"ALBERTA - CANADIAN ..." a Province of Alberta Travel Page by mtncorg

Canadian provinces are the size of countries anywhere else. The province stretches from the US border in the south to far into the sub arctic regions of the Canadian Shield to the north. Much of the south is devoted to vast wheat fields, looking similar to what you find across the border in Montana, only with a few more people. Plopped down out in the plains are two of Canada’s more pleasant cities - Edmonton and Calgary. Of the two, I have to admit a more fondness for the southern metropolitan area, if not for the simple fact that they are closer to Alberta’s gems - the Rockies. The Canadian Rockies are normally experienced by the tourist in Alberta for good reason. Here the mountains are simply glorious squared. The tourist can experience mile after mile of jaw opening alpine views when driving from Banff in the South towards Jasper along the Icefields Parkway. As glorious as the mountains look from the highway, the experience is multiplied exponentially as you walk away from the road. The season is fairly short. Weather can always be a factor in the Rockies. Preparation is essential for your visit. I especially like the ‘boot-tested’ trail guide written by Kathy and Craig Copeland, “Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies, An Opinionated Hiking Guide”. There are so many trails to tread - and unless you are like MadamX living in nearby Calgary - your time here will not be unlimited. I have hiked more of the trails they have recommended in their similar book on the North Cascades of Washington State and have found their opinions to be right on for the most part. If they give a trail four boots (‘premier’), rest assured, it will be a grand experience. If they say don’t waste your time - ie The Teahouse Trail at Lake Louise - don’t waste your time! There is too much else out there. That said, even some of the hikes that rate two boots (‘worthwhile’) are superior to what you find in most of the rest of the World.

Gems to be looked towards? Valley of Ten Peaks, Plain of the Six Glaciers, Mt Assiniboine, Tonquin Valley and the Ramparts, Lake Annette/Paradise Valley and remember the outstanding options across the border in British Columbia: the Rockwall-Floe Lake, Lake O’Hara, and maybe one of the grandest in the entire region - Berg Lake and Mt Robson. But here we are talking BC, the trek to Assiniboine in Alberta will be almost as marvelous.

Alberta is a bit hockey-mad. They support their teams in a fervent fashion, whether it is the Flames of Calgary, Edmonton’s Oilers or the myriad of WHL junior teams. The Great One played his best years in Edmonton when they owned the NHL for much of the 80’s. There is plenty to keep one busy in Alberta’s cities, though for that I refer you to Calgary’s own MadamX.