Crowfoot Ferry

 Crowfoot Ferry

For  a number of years I have been considering a road trip that would include crossings of all the Alberta River Ferries. These Ferries exist as an alternate to bridges although most have a nearby bridge now to make them obselete. Possibly another example of vote purchasing in the past that cannot be reversed.... like our fake health care system, among others. I figured the summer solstice might assist in visiting the 6 ferries that still operate on Alberta rivers as its a long drive.

Crowfoot Ferry on Range Road 201

Whitepost Lane to Crowfoot Ferry

 Departed White Post Lane about 9:00 on June 21, heading towards the first ferry on list, Crowfoot, that crosses the Bow River and is appropriately located, near Crowfoot Alberta.

This journey is about 140kms (85 miles) across dryland and irrigated farming to the edge of the southern Alberta desert. 

Arrowwood Grain Elevator

The route passes many delelict buildings from a bygone era, modern Granaries, iconic aged Grain Elevators all while traversing under the magnificent Southern Alberta Big Sky Cloud Museum. 

Granaries Farm, Agriculture version of Oil Tank Farm

Someday gonna fix this old barn

Junction AB24 and AB547

Past Arrowood, the secondary highways gave way to range and township roads and the white lines turned to gravel and mud. The previous days 3/4"of rain made for slick conditions the last 40kms of roads with very little gravel.  

Prickley Pear Cactus

Maybe there is a god?

Further along at the edge of the desert, very close to the Crowfoot Ferry 'terminal', the entrance to Gods Ranch is passed. Who knew they/she/he had such a magnificent place? Nearby some lovely prickly pear cactus brighten the landscape.

Crowfoot Ferry and Operator

The crossing!

We arrive at Crowfoot Ferry after a little over 2 hours drive. The Bow is about 100m wide and very slow moving at this point. The Ferry is a cable type, as they all are, that links Range Road 201 across the bow. 

Bow River at Crowfoot Ferry Crossing

The operator, unsurprisingly, said he was not very busy....the trip across took all of  two minutes. Mildly anticlimatic. First one in the bag onto Finnegan Ferry in Special Area #2.