Alberta’s five national parks and extraordinarily varied landscape—rolling prairie in the east, Canadian Rockies in the west, and lunar-like badlands in between—inspire wanderlust in every type of traveler. Whether winter adventures or world-class festivals and museums ignite your imagination, make Alberta’s 10-Must-Have Experiences the launch pad for an unforgettable journey.
Stargaze in a Dark Sky Preserve
Bask in the mind-blowing brilliance of a starry night sky at Jasper National Park, host of the annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival. Meteors, the Milky Way, and sometimes even the Northern Lights shine bright above the 2,774,500-acre park, billed as the planet’s second biggest Dark Sky Preserve. Stargazing is best on clear nights, particularly in winter. To sleep under a blanket of stars, pitch a tent at one of the park’s nearly 2,000 campsites.
Go Fat Biking in Snow
Celebrate winter in the Canadian Rockies with a bouncy ramble on a fat bike. Tricked out with comically big tires, fat bikes make pedaling in the snow easier (while still a calorie-burning workout) and outrageously fun. In fat-biking hub Kananaskis Country, a network of over 51 parks west of Calgary, Kananaskis Outfitters rents rides for exploring the area’s more than 20 groomed trails. Explore Banff National Park by fat bike on a rental from Snowtips-Bactrax or Chateau Mountain Sports.
Cowboy up at the Calgary Stampede
Channel your inner cowboy at Alberta’s signature festival, the Calgary Stampede. Held each July, the 10-day celebration of all things western more than lives up to its billing as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.” Pull on a pair of boots and prepare for a wild ride: hundreds of rip-roaring events, such as chuckwagon racing, a world-class rodeo, high-flying motor cross shows, concerts, fireworks and a midway.
In addition to incredible Western experiences, the Calgary Stampede is proud to be Canada’s only city-wide party that includes hundreds of pancake breakfasts throughout the city and amazing music lineups over the 10-day event.
Drive the Dazzling Icefields Parkway
Slip behind the wheel for a 144-mile ride through a mind-blowing highlight reel of Canadian Rockies’ mountain majesty: jagged peaks, ancient glaciers, turquoise lakes, crystal clear waterfalls, grazing bighorn sheep, and thick larch forest. Considered one of the world’s most spectacular drives, the twisting two-lane Icefields Parkway parallels the Continental Divide between the postcard-perfect resort towns of Lake Louise and Jasper. May to early October, stop at the Columbia Icefields Glacier Discovery Centre for a guided icewalk on the Athabasca Glacier.
Meditate on a Mountaintop
Elevate your yoga practice with a Soaring Spirit Heli Yoga class high in the Canadian Rockies. A helicopter whisks yogis over waterfalls, glaciers, and lush valleys to an alpine meadow “studio” for an hour or more of mindful hatha yoga (mindful breathing techniques and stretching, balancing, and strengthening poses). The fresh mountain air, rejuvenating energy of the sun, and spectacular Banff National Park panoramas spark the senses, enhancing your practice. A post-class gourmet picnic lunch helps prolong the Zen-like bliss.
Dig for Dinosaur Fossils
Play paleontologist at North America’s biggest dinosaur bone yard. Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks boasts the world’s highest concentration of Cretaceous fossils—remnants of the more than 44 species of dinosaurs that roamed the Canadian Badlands over 75 million years ago. Dinosaur bones, teeth, microfossils, and other prehistoric parts are preserved in the park’s protected fields. To hunt for fossils, book tickets well in advance for dinosaur digs, fossil safaris, and other guided interpretive programs.
Dogsled Down the Backbone of North America
Zip along the Continental Divide on an adrenaline-pumping dogsledding expedition. Several outfitters offer husky pulled sled trips—from 30-minute rides to three-day excursions—along Alberta’s snowy Rocky Mountain trails. For a full-immersion mushing experience, sign up for the Cold Fire Creek Dogsledding Ghost of Cold Fire Creek tour. The four-hour trip retraces a wilderness route taken by trappers and prospectors, and offers opportunities to drive the sled and to water, unharness, and cuddle the dogs.
Rock on in Calgary
Groove to a distinctively Canadian beat at Calgary’s Studio Bell. Designed and built to emanate light and music (220,000 glazed terra cotta wall tiles enhance the acoustics), the nine-tower building houses the National Music Centre. The festival of a museum is home to three Canadian music halls of fame, three historic London recording studios, and 22 “stages” packed with interactive exhibits. Rock out on the drums. Sing in the vocal booth. See Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” piano and thousands of other music artifacts.
Take an After-Hours Cave Tour
Light up Saturday night (June to September) in Banff with an eerie Lantern Tour of the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. Considered the birthplace of Canada’s National Parks, the site protects an underground cave, bubbling hot springs, a historic 1914 bathing pavilion, and the endangered Banff Springs snail, only found here. Touring by lantern light adds an extra dose of intrigue to the Cave and Basin history shared by the narrator-guide: the “ghost” of the site’s original caretaker.
Experience Frozen Fun in Edmonton
Embrace the best of winter in Edmonton where frosty temperatures inspire festive celebrations. Cheer on the kortebaan (Dutch long-blade speed-skating sprint race) competitors and go for a sleigh ride at February’s Silver Skate Festival. Head to Red Bull Crashed Ice to see skaters dodge obstacles while speeding four abreast down a steep, icy track. At the family-friendly Boardwalk Ice on Whyte Festival warm up with a bowl of bison stew after conquering the ice slide and snow maze.
Maryellen Kennedy Duckett is a frequent contributor to National Geographic Travel. Follow her journey on Twitter.
