Day Trip From Edmonton to Pigeon Lake

Edmonton is a big city, so you might find it odd that there are things that people cannot get in Edmonton, which prompts them to drive an hour South West to Pigeon Lake, or rather, to The Village at Pigeon Lake. Word of mouth has been phenomenal at getting people to this unique destination. The two main draws are shopping and food.

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Let’s Go!

There are many ways to get to Pigeon Lake - I am going to give you a nice circle route. Head south on Highway 2 to Highway 39, then West to Calmar. Calmar has a great little bakery on the north side of the road, and will make a nice stop to pick up a treat to eat in the car. Continue West, you will turn south at a point and pass through Thorsby. 

You will come to Highway 616, at which point you want to turn Right, or West. This will take you on a scenic trip around the lake and past some Bison farms. Unfortunately the roads were not designed with tourists in mind, and this will not be a completely lake shore drive. The 616 is a nice rolling drive, and you want to look for the South (left) turn to highway 771. Here is where you will get close to the lake and have a view. Follow the 717 as it heads south and eventually south east around the lake.

It is only a few more minutes south west on the 771 until you come to highway 13, turn left on this road, so you are headed east. In about 3 minutes time you will see “The Village at Pigeon Lake” on your left side. It is not a typical “village”, nor is it on the lake, and by no means huge, although it is expanding. It is the name given to the development.

The Village

The Village consists of several stores, a grocery store, gas station and many others. Let us start with Mia Casa, a bold furniture store.  Down the way is the Eco Cafe. This award winning restaurant is worth a stop just in time for lunch. The food is definitely high quality but not ridiculously priced. Their environmental philosophy, of buying local produce when available, shows in the freshness of the taste. Next is The Clothing Store, a place for women’s fashions. The following store is very popular, The Country Sampler, an ever evolving store with pine furniture and home decor like you wont find many other places. Prices are excellent.   The Country Sampler has a new owner as of May 1, 2011, with many changes and updates.