See history writ large in Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is often overlooked by visitors, but those who go will find a fascinating heritage told through its historic sites, landscapes and people…
The mighty Rockies and the twin cities of Calgary and Edmonton might be Alberta’s top-line attractions, but for more intrepid travellers willing to venture off the beaten track, there’s a whole lot more to discover about Alberta. Whether it’s hiking through the otherworldly hoodoos, trekking on horseback through the Badlands, discovering Canada’s dinosaur-filled past, spotting wildlife in Waterton Lakes or learning about more than 6,000 years of Indigenous culture, southern Alberta offers a non-stop adventure from start to finish.
Prehistoric past
Long before humans arrived, the area that’s now southern Alberta was the domain of the dinosaurs. Around 80 million years ago, this was a lush coastal floodplain, encompassing deltas, swamps, wetlands and mudflats - and the area’s sedimentary rocks have preserved the secrets of the past, along with the bones of some of the mightiest beasts that ever walked the earth.
Explore Dinosaur Provincial Park
Two hours east of Calgary is Canada’s real-life answer to Jurassic Park. The largest deposits of dinosaur fossils ever found in Canada were discovered here, mostly dating from around 76 to 74 million years ago. A whole menagerie of ancient creatures have been unearthed, including fish, reptiles, birds and 35 species of dinosaur - including ankylosaurs, hadrosaurs, ceratops and, most thrillingly of all, two types of tyrannosaur, Daspletosaurus torosus and Gorgosaurus libratus, earlier relatives of the iconic Tyrannosaur rex. Now protected as a Unesco World Heritage Site, Dinosaur Provincial Park remains an active research area, and it’s possible to take fascinating guided tours with park rangers to uncover the history, visit ancient bone beds and see archaeologists at work in the field. There is a selection of fossils on show at the site’s museum, or you can follow signposted trails around the park to discover its prehistoric past at your own pace.
Visit Drumheller, Dinosaur Capital of the World
170km northwest of Dinosaur Provincial Park and 135km northeast of Calgary, Drumheller is another essential stop for dinosaur enthusiasts in Southern Alberta. The top sight here is the Royal Tyrrell Museum, which contains the largest collection of prehistoric fossils in Canada - 160,000 in total, ranging from ammonites and trilobites to the remains of Tyrannosaurs, Triceratops, ichthyosaurs, dimetrodons and many more. Watch professional archaeologists working on actual fossil specimens in the Preparation Lab, then investigate the special exhibit devoted to the Burgess Shale, the mysterious mountain-top fossil-bed located in Yoho National Park. Don't forget to snap a selfie from the top of Tyra – officially the ‘world’s largest dinosaur’, with 106 steps up to the top for a panoramic view of the Drumheller Valley. Also worth a visit in Drumheller is the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site, which unearths the history of coal-mining in Alberta, once a vital local industry and a key employer. The mine opened in 1936 but closed down in 1979: tours explore the main mine areas, including the conveyor tunnel and the wooden coal tipple, and also feature a ride on the mine’s vintage steam-powered locomotive.
Brave the Badlands
The Badlands are about as close as it gets to experiencing what it might be like to step foot on another planet. This eerie, otherworldly landscape of canyons, plateaus, gulches and mesas feels a little like you’ve stumbled onto a set from a Martian movie. Among the strangest geological features are the peculiar rock towers known as hoodoos, sculpted into bizarre shapes by aeons of natural erosion. Hoodoos crop up all over the Badlands, but the best places to see them are in Horsethief Canyon, Horseshoe Canyon and along the Hoodoos Trail, a signposted 1.4km path just outside Drumheller. All three of the valleys can be reached along the Dinosaur Trail Loop, a 48km driving route that winds through the Badlands; along the way you’ll also pass landmarks like the Little Church (a pint-sized chapel with room for six worshippers inside) and Orkney Viewpoint, a clifftop vantage point overlooking the dramatic Red Deer River and the Red Deer Valley. A visit to Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park is also worthwhile to learn more about the Indigenous culture of the Sisika people: watch traditional dances, learn handicrafts, take a guided storytelling walk or even stay overnight in a traditional tipi village.
Cowboy Country
Unfurling for 700 scenic kilometres through the heart of Alberta, the Cowboy Trail (or Highway 22, to give it its proper name) takes in everything from historic towns to horse ranches, distilleries, nature parks and working farms. Whether you explore on four legs or four wheels, it’s a region to remember.
Eau Claire Distillery
Whisky-making in the Turner Valley, about 45 minutes southwest of downtown Calgary, has been bubbling away for more than a hundred years. In the 1920s, the discovery of oil and gas brought hundreds of workers to the area, but to avoid strict prohibition laws, the men set up their own secret stills and speakeasies in the area now known as Whisky Ridge. A century later, Eau Claire Distillery has revived the whisky-making tradition, using locally-grown barley and mountain-filtered water to create small-batch whiskies and gins flavoured with cherry, earl grey and Saskatoon honey. They are also one of the only distilleries in Canada which uses horse-power to harvest their grains: 20 acres is still farmed in the old-fashioned way, using Percheron draft horses and farming equipment dating from the 1920s. Tours of the distillery offer the opportunity to sample some of its award-winning spirits, or enjoy a handcrafted cocktail in its 1920s-style speakeasy.
Thanksgiving Ranch
What better way could there be to explore Alberta’s cowboy country than on horseback? Thanksgiving Ranch is a working ranch, about thirty minutes’ drive from the town of Pincher Creek, which offers saddleback experiences for both novice and experienced riders. Saddle up for a ride out into the backcountry to enjoy a campfire cookout and watch the sunset over the foothills of the Rockies, then head back to the ranch to relax in one of the luxurious timber-clad suites, take a dip in the heated indoor pool or chill in the onsite sauna. The property extends over 3000 acres and offers lots of opportunity for hiking and mountain biking too, and it’s also a great base for visits to nearby Waterton Lakes National Park and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, both less than thirty minutes’ drive from the ranch.
Wilder corners
Much of Southern Alberta's charms lay in the fact much of it is still undiscovered by visitors and these places in particular should deserve your attention...
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Long before European settlers arrived in this part of Canada, Indigenous peoples including the Blackfoot, Siksika, Cree, Ojibwe and Dakota inhabited the plains and badlands of southern Alberta. They were nomadic people, moving from one location to the next as they followed the great herds of buffalo which once roamed free across much of Canada. Buffalo were sacred animals, providing an important food source, as well as hides for clothing, warmth and shelter, but hunting them was both a dangerous and a difficult task. At the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, you can see one of the ingenious ways Indigenous people solved the problem. At this natural precipice 185km south of Calgary, herds of buffalos were driven over the edge by specially-trained ‘buffalo runners’, who dressed as wolves and coyotes to spook the animals and spur them over the cliff. Guided tours explore this ancient practice, along with more than 6000 years of Plains Buffalo Culture.
Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park
For anyone interested in Canada’s Indigenous history, few places provide such a compelling connection to the past as Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park. Straddling the banks of the Milk River, this nature preserve contains the largest concentration of Indigenous rock art in the Great Plains. With its towering hoodoos and sheer cliffs, the area – known as Áísínai’pi to Blackfoot people - was believed to be inhabited by powerful spirits, and for generations people gathered here to rest, recuperate and celebrate special events. Inhabited for more than 10,000 years, the site contains an astonishing gallery of pictographs (paintings) petroglyphs (carvings), etched into or daubed onto the rocks. Some artworks retell important stories or legends, while others offer insights into the Blackfoot way of life, depicting hunting practices, game animals or gods. Inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2019, the park can be explored on guided walks and hiking trails, and the visitor centre provides useful historical background.
Waterton Lakes National Park
Covering 505 sq km along the Canadian-US border, Waterton Lakes is Alberta’s most overlooked national park. It receives far fewer visitors than its better-known neighbours in Banff and Jasper, and even in summer, its roads and trails remain largely traffic-free by comparison. It forms part of the vast Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, a World Heritage Site that also encompasses Glacier National Park, just across the US border. With prairie grasslands, wild mountains, alpine meadows, forests and lakes, it’s a brilliant destination for those who prefer to hike, kayak, bike and camp in peace. There are some real trekking classics here, such as the Crypt Lake Trail and the Carthew-Anderson Trail. The park is also a wonderful place for wildlife spotting: bighorn sheep, elk, moose, beavers, marmots, bald eagles and grizzly and black bears are all often seen, depending on the season. The park’s most famous place to stay is the Prince of Wales Hotel, a grand Swiss-style edifice dating from 1927 that looks like a still from a Wes Anderson movie. Don't miss dinner in the Royal Stewart Dining Room, which offers perhaps the most glorious lake view anywhere in Alberta.
The Southern Rockies
Beyond Waterton, it’s worth taking a few days out to venture around the rest of the Southern Rockies. The mountains and prairies here are well off the usual tourist trail, making them an ideal place to escape the crowds. A century ago, the Southern Rockies were still frontier country, home mostly to miners, prospectors and ranchers. Local towns like Pincher Creek, Bellevue and Blairmore still preserve that sense of history – Blairmore’s main street hasn’t changed much since the 1920s. The aptly-named Crowsnest Highway makes a memorable road-trip, running from the plains into the high mountains: along the way, you’ll pass key sights, including the Oldman River and its impressive dam, and the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, which commemorates a devastating landslide in 1903 that buried the town under 110 million metric tonnes of limestone, the largest landslide in Canadian history. For an insight into the miners’ life, descend more than 150 feet underground into the darkness of Bellevue Underground Mine, equipped with a helmet and headlamp. And in winter, head for Castle Mountain Ski Hill, one of the Rockies’ most under-the-radar ski resorts – ideal for anyone looking for crowd-free, no-queue slopes.
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