Alberta

Alberta, created in 1905, along with Saskatchewan, shares its neighbour's prairie oriented geography. That is until you encounter the Rocky Mountains in the southwest. When you travel to Alberta, you will find that Alberta's uniqueness stems from a political conservatism (in fact they just sent a Calgary-based man to Parliament as Prime Minister) and its luck of having a huge gas and petroleum industry making it the economy envy of Canada.

When you travel to Alberta, make sure to investigate its history, including the Blackfoot nation to the south and the more northern Cree nation.

There are six major Alberta Travel regions.

Edmonton is the Alberta provincial capital and is known as the Gateway to the North as its the last major northern city from which many access The Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Edmonton is a university town (University of Alberta), a festival town (Canada's largest Fringe Festival), a shopping town (West Edmonton Mall - the biggest mall in the world) and, not to be forgotten, a sports town. Only three hours from Calgary, Edmonton has two major sports teams: The Edmonton Oilers (where Wayne Gretzky played his best hockey) and the Edmonton Eskimos, a Canadian Football League team. There is an intense rivalry between these two teams and the Calgary Flames hockey team and the Calgary Stampeders football team.

Check out Edmonton Accommodations.

Calgary has been enjoying (some more than others) intense growth due to the oil patch and a move of corporate head offices from eastern Canada during the 90s. Calgary is proud of its cowboy heritage and during Stampede Week, cowboy boots and hats seem required. That and eating pancakes and bacon downtown!

Make sure to shop at Eau Claire Market, visit the Calgary Zoo (the red pandas are really cute), and take in the Glenbow Museum.

Check out Calgary Accommodations.

The drive from Calgary to Banff is provides an almost shocking terrain change. The foothills of the Rockies give way to tight turns and stunning mountain scenery. Key towns in this area include Kananaskis, Canmore, Banff (which is in Banff National Park), Lake Louise (which has one of the most scenic views in the world), and Jasper (which is in Jasper National Park).

It is crucial when planning an Alberta vacation that you plan your distances. It's 287 km (178 mi.) of mountain roads along the Columbia Icefield parkway.

Check out Banff Accommodations.

Central Alberta is known for its rural scenery and wildlife, especially bird watching. Key towns are Lacombe, Red Deer (which is roughly half way between Calgary and Edmonton), Rocky Mountain House, Vegreville (famous for a massive Ukrainian Easter egg), and Whitecourt.

Check out Central Alberta Accommodations.

Southern Alberta is as known for what's in the ground as what's above it, specifically dinosaur bones in the Badlands. Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park include the Royal Tyrrell Museum, which is a must-see.

Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is a virtual oasis that straddles the Saskatchewan and Alberta border.

Fort Macleod is the home to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO world heritage site, covering a very interesting bison hunting technique.

Other towns include Lethbridge and Medicine Hat (home to the world's tallest teepee).

Check out Southern Alberta Accommodations.

This is land with unspoiled wilderness which can be explored by horseback, canoe or kayak, ATV or on foot. Grande Prairie is a growing town due to the oil patch. Peace River and Athabasca allow you to enjoy the great outdoors. For McMurray is known for being a great location for viewing the Northern Lights.

Check out Northern Alberta Accommodations.

An Alberta vacation has as much variety as anywhere in North America!