Lavallée Lake — White Pelican Colony

Lavallée Lake, in the remote northern section of the park, hosts one of the continent's most significant colonies of American white pelicans — a species that nests on an island in the lake and fishes its waters through the summer. Reaching the lake requires a multi-day canoe trip or floatplane charter; it is not accessible by road or day hike.

For most visitors, the pelicans visible at Waskesiu Lake and along the park's waterways — birds commuting between feeding grounds — are a more practical encounter. The sight of a dozen of these enormous white birds soaring in a thermal over a boreal lake is not easily forgotten.

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The pelicans at Lavallée Lake nest on a single island that has been used as a colony site for as long as records exist. American white pelicans are unusual among pelicans in that they are entirely freshwater birds — they nest inland and fish cooperatively, herding fish into shallows in groups rather than diving from altitude like their brown coastal cousins. The Lavallée colony is one of the largest inland nesting colonies in North America.

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