Near Massive in Banff National Park, Alberta — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)
Pilot Pond
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Étang Pilot
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 4, 2022
1. Pilot Pond / Étang Pilot Marker
Pilot Pond fills a dip in the rolling terrain of the Hillsdale Slide — a massive jumble of rock and gravel that slumped from nearby slopes as the last glaciers retreated from the Bow Valley. Due to its isolation from other water bodies, this lake remained fishless for thousands of years. But there were long-toed salamanders here, hence the local nickname Lizard Lake.
For the benefit of anglers, the pond was stocked with rainbow and brook trout from 1926 to 1988. Unfortunately, these non-native fish ate the salamander larvae and for a time it seemed the “lizards” were gone from the lake. A few must have survived, however. Now that fish stocking has ceased, salamanders can again be found along the shores of Pilot Pond.
[image captions]
• Pilot Mountain reflected in the mirror of Pilot Pond.
• Adult long-toed salamanders live in damp cavities in the surrounding woods.
• Salamander larvae are tadpole-like and have external gills allowing them to breathe underwater.
L'étang Pilot remplit un creux dans le relief vallonné du glissement de Hillsdale — un fouillis massif de
this page online
Au grand bonheur des pêcheurs à la ligne, on a déversé dans le lac des truites arc-en-ciel et des truites mouchetées, de 1926 à 1988. Malheureusement, ces poissons non indigènes mangeaient les larves des salamandres et, pendant un certain temps, on pensait bien que les « lézards » avaient disparu du lac. Quelques-uns ont dû toutefois survivre. Maintenant que l'empoissonnement a cessé, on peut de nouveau trouver des salamandres sur les berges de l'étang Pilot.
[légendes d'images]
• Réflexion du mont Pilot dans le miroir de l’étang Pilot.
• À l’âge adulte, les salamandres à longs doigts cherchent refuge dans les cavités humides des bois avoisinants.
• Tels des têtards, les larves des salamandres sont dotées de branchies externes pour respirer sous l’eau.
Erected by Parks
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 4, 2022
2. Pilot Pond / Étang Pilot Marker
The marker is beside the Pilot Pond trailhead parking lot. A trail leading to Pilot Pond begins here.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment • Natural Features • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1926.
Location. 51° 13.872′ N, 115° 48.749′ W. Marker is near Massive, Alberta, in Banff National Park. It is on Bow Valley Parkway (Provincial Highway 1A) 9 kilometers east of Banff-Windermere Highway (Provincial Highway 93), on the right when traveling east. The marker is near the Pilot Pond trailhead parking lot on the south side of Bow Valley Parkway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Massive AB T0L 1E0, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Canadian Rockies. It is also in the Prairies. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony and also Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Era of the Automobile / L'ère de l'automobile (approx. 2.2 kilometers away); Past Visitors / Visiteurs du passé (approx. 2.2 kilometers away); Sawback (approx. 3.5 kilometers away); The Bigger Picture / La situation dans son ensemble (approx. 3.5 kilometers away); Prescribed Burn / Brûlage dirigé (approx. 6.8 kilometers away); Flames of Life / Flammes de la vie (approx. 6.8 kilometers away); Storm Mountain (approx. 10.8 kilometers away); Internment Camp / Camp d'internement (approx. 12.7 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Massive.
Also see . . . Wait - Are Those Lizards on the Bow Valley Parkway? (The Banff Guide).
Excerpt: Pilot Pond was known as Lizard Lake, and then it was stocked with trout for forty-eight years. Trout eat salamander larvae. The population is coming back slowly, and every mid-April the survivors cross the Bow Valley Parkway at night, which is why the speed limit drops to 20 km/h. The long-toed salamander is one of only two salamander species in Alberta, and every spring it stages a quiet migration across one of the park's most scenic roads.(Submitted on October 10, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Between 1926 and 1974, the pond was stocked with non-native rainbow and brook trout for recreational fishing. Trout eat salamander larvae. By the time the stocking stopped, the population had been nearly wiped out. It is a straightforward cautionary tale about what happens when you introduce a predator into an ecosystem without thinking it through - and the fact that it happened inside a national park does not make it any less instructive. Since stocking ended, the salamanders have been making a slow recovery. Parks Canada researchers now survey 60 breeding sites across the eastern section of the park twice each year, in mid-April and again at the end of May. Pilot Pond is one of those sites. The population is coming back, but it is not a fast process.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 9, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
