Top-Ten Places to Visit in Alberta

Perhaps one of the most overlooked places in Canada is Alberta. While most international visitors who come to visit Eastern Canada and the West coasts of B.C. Alberta has remained a quiet province.

Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta (1848–1939), who was the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Princess Louise was also the wife of the Marquess of Lorne, Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. Lake Louise, the village of Caroline, and Mount Alberta were also named in honour of Princess Louise.

Near Fort Macleod is an obscure museum called Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site this place is a must see for anyone wanting to explore Native American culture.

The museum is built into the side of a cliff that was used by the plains Indians for thousands of years as a Buffalo trap. Large herds of Buffalo were lured and stampeded to jump over the side of the cliff every season. The meat was so plentiful for the tribes that they were able to support large communities year round. After seeing the exhibits, you will leave with a renewed respect for the first North Americans.

• Head-Smashed-in Buffalo Jump

Near the Alberta/Montana border and just 44 km east of the small town of Milk River is Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park. Canada recently nominated the park to UNESCO for World Heritage status. The park boasts having over 50 petroglyphs (stone-carved images) created by the Blackfoot Native Americans, which date as far back as 7000 B.C. Some of the petroglyphs have been damaged so it is hard to discern many of the images.

• Writing-on-Stone National Park

Jasper Provincial Park is another one of Alberta's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The town lies deep in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and is easily accessible by train, bus or car. The town is full of wildlife and outdoor life. Near the town is the ice field tours where you can take a specialized bus tour of the thousand year old glaciers.

Another UNESCO World Heritage site in Alberta is the Dinosaur Provincial Park. Heaven for paleontologists, the park boasts one of the largest dinosaur finds in the world. A distance away from civilization it is easy to feel isolated in the park. Albertans love to visit for the great campgrounds and outdoor life. Also, how fun is it to hike and find dinosaur bone souvenirs along the way!

• Dinosaur Provincial Park

Lethbridge might seem like an odd place to have a world famous Japanese Garden, though it attracts visitors from all over the world. During World War II Canada gathered thousands of Japanese Canadians into concentration camps near Lethbridge. When the war ended many decided to stay in the surrounding area. To make the vast prairie land feel more like home they built a Japanes Garden near the center of the town and it has been a highlight for many tourists since.

The garden is not open year round so make sure to plan you r trip to Lethbridge during the gardens open seasons.

• Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens - Lethbridge

Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta and houses some of the provinces best museums, universities, cultural centers and entertainment sectors. Though second to Calgary in population, Edmonton takes up an area larger than the city of Chicago. This makes Edmonton one of the least dense city in North America. So if you plan on getting around to visit the sights you may want to consider renting a car. However, from personal experience Edmonton is not a place to be touring around if you are not a confident driver.

Because Edmonton is so spread out they have large parks and recreation areas. One of the biggest known sites for fun and a number one destination spot for tourists is the West Edmonton Mall. When the mall was built in 1981 (and until 2004) it was the largest mall in the world! However, after larger malls were built in the Middle East, West Ed. still retains the title of largest in North America and only fifth in the world.

• West Edmonton Mall

About one hours drive Nort-East of Calgary is the town of Drumheller located in the Alberta Bad-Lands. Thousands of years of glacier erosion caused the river valleys to open up into these Canadian Grand Canyons. Interestingly enough, the depletion of the surface soil allowed palentologists to discover million year old dinasor bones littering the entire are. These valleys hold so much bones, most have yet to be discovered. Anyone is allowed to come and go on their own dinasaur digs for their own suveniers.

• Royal Tyrrell Museum

Calgary is Alberta's largest city and gateway to the Rockies. Originally a Fort for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), it was an important location to help secure the sovernty of the Canadian west. After the Trans-Canadian railway was built Calgary, with its vast prairie ranches became the bread basket and cattle trade capital for the rest of Canada.

• Fort Calgary

Ranching is still an important part of Calgary life as the whole city busts out their western attire during the two weeks of Stampede. The world famous Calgary Stampede take place during the first two weeks of July. The Stampede Park opens its doors to visitors from all around the world who come to see the various exhibits, art, and shows. During the day you can enjoy chuck-wagon races, rodeos, etc... and at night the stage opens up for Canada's most famous musicians, singers and bands of all genres.

• Calgary Stampede

You can also visit the Calgary Tower that stands at 627 feet. The tower was built for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games as it was made to resemble an Olympic torch. During the games (and now only for special occasions) the tower can burn a large flame at its summit.

• Calgary Tower

The highest point of Calgary is the top of the ski jump at Canada Olympic Park (COP). The two large jumps can be seen from far away in the N.W. area. The park is a great place for year round recreation. In the winter you can enjoy skiing, ski-jumping, luge, bobsled, etc... in the summer they open the hill for mountain bikers who can take theski lift to the top of the hill and just bike down to the bottom. They also have a zip-line at the top of the ski jump for the truly adventurous.

• Canada Olympic Park

The Fairmont Banff Springs is a five-star hotel nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains near natural hot springs. The hotel is open year round and has 770 rooms. Guest can stay in rooms as small as 184sq ft to the Presidential Suit that is 1000sq ft. The hotel caters to many different events including world summits, golf tournaments, conferences and weddings.

• Fairmont Banff Springs

The picture says it all. Deep in the Canadian Rockies a large turquoise lake trickles from the thousands year old glacier in the distance. The Fairmont Hotel is world class and books visitors months in advance. But don't let this deter you from visiting, there are many camp-grounds that make visiting fun and affordable.

• Cypress Hills
• Big Horn Country
• Kananaskis Country