conditions: the park closed or the park authority asking us to stand down, an evacuation order or alert, an area restriction order, the highway closed, or the trip judged unsafe to run. A forecast is not one of those things, and trips run rain or shine.
CPAWS Northern AlbertaThe Elk Island Express is generously supported by TD and CPAWS Northern Alberta, in partnership with Parks Canada. They pay for the bus so that a day out here does not depend on owning a car.
Book a seat, pack a lunch, and spend the day somewhere that feels a very long way from Edmonton.