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Peaks & Prairies of Alberta
Take two weeks to do one figure of eight route through central and western Alberta, seeing two sides to this incredible province.
Alberta’s mountain towns are so famous, they barely need an introduction. This behind-the-wheel trip takes you there but also goes beyond the obvious and avoids the most overcrowded spots. It pairs the poster-child peaks with the seemingly never-ending prairies, a lesser-visited side of Wild Rose Country, and takes you down to the Waterton Park where Canada meets the USA in gloriously scenic style. We’ve filled the 14-night trip with nine destinations including a few overnight stops to break up those longer distances.
Itinerary overview
First up is the largest city in largely rural Alberta. You’ve got a whole day to settle into the ...
Your first taste of the Rockies is down in Waterton Park National Park, but we highly recommend d...
Make the turn back north and make your way along AB Highway 22, keeping the rolling Rockies footh...
It’s back out onto the prairie lands today as you travel to Drumheller, a town off the well beate...
The focus flips from the landscapes to the Métis (pronounced may-tea) people at Métis Crossing wh...
Make the turn back westwards this morning, stopping for a night in Edmonton, Alberta’s provincial...
The plains give way to foothills and high peaks as you dip back into the Rockies. We’ve included ...
Most people make the journey from Jasper to Banff in one day, travelling the staggeringly spectac...
The final leg south continues along the Icefields Parkway down to the mountain playgrounds of Lak...
It’s a short drive back to Calgary and you’ll be catching an evening flight so make the most of y...
Calgary
First up is the largest city in largely rural Alberta. You’ve got a whole day to settle into the Canadian pace of life. Check out the small town, indie vibes of Inglewood, bar hop around the craft breweries in industrial Ramsey and chill on the Bow River waterfront in Prince’s Island Park. Instead of city slicking on your first day in Alberta, you could pick up your hire car a day early and make the out-and-back day trip to Dinosaur Provincial Park. The name gives it away, but this incredible spot in the Red Deer River valley is known for its overabundance of dino fossils. It’s about a two and a half-hour drive but well worth the trip if you’re more palaeontologist than urbanist.
Waterton Park
Your first taste of the Rockies is down in Waterton Park National Park, but we highly recommend detouring via the dramatically named Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. This foothills UNCESCO World Heritage Site is dedicated to indigenous traditions and culture as well as the importance of the buffalo to the Plains People. We’ve set aside a whole day to marvel at Waterton Lakes National Park and its lakes, waterfalls and hiking trails, but one of the quirkier activities is a boat trip to Goat Haunt Landing on the USA side of the lake (with no passport required).
Kananaskis Village
Make the turn back north and make your way along AB Highway 22, keeping the rolling Rockies foothills to your left. A little later, the views crank up a notch as you head on to Highway 40 and into the Rockies proper (close December to June). The small but perfectly formed mountain resort of Kananaskis Village is your end of the road for today; we’ve set aside the first of the one night stops to break up your journey, but this is a pause with a jaw-dropping backdrop and a spot where you can skip the Banff crowds.
Drumheller
It’s back out onto the prairie lands today as you travel to Drumheller, a town off the well beaten tourist track and a dream for budding palaeontologists. The Badlands landscapes (think hoodoos and canyons), Wild West vibes and dinosaur fossil beds feel a world away from the high peaks and make this much more than just a simple stop en route.
Métis Crossing
The focus flips from the landscapes to the Métis (pronounced may-tea) people at Métis Crossing which is part immersive cultural centre, part lodge. It sits on the bank of the North Saskatchewan River, a travel and trade route of choice for hundreds of years. To delve deeper into Métis culture and traditions, pack your full day with wildlife tours, weaving workshops, paddling trips or nature walks. This is a real standout moment of the holiday and a moment that few people get when hightailing it straight to the Rockies.
Edmonton
Make the turn back westwards this morning, stopping for a night in Edmonton, Alberta’s provincial capital. The city straddles the same river that passes through Métis Crossing and is home to the River Valley Parks that combine to make up the largest urban parkland in North America.
Jasper
The plains give way to foothills and high peaks as you dip back into the Rockies. We’ve included a couple of nights in Jasper to give you a full day of national park adventures checking out the canyons, waterfalls lakes and trails. Every moment in Jasper is a wildlife spotting opportunity, but heading out on a tour with an expert will up your sighting chances and bulk out your knowledge. And the fun doesn’t have to stop after the sun goes down – visit in the shoulder season for more hours of darkness and turn your face to the stars; Jasper is the world’s second largest Dark-Sky Preserve.
Icefields Parkway
Most people make the journey from Jasper to Banff in one day, travelling the staggeringly spectacular Icefields Parkway and stopping off at the bevy of beauty spots en route. To slow the pace and give you the chance to see the snaking Athabasca Glacier and surrounding peaks, sans crowds, we’ve included a night at the Glacier View Lodge, one of the few spots to stay overnight along the Parkway. As part of your stay, you’ll get an evening tour of the glass-floor, cantilevered Skywalk and a trip out onto the glacier on the aptly named Ice Explorer.
Canmore
The final leg south continues along the Icefields Parkway down to the mountain playgrounds of Lake Louise and Banff. We recommend picking a hotel in Canmore which is a little further south along the Trans-Canada Highway; it’s the perfect alternative to Banff which can seem to burst at the seams during the high summer season. Canmore has a more local life vibe to it, with a proper community feel, and the folks that run any featured tours and experiences will pick you up from here, so you won’t have to worry about any FOMO. What you choose to do on your full day here is up to you – will you pick gondola trips, glacier lake boat trips, riverside wanderings, hot-spring soaking, canyon-side hike?
Depart Calgary
It’s a short drive back to Calgary and you’ll be catching an evening flight so make the most of your last day, ticking off anything you missed in the mountains.
Other Itineraries
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