Alberta, one of Canada’s 10 provinces, is a vast land of diverse landscapes. If it were a country, it would be the 40th largest in the world! With so many awesome places to visit in Alberta, you can find snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks, rolling grasslands, dinosaur-bearing badlands, and unending boreal forests.
When visitors come to Alberta, they gravitate to Jasper and Banff National Parks. Banff is Canada’s first and most popular national park, and the two parks combined receive over six million tourists per year.
While Jasper & Banff’s turquoise lakes, dramatic mountain landscapes, and world-class ski hills are undeniably bucket list-worthy, there is so much more to Alberta.
Places to Visit in Alberta, Canada
Authored by local travel expert Nick Kembel.
In this article I’m going to introduce 15 of my home province’s other worthwhile attractions. So go ahead and visit Jasper & Banff, but make sure you go the extra mile in Alberta to find out what this compelling Canadian province is really all about!
If you’re interested in Arctic destinations, you may like these useful related posts:
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* Travelling on Greenland’s coastal ferry.
1. Drumheller
Billed as the ‘dinosaur capital of the world’, Drumheller is a dinosaur lover’s dream. Set in the midst of the fossil-rich badlands, this small town is home to a whole host of dino-related attractions. These include the world’s largest T-Rex (4.5 times larger than a real one), dino statues galore, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, arguably the world’s best.
But Drumheller isn’t just for kids. You can’t experience the badlands without seeing a hoodoo, a flat-topped tower of stone eroded on the sides by the wind. Drive the Dinosaur Trail to the awe-inspiring Horsethief Canyon, and don’t miss Little Church, a functioning church that only holds a handful of people. South of town, Atlas Coal Mine is national historic site.
2. Dinosaur Provincial Park
Speaking of dinosaurs, true aficionados must also include lesser-known Dinosaur Provincial Park, two hours away from Drumheller by car. Dinosaur Provincial Park is like Drumheller minus all the tacky shops, restaurants, and tourists. It also produces even more dinosaur fossils than the Drumheller area, and you are quite likely to find some (just don’t take them home!).
The best way to experience Dinosaur Provincial Park is by spending the night in the excellent campground, which is surrounded by gorgeous badlands scenery. Much of the park is inaccessible to the public for conservation reasons, unless you join one of the tours led by a park ranger, including some aimed at kids. We aren’t usually the tour-type family, but we loved it.
3. Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is Alberta’s sixth largest city and lies in the southeast corner of the province, a region of arid grasslands. Probably more non-Albertans visit Medicine than locals, since it sits right on the Trans-Canada highway, but is quite a way from other major cities in the province.
Having made the 5.5 hour drive from my city to Medicine Hat, though, I loved it. The city features a lovely historic center, the Medalta pottery district, huge murals all over town, some excellent breweries and the world’s largest teepee. There are some magnificent parks in and around town too, some of which occupy coulees (ravines formed by glaciers which once covered the land).
4. Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park
Just a stone’s throw from the US border, remote Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is one of Alberta’s relatively unknown gems. The name is derived from the fact that the park protects some of the best indigenous rock carvings and paintings in North America.
While Drumheller is more famous for its hoodoos, I found the ones in Writing-on-Stone to be more stunning. The network of trails following the Milk River takes you right through the towering stone giants, and the sunsets here are out-of-this-world. There’s also lots of cool wildlife to spot, including turkey vultures, pronghorns, and rattlesnakes. The excellent campsite in the park is highly recommended.
5. Waterton Lakes National Park
Alberta’s far lesser-known Rocky Mountain National Park is Waterton Lakes National Park in the province’s southwest corner. A lot of Americans are familiar with the park, as it is connected to Glacier National Park in Montana. Together they form the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, and in normal times, it is easy to travel between the two.
Waterton features stunning alpine scenery, lakes, waterfalls, outdoors activities galore, abundant wildlife, and the impressive Red Rock Canyon. The iconic Prince of Wales Hotel rivals Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise.
6. Kananaskis
Where do local Albertans go when they want to visit the Rockies, but without the tourist crowds of Jasper and Banff? Kananaskis!
Kananaskis ‘country’ is a vast (4,000 km2) region of foothills and mountains offering year-round nature focused activities. Caving, dogsledding, snowshoeing, skiing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking – you name it, it can be done in Kananaskis. At the end of the day, don’t miss going for a soak in the adults only Kananaskis Nordic Spa.
7. Canmore
The hottest local tip for visiting in Banff is to not stay in Banff. Instead, stay in Canmore. This lovely mountain town is only 20 minutes away from Banff town and just outside of Banff National Park. Canmore has a way less touristy vibe than Banff, some great restaurants and breweries, and far more reasonably priced accommodations.
It’s so close to Banff that you can easily visit all of Banff’s attractions from Canmore. But you don’t have to, as Canmore has enough of its own to keep you occupied, including the excellent Canmore Nordic Centre, Grassi Lakes, and the popular hike to Ha Ling peak.
8. Nordegg
In addition to Kananaskis and Canmore, the best kept secret in Alberta is the Nordegg region. Highway 11 traverses the region from Red Deer (halfway between Edmonton and Calgary) to the famed Icefields Parkway (this gorgeously scenic road connects Jasper and Banff).
Along this uncrowded highway, you’ll pass numerous lakes perfect for fishing and camping, the very impressive Crescent Falls, and stunning Abraham Lake (actually a made-made reservoir), which is especially famous in winter for its methane ice bubbles.
9. Lethbridge
Lethbridge, Alberta’s 4th largest city, is not typically considered a tourist attraction but I think it should be. Some of its biggest draws are the Lethbridge Viaduct (the longest of its kind in the world), the serene Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden (where you can take part in the Japanese tea ceremony), and the lovely historic town center.
Lethbridge also has an unbelievable amount of green space; you could spend days strolling the many huge parks and coulees around town, especially in the gorgeous Old Man River Valley.
10. Edmonton
Alberta’s capital city, and the place I call home, has a lot going for it. Visit in summer, when the ‘city of festivals’ really comes alive. The North Saskatchewan River Valley is the largest urban green space in Canada while in winter inhumanly low temperatures don’t stop us from skiing, ice skating, and more.
The city’s biggest attraction, but one that many locals loathe, is West Edmonton Mall, once the world’s largest. WEM, or ‘The Mall’, features an enormous indoor waterpark, amusement park, bungee jumping, Chinatown, European boulevard, bowling alley, and replica of Christopher Columbus’ Santa María. We loved our stay in a space-themed room at the mall‘s Fantasyland Hotel.
11. Elk Island National Park
Little Elk Island National Park is Edmontonians’ favorite escape. Just 30-minutes from the city center by car, the park is a natural oasis. The park has played an important role in the international conservation of plains and wood bison, and it preserves a beautiful slice of Alberta’s plains ecosystem, showing what it looked like before much of it was converted to farmland.
The best thing to do at Elk Island is to stroll one of the 11 well-marked trails. In winter, it’s an ideal place for snowshoeing, while in summer, kayaking or canoeing are a must. There are also some excellent back and frontcountry campgrounds, the latter of which has oTENTiks (A-frame tent cabins) you can stay in.
In terms of wildlife, expect beavers, elk, moose, porcupines, woodpeckers, and you are pretty much guaranteed to see bison.
12. Calgary
Alberta’s largest city is more frequently visited by non-Albertans than the capital, because unlike Edmonton, it is located on the Trans-Canada highway and doesn’t require a lengthy detour to visit. Calgary is so close to the Rockies you can see them from town, and Banff National Park is only an hour away.
Banff’s claim to international fame was that it hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics, and the Canada Olympic Park is still in use. Calgary also has the enormously popular Calgary Stampede rodeo and one of the country‘s best zoos. Last but not least, the Calgary Tower and the relatively new Calgary Peace Bridge are two iconic attractions.
13. Fort McMurray
I’m finishing with an entry that may surprise some people. Fort McMurray, an isolated community in wild northern Alberta, is practically synonymous with the oil industry in Canada. The area is home to the world’s largest bitumen (and third largest oil) reserve, producing millions of barrels of oil per day. If you really want to understand how vast the oil sands are, you can take a scenic flight over them like we did.
While Fort Mac has a bad rep in other parts of Alberta, it is a surprisingly beautiful and fascinating place to visit. You can learn all about the oil industry by visiting the Oil Sands Discovery Centre and the impressively large Giants of Mining.
The town is surrounded by nature, with opportunities for every type of outdoor activity you can think if, and bears regularly make their way through town. Last but not least, Wood Buffalo National Park, the second largest national park in the world, can be accessed by a winter-only ice road from Fort Mac.
That brings us to the end of my list awesome but lesser-known places to visit in Alberta. I hope you’ve found some inspiration and ideas for planning an epic road trip across this vast, rewarding Canadian province!
Nick Kembel is an Edmonton native who has spent much of his adult life backpacking and living abroad, but now finds himself back in his hometown and getting to know Alberta more.
He blogs, mainly about Canada and Taiwan, at nickkembel.com.
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So many things to do and see in Alberta! I’d definitely have to visit Kananaskis for a trekking trip – The greenery looks so beautiful!