Cochrane Lake & Monterra
Two small lakes just north of town that grew from 1960s cabins into acreage-and-estate country.
Six kilometres north of Cochrane on Highway 22, Cochrane Lake began as a 1960s-and-70s second-home community around two small lakes. It's matured into a mix of established acreages and the higher-end Monterra neighbourhood, all minutes from town services.
It's the closest-in acreage feel to Cochrane proper — water, big lots, and quick access to everything — which keeps demand steady and inventory tight.
Cochrane Lake & Monterra FAQs
How far is Cochrane Lake from town?
What is out at Cochrane Lake?
Why is inventory so tight there?
What Cochrane Lake actually is
It is a real, officially named lake — adopted by Canada’s geographical names board on 2 November 1956, and sitting 6.3 km due north of the town centre. But anyone driving out expecting open water should know what they are looking at.
Rocky View County describes it as “a provincially owned natural stormwater pond” and states plainly that it has ongoing flooding, water quality and odour issues. That is the County’s own wording, not ours.
A rehabilitation starts in 2026
The County and Macdonald Communities Limited have a joint improvement plan, with construction planned to begin in 2026, pending regulatory and landowner approvals:
- A new inlet from the Bow Riverfresh water in
- Upgraded discharge pumps to Horse Creekflood control
- Better circulationfewer algae blooms
- A paved pathway right around the lakepublic access
The pathway does double duty: it marks the future high-water line as well as opening the shore up. Levels will be allowed to rise and fall without reaching the houses.
Source: Rocky View County, Cochrane Lake Improvement Plan Project. Lake record: Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Geographical Names Database.
Subdivisions in this area
Rocky View County registers a plan for every subdivision it approves. These are the ones north of Cochrane, with distances measured from town centre.
- Cochrane Lake Hamlet, Neighbourhood C4.2 km N
- Camden Heights7.5 km NNE
- Cochrane North8.4 km N
- Cochrane Lake9.6 km NNW
- Monterraon the lake — predates the County's plan register
Located from Rocky View County’s approved conceptual schemes, each of which states a legal land description. Distances are by road from the town centre, via OpenStreetMap routing. Subdivisions built before the County’s plan process are noted as such.