Cold Lake Air Force Museum, Military museum in Cold Lake, Canada
The Cold Lake Air Force Museum is a military museum in Cold Lake, Alberta, displaying aircraft, radar systems, and equipment used by the Canadian Air Force. The collection is spread across indoor galleries and an outdoor area where several planes and a walk-through radar dome sit on the original grounds.
The site was established in the 1950s as a radar station, part of the network built across North America during the Cold War to detect incoming threats. After its military role ended, it was converted into a museum in 1998.
The museum sits on the grounds of a former radar station, and many local families have a direct connection to the base through relatives who served there. A visitors' book near the entrance often carries personal notes from veterans and their children who return to see where their family members once worked.
The museum is open mainly during the warmer months, as much of the collection is displayed outside and the grounds are large enough to require a fair amount of walking. Wearing comfortable shoes makes the visit easier, especially when exploring the outdoor aircraft.
The walk-through radar dome on the grounds is one of the few of its kind in Canada open to the public, and inside, the original technical fittings are still in place. This means visitors can see exactly how the system worked from the inside, rather than just looking at it from the outside.
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