{"id":1164,"date":"2016-04-26T09:50:57","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T16:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/?p=1164"},"modified":"2016-04-26T09:50:57","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T16:50:57","slug":"the-best-of-alberta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/canada\/wayfaring\/the-best-of-alberta\/","title":{"rendered":"The best of Alberta"},"content":{"rendered":"

From towering peaks to bright blue lakes, Jurassic parks to boho festivals, Alberta is a feast for the mind, body, and spirit. Located just east of British Columbia and north of Montana and Idaho, it boasts the Canadian Rockies and some pretty cosmopolitan metropolises (Edmonton and Calgary). Here\u2019s our take on the best of the best.<\/span><\/p>\n

Banff & Jasper National Parks<\/span><\/h3>\n

Banff National Park and its neighbor, Jasper National Park, are evergreen national treasures. And they\u2019re evergreen in every sense of the word \u2014 they\u2019re both chock-full of evergreen forests, and they\u2019re irresistible travel destinations year-round. Referred to by <\/span>Lonely Planet<\/span><\/a> as \u201cthe template for conservation\u201d, Banff is the third oldest national park in the world, with Jasper trailing by just 22 years. Consequently, ecotourism has thrived in both parks since the late 1800s \u2014 long before it was so trendy.<\/span><\/p>\n

LAKE LOUISE<\/h4>\n

As vibrantly turquoise as Pantone\u2019s 2015 Color of the Year and as cold as you\u2019d expect a lake surrounded by glaciers to be, Lake Louise offers one of the most iconic views in Alberta. You can canoe the lake itself, hike any of the trails that splinter out from the ritzy <\/span>Chateau Lake Louise<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Moraine Lake<\/span><\/a>, ski or shred the <\/span>Lake Louise, Norquay, or Sunshine<\/span><\/a> ski areas, or opt for a more genteel (and lower impact) tea at one of the many teahouses in the area, a nod to the area\u2019s British origins.<\/span><\/p>\n

ICEFIELDS PARKWAY & THE COLUMBIA ICEFIELD<\/span><\/h4>\n

Icefields Parkway runs between Lake Louise and Jasper Town, right along the Continental Divide. Flanked by glaciers, including the largest icefield in the Rockies, the Columbia Icefield, this ruggedly picturesque drive also includes myriad waterfalls, azure lakes, craggy, eroded peaks, and a wealth of wildlife. With moose and bears afoot, you\u2019ll feel like you\u2019re in an episode of \u201cPlanet Earth\u201d, IRL.<\/span><\/p>\n

BANFF TOWN<\/span><\/h4>\n

Created specifically to cater to tourists to the area, Banff town offers both luxe amenities to the modern traveler (including swanky nightclubs and fancy restaurants that defy their decidedly un-contrived natural surroundings) and the original lures that made the town such a hotspot back in the day. Be sure to visit the <\/span>Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies<\/span><\/a> and the Banff Upper Hot Springs<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for a relaxing soak after a day of mountaineering.<\/span><\/p>\n

Calgary<\/span><\/h3>\n

Calgary is a town with many incarnations: it started out as the home of the Blackfoot people in the late 1800s, grew into a bustling cowboy town throughout the twentieth century, skyrocketed to an economic mecca with the discovery of oil in the 1960s, played host to the 1988 Winter Olympics, and continues to grow at breakneck speed, resulting in a cosmopolitan metropolis. Foodies can check out <\/span>the hip Inglewood neighborhood<\/span><\/a>, culture vultures should head to the <\/span>Glenbow Museum<\/span><\/a>, and sports fanatics can get a glimpse into Canada\u2019s national pastime at a <\/span>Calgary Flames<\/span><\/a> game (next year though \u2014 the season just ended).<\/span><\/p>\n

Drumheller<\/span><\/h3>\n

One word \u2014 dinosaurs. Need I say more? Set among the badlands of Alberta with hoodoo spires hither and yon (\u00e0 la the variety made famous in Utah\u2019s Bryce Canyon<\/a> and Turkey\u2019s Cappadocia), Drumheller is home to <\/span>the world\u2019s largest dinosaur<\/span><\/a> and the more legit (i.e. less tourist trappy) and not-to-be-missed <\/span>Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From towering peaks to bright blue lakes, Jurassic parks to boho festivals, Alberta is a feast for the mind, body, and spirit. Located just east of British Columbia and north…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[19],"language":[2],"class_list":["post-1164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wayfaring","tag-canada"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t