Page 47 - 2022-2023 Travel Guide to Canada

The annual Calgary Stampede celebrates
all things cowboy and rodeo early each July.
Edmonton K-Days follows up with a tribute
to northern Alberta’s Klondike heritage,
while dozens of other festivals across the
province celebrate Alberta’s unique pockets
of regional pride—think perogies in
Vegreville, or beef jerky in Longview.
Alberta’s dining scene is innovative and
local, emphasizing Rocky Mountain Cuisine
such as game, fish and world-famous grain-
fed beef. From upscale hotel dining rooms in
the big city to eclectic alpine bistros in Banff,
Jasper and Lake Louise, the restaurants
consistently win international awards.
NATURE’S WONDERLAND
Provincial recreational areas help keep
Albertans and their visitors outdoors. Spread
across 661,848 sq. km (255,541 sq. mi.) of
pristine terrain, the five major snow resorts
and sprawling backcountry lure powder-
hounds from November to May. Try
dogsledding through the untouched Spray
Lakes valley, or take a guided ice walk in
frozen Maligne Canyon near Jasper. The
lakes of Kananaskis Country are a delight for
ice fishing in winter and boating, hiking and
cycling in the summer. The 4,645-sq. m
(50,000-sq. ft.) Kananaskis Nordic Spa
includes outdoor hot, warm and cold pools.
Alberta’s glacier-fed waterways,
particularly the Bow and Red Deer rivers,
attract anglers with the promise of top-notch
trout fishing. In the same day, visitors can
play the back nine of a world-class golf
course, hopscotch past cactus patches in
search of ancient rock carvings in the desert,
and then retire to the hotel hot tub to watch
the sunset.
VENTURING OUT
Float your boat down a river or head for
calmer waters along Lake Minnewanka or
Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. Bonus:
hear the crack of avalanches overhead, well
out of your path but still powerful. Chase
champagne powder from the top of first-rate
resorts such as Sunshine Village, Lake Louise
or Marmot Basin, or explore them in
summer to unveil abundant wildlife and
colourful carpets of wildflowers. Canada
Olympic Park in northwest Calgary offers a
variety of winter and summer activities
including: mountain biking, skiing, hockey,
outdoor camps, skating and sports training,
while Peter Lougheed Provincial Park boasts
un-paralleled opportunities for adventure
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all year round.
Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, south
of Calgary, chronicles pioneer life from 1882
to 1950; this pristine setting in the shadow of
the southern Rockies is featured on many
postcards. Travellers with time on their
hands head north to Wood Buffalo National
Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site with
44,807 sq. km (17,300 sq. mi.) of protected
wilderness where the endangered whooping
crane and the world’s largest herd of free-
roaming wood bison can be found.
WHAT’S NEW?
Fort Edmonton Park reopens in May with
$165M in enhancements. After a 3-year
closure, guests are welcomed back with a new
signature exhibit: the Indigenous Peoples
Experience; expansion of the 1920s-style
midway including a new Ferris wheel, games,
maze and the Cabinet of Curios exhibit; and a
new front entry plaza and admissions area
(www.fortedmontonpark.ca).
The Calgary Stampede Indian Village has
been renamed the Elbow River Camp and
relocated to a dedicated new spot where the
Elbow and Bow River meet on the east edge
of the grounds. Over the 10-day Calgary
Stampede, visitors can speak with elders and
their families from the Siksika, Piikani,
Kainai, Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda First
Nations. Local artisans are on hand selling
jewellery, art and traditional Saskatoon berry
jam and sweetgrass, as well as foods such as
bannock.
Enjoy an all-inclusive high alpine experience
set amongst the dramatic backdrop of
Alberta’s Columbia Icefield. Glacier View
Lodge includes 32 contemporary guest rooms
and a cosy lounge with floor-to-ceiling
windows facing the glacier’s view. The
experience includes a guided evening tour
on the Columbia Icefield Skywalk and a
morning tour on the Athabasca Glacier with a
hot beverage. Open late-May to mid-September
(www.banffjaspercollection.com/hotels/
glacier-view-lodge)
CITY LIGHTS
Alberta’s two major cities offer quite
different insights into the province, though
they share a love of green space, sprawling
river pathways and tidy, bustling
downtowns.
The provincial capital of Edmonton is a
government city with a grand legislature
building, a thriving arts community and
numerous galleries, craft stores and art
shops. Most can be found along trendy
Whyte Avenue or in the downtown arts
district, the location of the modern Art
Gallery of Alberta, the Winspear Centre and
the Citadel Theatre. Also in this locale is the
stunning Royal Alberta Museum, the largest
HORSEBACK RIDING ON LAKE AGNES TRAIL, BANFF NATIONAL PARK • SHUTTERSTOCK/TATSUO NAKAMURA