"Alberta - between plains and mountains" Top 5 Page for this destination Province of Alberta by vtveen

Province of Alberta Travel Guide: 4,846 reviews and 10,034 photos

Alberta: diverse scenery - Province of Alberta

Alberta is perhaps Canada’s province with the most diverse scenery, varying from the vast plains in the eastern part - adjacent to Saskatchewan - to the Rocky Mountains in the western part of the province. Besides it has two of the bigger cities of Canada: Edmonton - the capital and having one of the most famous shopping malls in the country - and Calgary - the biggest - with one of the fastest speed skating ice rinks of the world (for us Dutchies a ‘must see’).

Alberta is one of the richest provinces of Canada, having huge oil fields. When driving through the province we saw everywhere signs of this ‘black gold’ in the landscape.

My ‘things to do’ tips will follow anti-clockwise our trip through Alberta (and SK) starting with Drumheller, the plains, the ghost town of Rowley, Edmonton, back along the stunning Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff in the majestic and impressive Rockies to finish in Calgary.

It is almost inevitable to use a (rental) car to discover the province. As everywhere in Canada the distances are rather huge and besides this using a car is more convenient and we felt flexible to go and stop where we wanted, also to more ‘off the beaten path’ destinations.

Pros and Cons

Pros:nature, scenery, friendly people
Cons:huge distances
In a nutshell:fantastic province for a road trip

Intro Written Mar 7, 2007
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Reviews (35)

Banff NP - meeting a black bear - Province of Alberta

Banff National Park – great scenery Favorites (2)

Banff National Park is the oldest National Park of Canada and is famous for its impressive scenery all over the world.... more travel advice

Jasper National Park – wildlife... Favorites (2)

Jasper National Park is one of the oldest and the largest NP's in Canada and is situated in the middle of the impressive... more travel advice

Rowley - rural Alberta - Province of Alberta

Rowley - a ghost town Off The Beaten Path (6)

Rowley is one of Alberta’s ghost towns, although not completely deserted. There are still 10 or 15 people living. Some... more travel advice

Acadia Valley - grain elevator with caboose - Province of Alberta

Acadia Valley – Grain Elevator Museum Off The Beaten Path (6)

You can not miss these ‘Cathedrals of the prairies’ when driving in the eastern part of Alberta (or in Saskatchewan).... more travel advice

Restaurants (2)
See All ... hidden gem
Hotels (6)
See All ... not the most welcoming

Comments (6)

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TheWanderingCamel Feb 4, 2010 at 2:42 AM

Enjoyed my trip around Alberta with you. No bear for us when we were there but a moose and - the biggest thrill - a mountain lion! Fantastic! I'm another fan of ghost towns - we have a few here in the west. leyle
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amandajayne81 Dec 2, 2009 at 10:54 PM

A most helpful and informative page. Thank you.
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iwys Feb 12, 2008 at 9:41 AM

Great page. I visited all of those places 20 years ago. I loved those Alberta ghost towns and grain elevators. There is a web site called Ghost Towns Canada that I've uploaded a few photos to.
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poeticview23 Oct 24, 2007 at 10:29 PM

Outstanding photos and tips have me so enthused about my 2008 trip. You have given me new ideas! Have you seen hoodoos in Utah?
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Karolina01 Sep 15, 2007 at 7:23 PM

Very nice overview about Alberta. I have a photo of the Athabaska Falls from the same spot as yours.
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kschatterbox Mar 28, 2007 at 6:58 AM

Great tips and pictures on the National Parks! Thanks for the info, would like to see it one day