I know this is a very outdated thread but I think it would make sense to post this here as it is relevant. Just wanted to share some updated info.
Recently, I've been looking for bodies of water that I can fish and go kayaking at and it brought me (back) to Bearspaw dam. I've actually accessed the dam in the same manner as the attachments in the first post - park at marker, walk to water. This was a few years ago. I wasn't ticketed that time.
Fast forward to today. I thought I'd get to the bottom of it as I realized how hard it was to find information about Bearspaw dam, so I sent an e-mail to Rocky View County's Parks Development Coordinator. We exchanged correspondences and it resulted in the attached PDF. He sent it to me and it's based on their records.
So the screen capture in the first post is legit, the area identified as parking and where the angler's sign post stands is Rocky View County land, which (and please correct me if I understood wrong) should be open to the public.
The problem though is the tiny strip of land between the high water mark (I had to Google what this is, and for those who don't know, apparently it's the mark on land that the water touches on it's highest point, i.e. high tide etc.) and the northeast edge of the Rocky View County land is owned by TransAlta. Hence Rocky View county doesn't condone access from this point. I was told that if you would like to access the dam from here, you would need to get clearance from TransAlta. I was given this number to call: (403) 267-7110. It's TransAlta's main switchboard. So if you're planning on going, I'd suggest talking to TransAlta first to get their permission instead of risking getting ticketed for trespassing.
One thing that caught my attention though is the strip adjacent to the northwest edge of the Rocky View County land. Seems like it's not privately owned. But it doesn't indicate that it's Rocky View County either. I wonder if that's a viable option. The 'Her Majesty the Queen' crownland on the otherside would've been nice but I guess this is the area people are indicating as closed off by private property gates and is inaccessible.
That's it folks. Even if this post didn't provide a viable hassle-free, no-permission-needed access point to Bearspaw, I hope this provides some clarity as to what you're dealing with in case you wanted to go here. I do share your sentiments though, someone needs to do something to give this place back to the people. I'd gladly take part if a movement is started.
I plan on talking to TransAlta next and see what they say. I'll keep you posted (if anyone's still following this thread that is).
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