Alberta Holidays & Accommodation
Canada, North America
Alberta, primarily known as a flat prairie province, is famous for Dinosaur National Park, one of the richest dinosaur fossil deposits in the world with spectacular geological features, including fairy chimneys, which look like painted rock sand sculptures, part of the incredible badlands canyon and grotto landscape of this area. Also close to the main city of Calgary is Banff National Park forming part of the stunning high mountains of the Canadian Rockies on the south-western border of British Columbia.
Map of Alberta
Woodland Caribou
Alberta Holidays Planner
Alberta's premier visitor attraction is Banff National Park just 110-km west of Calgary. The Alberta portion of the Rocky Mountains is covered mostly in dense coniferous forests littered with lakes and icefields with plenty of hiking trails to explore. The pretty town of Banff has several worthwhile historical sites and museums and a decent size population of around 10,000 along with tourist accommodation. The main scenic attractions in the park are Lake Louise and Lake Moraine where you can rent kayaks, and the Icefields Parkway, a 230-km road that traverses the mountains north to Jasper.
The largest park in the Canadian Rockies, Jasper National Park has pretty waterfalls, hot springs, glaciers and is a good place to spot caribou, beaver and grizzly bears. If you're pressed for time, beautiful views from roadside lookouts can be seen along the Trans-Canada Highway.
Outside of the Rockies, Alberta is large-scale farming country. One fun option is staying at a guest ranch where you have access to a network of trails and horses to ride around the area during your stay. Some ranches offer the opportunity to work a cattle drive for those interested in an authentic cowboy experience which offers the chance to eat and sleep under the stars.
Alberta, of course, is not just outdoor activities, and also hosts the world's largest shopping mall in Edmonton. Home to an amusement park, an aquarium, wave pool and over 850 shops and services, this is a shopping mecca for those devoted to the exercise of this higher art.