Alberta Attractions

Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada offers activities in summer and in winter that will likely please nearly everyone in the family. If you decide to stay in the National Park there are thirteen campgrounds to choose from. Each one is operated by Parks Canada. There is also a commercial lodging option in the area.

In addition to a number of information centers being open year-round to help you better enjoy your stay, there are also the Upper Hot Springs which enjoy extended hours during the holidays. Once you have arrived in the area you may want to use the bus service to explore the tri-town area of Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise. There are visitor centers in both Banff and Lake Louise.

There are a variety of land and water activities to take part in, year-round. Arrangements can be made to allow wedding ceremonies as well. From swimming to ice skating you will find your favorites and things you have wanted to try in Banff National Park...

Don't you just sometimes wish life didn't move quite so fast? What if you could step into a different world? A world in existence a very long time ago: .70+ Millions years ago to be more specific. This is a place marked with harsh landscapes that have been carved by centuries of semi-tropical temperatures, wind and rain. This is a place of buried secrets of a long-ago world. Those that lived here once are gone now, but they left the evidence of their existence behind. Where is this other world? It's located in spectacular Alberta, Canada, (a mere 2 hours drive east from Calgary) at Dinosaur Provincial Park. This is your chance to take a break from the hurried pace of our world and step into one from millions of years ago and ponder what life must have been like when dinosaurs roamed here and around the globe.

Dinosaur Provincial Park of Alberta, Canada has the largest 'known'concentration of fossilized dinosaur bones and of other animal species that lived in the water and on land alongside the great dinosaurs...

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Fort Macleod in Alberta, Canada. It is a "buffalo jump" that was used by the Blackfoot peoples up until contact with the Europeans. In case you are not familiar with a buffalo jump, it is a cliff that the people would heard buffalo over in order to process their bodies. This particular jump is no higher than 10 meters at any point, however it has been reported that up to ten meters of bones have been found at the bottom of the cliff. The buffalo bodies would then be taken and processed after their fall. This particular buffalo jump was used more than 5,500 years ago.

At this particular spot there is a museum that visitors can explore. It is built into a sandstone wall near the site. Using authentic artifacts it explains the life and times of the aboriginal population. Many find the interpretative exhibits and information fascinating...

There are so many wonderful museums in Alberta, but one of the favorites of everyone who visits is the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, formerly the Provincial Museum of Alberta. This museum contains exhibits of native culture, local wildlife, and contains a number of collections that are interesting and informative. Their mission is to simply tell the story of the people, places, and culture of Alberta.

The Royal Alberta Museum supports several galleries that include:

1. The Syncrude Gallery of Aboriginal Culture that contains more than 3000 artifacts of the First People of the area spanning 11,000 years, and is said to be an amazing story of "triumph and survival".

2. The dioramas of the Wild Alberta Gallery depict the interactions of local ecosystems and native animal, flora, and fauna of the area.

3. The Natural History Gallery contains the Bug Room with exhibits of exotic and some of the largest insects on the planet, a gallery of the local geological structures, gems, and minerals, along with a Bird Gallery featuring species from around the world...

Stampede Park is a grouping of a number of seemingly disparaging businesses. Included in the park are a hockey arena, a convention facility, an agricultural building, and some other buildings. There is the more recent Stampede Casino on the site as well. It is located southeast of downtown Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, but access is convenient from Calgary via Calgary Transit's light rail system. This location and easy access make it a convenient attraction to visit anytime you are in the area. It also makes Calgary a convenient point to stay when you are attending functions or events at Stampede Park.

The Park is home of the Calgary Stampede which is a large annual festival. In 2006 over one million people attended the Calgary Stampede. The Stampede is counted as being one of the largest annual events in Canada. It is also reported as the largest outdoor rodeo event in the world...

Ever want to visit a Ukrainian village, but the thought of distance to the Ukraine, not to mention the cost, prohibits undertaking that journey? The solution is the Ukrainian Cultural Center east of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Depicting the lives of Ukrainian Canadian settlers between 1899 and 1930, this village provides some interesting cultural and heritage information for visitors.

This very interesting village that is divided into three areas, the Farmsteads, the Rural Community and the Town, and it contains the homes of three of the original settler's families, and a variety of things to observe relating to Ukrainian life.

1. The Farmstead includes the homes of Iwan Pylypow, from Austrian Galicia who was the first Ukrainian to immigrate to Canada and was a logging contractor looking seeking a better life. The second home belonged to William Hawrelak, who became the first Ukrainian major of Edmonton. The third home was William Yurko's, of Romanian descent, who was a cabinet member in the Alberta government...

There is such a great variety of activities in the Canadian Rocky Mountain area, with another interesting facility being the Fort McMurray Heritage Park, which is approximately 234 miles north of Edmonton. This historical village depicts Canadian life in the early 1900's, and has the following activities available:

1. Heritage Park contains an assortment of historic buildings and relics from this community's distinct past. Walk through the trapper's hut, the drugstore, and a Catholic Mission and learn some moving specifics about their history.

2. Ft. McMurry also has supports a museum that has a number of fascinating objects, such as the two railroad cars, several historic buildings, the collection of handcrafted items from the early 1900's, and an Historical Resource Center. Other interesting displays relating to the early bush pilots, fishermen, logging industry, river transportation methods, and the variety of fur traders and other industry of the early 1900 residents...

Outside of the town of Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada you will find the glacially fed Moraine Lake. The lake's water is known to have a distinct blue appearance. The lake water reaches it high point in June.

If you enjoy scenic environments and outdoor recreation, you may find that a visit to Moraine Lake is a fulfilling one. Around the lake there are numerous trails to explore. Sometimes the trails are closed due to grizzly bear activity, so take caution. Among the most notable is The Rockpile Trail. This trail is approximately three-hundred meters in length and covers an elevation change of twenty-four meters. The view from the top is reportedly one of the most photographed in Canada.

There is at least one lodge in the area, so if you want to stay longer than one day, that is an option. In addition to Moraine Lake there is Lower Consolation Lake in the area...

Established in 1907, Jasper National Park, in Alberta, Canada, is the largest National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The park is well-known for the Columbia Icefield and Marmot Basin among other features. There are more than ten different notable attractions and ten different notable regions within the park.

Jasper has three ecological zones, which are home to over 1300 species of plants. Some of the common species are arnica, paintbrush and wild rose. The park is stretched in more than 10,000 sq km area and has Maligne Canyon and Athabasca Glacier.

If you do decide to stay there are numerous options available to you. These include a new camping experience. The park is offering visitors the chance to stay in a prepared camping site. The site includes a cottage tent and many other pieces of equipment. Apart from that there are hotels in the park area...

Inside the Jasper National Park, you will find a mountain in the valleys of two rivers - Mount Edith Cavell that is located in the Athabasca River and Astoria River valleys in Alberta, Canada. The mountain is known for its magnificent view and the wonderful trails that are accessible via a trailhead at the end of Mount Edith Cavell road. Along the same road you will also find access to the Tonquin Valley trail system which has its own distinct pleasures.

From the trailhead a walk of a little more than two miles will bring you to Cavell Meadows. This is an experience in itself for some, but what nearly everyone enjoys from this vantage point is the view of the hanging glacier. Angel Glacier, situated high above can be seen to sit and hang over a cliff line in the mountains from the meadow. This walk may prove strenuous and exhilarating though. It is reported to rise 1,214 feet along the way. You may want to pack a picnic or at least some water for the trek...

Johnston Canyon is a popular hiking trail in Banff, Alberta, Canada. A lot of hikers who wants to reach Ink Pots take this trail. It is also one of the widely known recreation place for serious climbers and those who want to try Ice climbing, as the canyon is the perfect spot when it is frozen in the winter. The Canyon originates on the glacial valleys of the Banff National Park, below the feet of Cascade Mountain in Badger Pass. It has an elevation of 8, 202 ft (2,500 meters). The water that flows in the falls are coming right through the south-west and south-east, and in between the Sawback Range and Helena Ridge, through a series of gorges and seven cascades.

While walking along the trails, some animals can be seen afar such as grizzly and black bears, sheep, insects, elk, and goats.

While hiking along any of the seven stunning waterfalls, you can take photographs of the rich fauna and flora or simply breathe the fresh air of this lovely Canadian Rockies location...

Castle Mountain is situated half-way between Lake Louise and Banff Park of the Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. If you are standing and looking from the viewpoint of the Trans-Canada Highway, then the mountain may seem impenetrable. But in fact, anyone can ascend on the backside of the Northeastern slopes or on the eastern side where hikers can take the Rockbound Lake to reach the top.

In 1858, it was James Hector who named the beautiful mountain, as "Castle Mountain" because of the castle like shape of the mountain. Then after the war in order to honor U.S President Dwight D. Eisenhower, they changed the name of the mountain to Mount Eisenhower, and this was by instigated by Canada's Prime Minister W.L Mackenzie-King. Then only due to public persistence, it was changed again to its original name and only the isolated pinnacle is called Eisenhower Tower now.

Castle Mountain represents the official start of the Rockies in Alberta, Canada...

Interested in prehistoric life, the evolution of various organisms, or other historical sciences? Located in the middle of the Canadian Badlands, just outside Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, lies the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology,. Established in 1985, their mission is to "collect, preserve, research, and interpret paleontological history with special reference to Alberta's fossil heritage".
This museum has numerous programs for the public and schools, houses several current exhibits, and frequently features special exhibitions during the years. The current exhibits include:

1. Terrestrial Paleozoic – contains a variety of plants, insects, and amphibians, and covers 200 million years from the Silurian to Permian periods.

2. Ice Age – contains giant wooly mammoths, mastodons, and sabre-toothed tigers and others from two million years ago.

3. Dinosaur Hall – contains one of the major assortments of the most awesome dinosaur skeletons in the world...

Peyto Lake (Pea-toe) is located 90 km off Banff in Alberta, Canada, near Icefield Parkway. The Lake is named in the memory of Ebenezer William Peyto (1869-1953), a trail guide who was one of the best guides in the Canadian Rockies. Peyto Lake is formed around the valleys of Waputik Range, and it is between the Peyto Peak, Caldron Peak and the Mount Jimmy Simpson that is elevated at 1, 860m (6,100 ft).

Peyto Lake is just one of the many scenic locations that are found near the Icefield, and in the neighboring town of Lake Louise. To get a view of the magnificent lake, there is a viewing area off the parkway and it is well posted with signs for visitors to easily see. The Bow summit is the highest point off Icefield Parkway and this offers a more excellent view of the lake.

The lake is situated on the valleys surrounded by rich forest and majestic mountains...

Icefields Parkway is a high-altitude parkway, in Alberta, Canada, that follows the path of many significant geographical features. It follows the path of the Continental Divide. This central feature of the Canadian Rockies is also significant for being the watershed point of the entire country. From here water wither flows east or the water flows west. You can access the Icefields Parkway at numerous points including Edmonton and Calgary. Both are home to international airports.

The 143 mile long scenic parkway is also known as highway 93. It offers a view of the Columbia Icefield, from which the Parkway's name comes. A park permit is required to travel along the Parkway. No commercial trucks are permitted and road closures due to weather are not uncommon.

You can view numerous majestic geological formations while traveling on the Parkway, so taking a camera is not a bad idea; not taking precautions of traffic is...

One of the most popular, most powerful, and breath-taking waterfall in North America comes off of the Columbia Glacier near Jasper, Alberta, Canada, and is known as the Athabasca Falls. At a width of 18 feet, the Athabasca Falls plummets from approximately 80 feet, but the height is not the predominant feature of this magnificent waterfall – it is the force at which it plunges due to the vast amount of water flowing over the falls that amazes and delights visitors. It is considered a "Class 5" waterfall, which is based on the volume of water flowing over the ridge, and forming the Athabasca River.

Athabasca Falls is about 15 miles south of Jasper, Alberta, near the Columbia Glacier, and is a short walk from the parking area. It is along the Icefields Parkway.

Athabasca Falls is one of many beautiful waterfalls around the world formed from a glacier trough. Athabasca Falls is considered to be a "Segmented" type of waterfall, which means that distinctly separate flows of water form as it tumbles down over the ridge...

One of the most truly spectacular glaciers is easily accessible and resides between Banff and Jasper, in Alberta, Canada, and is known as the Athabasca Glacier. The Athabasca Glacier is considered to be one of the "toes" of the Columbia Iceflow, and is the most accessible, and well-visited, glacier in North America. It is approximately 3 ¾ miles long, covering an area of about 2 ½ miles, and is considered to be from 270 to 1000 feet thick.

There are several manners available to travel across the Athabasca Glacier:
1. Walking tours – hiking across the Athabasca Glacier, this is best done with a licensed guide. This can be extremely dangerous because of the deep crevasses that are disguised by fresh snow, and the licensed guides are extremely familiar with the area and know where to avoid. This can be a remarkable tour and certainly one to remember for a lifetime

2. Sno Coach or Terra Bus - a bus tour over the glacier with especially equipped tires and narrated by a licensed guide...

The Canadian Rocky Mountains grant visitors some of the most spectacular vistas in the world, and Suphur Mountain is one such location, overlooking Banff, Alberta. Sulphur Mountain is not only magnificent, but the home of two research facilities: a meteorological observatory and research station that opened in 1903, and the Cosmic Ray Station that opened in 1978. Views of the Bow Valley are spectacular from the summit of Sulphur Mountain.

There are a number of activities available around the Sulphur Mountain area, such as:

1. The Gondola Ride is an enclosed four-passenger gondola rising to the Summit Upper Terminal during an eight minute journey. Panoramic views from the voyage up to the summit become more remarkable as the gondola progresses up the mountainside.

2. The Winter Wonderland Playground near the base of the Gondola, opened February 2010, contains an outdoor skating rink, a Starbucks, and beautiful gathering area complete with seating and a fire pit...

Old Strathcona is located in the central area of Alberta, Canada. This was used to be the commercial capital of Strathcona, however, now it is considered to be the entertainment district of Edmonton and it has a variety of shops, restaurants and popular nightlife for all to enjoy.

There is no end to the possibilities available for all sorts of entertainment in this historic and artistic environment. You can find cafes like the Starbucks and you can get the best of music and entertainment at the Whyte Avenue with the majority of clubs and hotels being situated on that area.

You have a good combination of international cuisine to choose from as well in Old Strathcona, and you even have the Yiannis restaurant, a Greek specialist. There are more that 100 eat-outs to choose from and they are all run by locals...

The Alberta Legislature Building is located in Edmonton and it serves the purpose of the legislative assembly of Alberta, a western province of Canada. This is a structural monument that dates back to the early 1900's and was designed by architects at that time.

The style of the building is very French as that was considered to be the best architecture at that time which gave the building the sense of power, tradition and permanence and there is no doubt that this building is a great example of all these qualities combined in our platform.

The Alberta Legislature building is characterized by a large central dome, with a combination of massive columns and archways in a symmetrical way. The interior of the building also has its own architectural beauty and textures which include the extensive use of marble, oak wood and brass. These materials were all imported at the time of the construction of the building that took about 4 years to complete...

The High Level Bridge & Street Car on top of the Saskatchewan River was originally built in 1913 to join the towns of Edmonton and Strathcona in Alberta, Canada. This bridge was originally designed for pedestrian traffic and for very low amount of automobile traffic, and even today trucks and other heavy vehicles are not allowed to use this narrow bridge mainly because of the low clearance that it offers.

This bridge forms a historic architecture that has seen lots of changes and maintenance works in the past many years and which include the introduction of the Great Divide Waterfall created in 1980 by Peter Lewis, a great artist that created a waterfall that drops 150 feet from the top of the bridge into the river. This wonderful man made waterfall functions during weekends in the summer time.

Another addition to the high level bridge is the street car that was introduced is the facility to travel on the electric car which runs from May to October every year and which gives the tourists the opportunity to travel with style and admire the beauty of the bridge and the panoramic view that it offers of the historic town...

The Muttart conservatory is a botanical garden located in the Saskatchewan River valley in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This is a superb combination of architectural art and nature which attracts tourists from all over the world on regular basis.

The structures are basically four large glass pyramids that have been designed to display tropical and temperate plants from all over the world. You will be able to find species that are native of Australia and even of Asian regions as well. This is a very wonderful place to visit in the winter months because of its climatic conditions.

The tropical pyramid offers a great variety of palms, banana and fig trees and many kinds of orchids that are grown in tropical climates all over the world.

The smaller pyramids offer seasonal displays of all kinds of seasonal flowers and these keep on changing in accordance with the seasons...

The Fort Edmonton Park, in Edmonton, Alberta, is the largest history museum in Canada. This park covers a variety of old and new structures that will keep you amazed and entertained at the same time.

The old fort located near the Alberta Legislature Building had seen better times and there was a difference of opinion among the people whether this structural place should be removed completely or it should be conserved for historic purposes. And after the Second World War, it was finally decided to construct a theme park which gave the people of Edmonton something to be proud of.

Work continued for a very long time and access to the fort and other parts of the park was improved with time, making the Fort Edmonton Park one of the greatest combination of history and architectural art in the whole of Canada.

The park has been divided in four areas...

Canada Olympic Park is situated in Calgary, Canada. The park is wholly operated now by Winsport Canada, but formerly it was operated by Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA). In 1988 Winter Olympics, Canada Olympic Park was the prime venue of bobsleigh, luge, and ski jumping.

The unique feature of the park is that it functions as a multi-purpose competition and recreation area that is not only available to athletes, but also to the general public. In winters, park attracts 300,000 skiers and snowboarders. Snowboarders have Superpipe at their discretion which has wall of approximately 15 feet height. Summers turn this park into a mountain biking terrain with over 25 km of trails and obstacle courses.

Canada Olympic Park is also home of the Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum. Over here you can find a variety of Olympic based exhibits and equipment...

If you enjoy immersive experiences then you may be thrilled by the Heritage Park Historical Village experience. This historical experience is waiting for you in Alberta, city of Calgary, Canada. You can learn about the past as it was and experience the past as if it still existed today. The town is divided into four sections that include the Hudson's Bay Company Fur Trading fort (1864), the Pre-Railway Settlement Village (1880), the Railway Praire Town (1910), and the Heritage Town Square (1930's and 1940's) that was opened in 2009.

Each of these provides visitors with information about the time that they are placed in and about the specific locations that they depict. There are activities appropriate for visitors of nearly every age and most interests. The attractions include a working steam locomotive, and a reproduction paddle boat that operates in the adjacent reservoir...

One of the best zoos to see unique and exotic animals is the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Calgary Zoo was established in 1929 and currently covers almost 77 acres of land. It is currently the second largest zoo in Canada with animal exhibits organized by native region. The Calgary Zoo is organized into eight major regions appropriate to the species native to the region; housing them in enclosures appropriate to their native environment. These regions include:

 Destination Africa – opened in 2003 and includes appropriate rainforest and savannah settings for hippos, giraffes, zebras, lions, ostriches, river hogs, and many more.
 Canadian Wilds – opened in the 1990s and is home to a vast collection of North American animals such as grizzly bears, bison, wolves, moose, and numerous other birds and mammals.
 Creatures of the Night – opened in 2003, this complex houses the native Australian animals, such as the kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, bearded dragons, and various other mammals, birds, and reptiles...

Want to know where one of the largest malls in North America is located? Then head up to the West Edmonton Mall, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; covering over six million square feet, it is the fifth largest shopping mall in the whole world.

This amazing mall has some major attractions that will delight everyone from the most casual to the most serious shopper. It includes the following major attractions:

1. With over 800 stores, shoppers of all mindsets will undoubtedly find millions of items to ensure a successful shopping experience. No one should return home disappointed from a visit here.

2. Galaxyland is an indoor amusement park featuring a triple-loop roller coaster, and 23 various other rides from beginner to the experienced thrill-seekers. The Haunted Castle and a 3D fun house add to the enjoyment of this area of the mall.

3. World Waterpark is the world's largest indoor waterpark, covering 4.9 acres, containing the world largest indoor wave pool, a high speed water slide, a tube ride, raft slide, a bungee tower, and a small dolphin-themed children's park; all providing thrills for the whole family...

Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens in Lethbridge, Alberta is certainly one that every tourist to this area should visit. The beauty of the area around Lethbridge provides an incredible setting for this serene traditional Japanese garden.

The Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens were first created during the Canadian Centennial in 1967, and sits on four acres. Since Lethbridge is such a multi-cultural community, the gardens were built to honor those citizens of Japanese ancestry, as a symbol of international amity, and in fact, the name "Ni" is derived from Nihon and "Ka" from Kanada (Canada). It means "Japanese-Canadian friendship".

There are several buildings in the Nikka Yuko Gardens that include a sukiya-style pavilion azumaya shelter, teahouse, and bell tower, which were built of yellow cypress that was handcrafted by Japanese carpenters in Kyoto, shipped, and reassembled, in Lethbridge...

Since oil sands are important to the economy of Canada? The Oil Sand Discovery Centre is certainly a destination, located in Fort McMurry, Alberta, that provides some fascinating information about the science and technology utilized in Alberta's Oil Sands.

Opening in 1985, this center is in the heart of the world's largest oil deposit, and has a fascinating display providing the Oil Sands Story, and many programs and events. The Oil Sands story contains these components:

1. The Resource – explains why this is the largest oil reserve in the world, with an estimated 1.7 to 2.5 trillion barrels of oil in the surrounding area.

2. Mining the Oil – demonstrates the use of the large scale commercial machinery used for the open pit mining essential to successful operation of the complete oil recovery process.

3. Extraction – explains the hot water extraction technique originally used to separate the oil from the oil sands through the newest techniques used today...