Page 45 - 2024-25 Travel Guide to Canada

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
unparalleled opportunities for adventure
all year round.
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?
For the next few years, from May 1 through
June 25 and September 1 through 30, as part
of a pilot program, the eastern 17 km of the
Bow Valley Parkway connecting Banff and
Lake Louise will be closed to public vehicle
traffic. Adventure seekers can enjoy cycling
this stretch offering spectacular mountain
vistas and abundant wildlife sightings.
Visitors stepping inside TELUS World of
Science in Edmonton will discover a new
groundbreaking exhibition this year. Now
through September 9th you can journey back
through time in “Dinosaurs: The Exhibition,”
an interactive exhibition devoted to the
world of dinosaurs. Keep your eye out for the
Edmontosaurus skull cast, the first ever
recorded dinosaur discovered in Drumheller
in 1912.
Explore Banff on a guided bike tour with
Bikescape. The area features some of
Canada’s most scenic trails. The tours cater
to all abilities and ages (www.bikescape.ca).
Experience the grit and glory of Stampede’s
greatest stories at Sam Centre. This new
year-round attraction opening in May will
bring the Stampede story to life via interac-
tive exhibits and digital experiences.
(www.samcentre.calgarystampede.com).
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 downtown. In the Arts
District, find 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
museum in western Canada (www.royal
albertamuseum.ca). The meandering
North Saskatchewan River cuts a steep
swath through the city north of downtown
and can be explored by canoe or raft
(www.edmontoncanoe.ca).
The “Festival City” boasts more than 90
events a year. Its long winters are cause for
several events including including Silver
Skate winter festival in February. Summer
offerings include the Fringe Theatre Festival,
the Folk Music Festival, K-Days and Heritage
Festival. Located on the North Saskatchewan
River, Fort Edmonton Park offers a look at
the historic 1886 fort, leading to the 1920s at
a new midway and exhibition
(www.exploreedmonton.com).
Calgary’s office towers, which contain the
majority of Canada’s oil and gas company
headquarters, were built to showcase the
Rockies on the western horizon. Nearby
Chinatown segues to the Bow River pathway
and the redevelopment of the East Village
neighbourhood has revitalized this historic
section of east downtown. The Alt Hotel
East Village, and the restaurants and shops
in the Simmons Building, are two highlights
of the area.
The city has preserved much of the
sandstone buildings along Stephen Avenue
Walk, where many great restaurants and
shops are found, along with the Olympic
Plaza and the Calgary Tower. Numerous retail
stores and eateries are also part of The CORE
Shopping Centre (www.visitcalgary.com).
The architecturally striking Calgary Central
Library is adjacent to the popular Studio Bell
National Music Centre, east of downtown’s
office towers. The library’s features include a
public art exhibit, a performance hall,
community meeting spaces, Indigenous
Place Making and early learning centres
(www.calgarylibrary.ca).
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PEYTO LAKE, BANFF NATIONAL PARK • TRAVEL ALBERTA