The Village of Empress

is nestled between the Red Deer River and the South Saskatchewan River, at the eastern edge of Alberta. There is a wild feel to this quaint village surrounded by expansive farms and ranches, pronghorns, coyotes and so many different species of birds. The recreation opportunities for adventurers and star-gazers are boundless. Come and see for yourself!

Rivers

Empress is located just west of the fork where the Red Deer river and the South Saskatchewan river join. Where is Empress?

See River Levels below.

Fishing, boating, tubing!

More River photos in the area.

The Red Deer River is typically low, so we don’t recommend motor boats. Canoeing might be difficult at times, but kayaking and tubing are great. The Empress boat launch for the Red Deer river is located on the south side of the river in Peter Fiddler Park on the north end of town and can be found at GPS coordinates 50.965239, -110.017268.

The South Saskatchewan River is great for all boating. The closest and best access to the SSR from Empress is at the old ferry crossing. You can drive right up to it from the north (seeing an old wooden ferry along the way), and is at GPS coordinates 50.905240, -109.998267.

Estuary Ferry across the South Saskatchewan River, 50.946217, -109.802059
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Plan a River Trip

Here are some other convenient entry/exit points for the rivers if you are planning a river trip. You might ask some locals for advice for these trips: Empress/Bindloss River Rat Paddlers

River	Location	Access	GPS	River Distance
Red Deer	Buffalo	South, drive up	50.846518, -110.695043	41.1 km to Bindloss
Red Deer	Bindloss	South, drive up, two locations	50.901872, -110.296739	27.3 km to Empress
Red Deer	Highway 41 Bridge	No access. No trespassing.
Red Deer	Range Road 14 near Empress	North, drive up, walk down bank	50.951615, -110.097902	7.6 km to Empress
Red Deer	Empress Boat Launch	South, drive up	50.951615, -110.097902
Red Deer & South Saskatchewan	Estuary Ferry	North or South, drive up.	50.946217, -109.802059	28.1 km from Empress Boat Launch

South Saskatchewan	Old Bindloss Ferry	North better than south, drive up.	50.633611, -110.195417	16.9 km to Sandy Point
South Saskatchewan	Pipeline Crossing	East, drive up.	50.684617, -110.131850	9.2 km to Sandy Point
South Saskatchewan	Sandy Point / Highway 41	South, drive up boat launch.	50.731776, -110.076176	26.6 km to Empress
South Saskatchewan	Empress Ferry Crossing	North, drive up	50.905240, -109.998267
South Saskatchewan	Estuary Ferry	North or South, drive up.	50.946217, -109.802059	17.9 km from Empress Ferry Crossing