{"id":1271,"date":"2016-04-29T09:50:08","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T16:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/?p=1271"},"modified":"2016-04-29T09:50:08","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T16:50:08","slug":"the-great-alberta-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/canada\/wayfaring\/the-great-alberta-road-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"The great Alberta road trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alberta is a land rich with natural phenomena (and views that will literally make your jaw drop), history that stretches from prehistory to the present (attention all dino lovers), and buzzing metropolises that stand up to their more-well-known counterparts in other provinces with poise and panache.<\/span><\/p>\n

This breathtaking terrain is best taken in by car, from the badlands of the south to the northern lights dancing in the night sky, so gear up for a majestic journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"alberta-road-trip-map<\/p>\n

Waterton Lakes National Park<\/span><\/h3>\n

In stark contrast to the bevies of locals and tourists flocking to Banff and Jasper<\/a>\u00a0to its north, Waterton emanates\u00a0a delightful calm that is only appropriate to its zen surroundings. Awash with wildflowers this time of year, Waterton offers elk and grizzly sightings, a huge lake that extends into Montana\u2019s Glacier National Park, and more outdoor excursions than you can count.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fort MacLeod \u2014 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump<\/span><\/h3>\n

Unique naming aside, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a shining example of First Nation ingenuity, not to mention a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Blackfoot people cleverly used the rock formation to herd buffalo off a cliff, where they would \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 smash their heads in, thereby providing them with food, clothing, and tools for over 5,000 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology<\/span><\/h3>\n

Young and old alike love the <\/span>Royal Tyrrell Museum<\/span><\/a>. Not only does the collection boast more than 130,000 fossils and many still-intact dino skeletons, but you can even venture off into the badlands to get your archeological dig on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Calgary \u2014 The Calgary Stampede<\/span><\/h3>\n

Shopped as the \u201cgreatest outdoor show on earth\u201d, the annual <\/span>Calgary Stampede<\/span><\/a> takes place in July and is one of the biggest and most impressive rodeos in the world. Any cowboy worth his or her salt joins this fabled city-wide event.<\/span><\/p>\n

Canmore \u2014 Three Sisters<\/span><\/h3>\n

Canmore is an up-and-coming \u2014 though far chiller \u2014 neighbor to glitzy Banff, with a rich past as a coal mining town. Close by, the Three Sisters mountains (Faith, Hope, and Charity) offer a wealth of hiking trails, which you can monitor via <\/span>their webcam<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lake Louise<\/span><\/h3>\n

Lake Louise<\/a> is a true national treasure. Not only does it grace more postcards and Instagram post than your average lake, but also it boasts a town rich with charm and history. From tea houses to a romantically grand hotel, Lake Louise is equal parts genteel Canadian culture and panoramic Canadian wilderness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jasper<\/span><\/h3>\n

Described by <\/span>Lonely Planet<\/span><\/a> as a \u201clarger, less-trammeled, more wildlife-rich version\u201d of nearby Banff, Jasper is just as epic as its Rocky Mountain counterparts but just that much chiller.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edmonton \u2014 Art Gallery of Alberta<\/span><\/h3>\n

While at face value a skyscrapered government metropolis, Edmonton, Alberta\u2019s provincial capital, is way more than just politics. Check out the <\/span>Edmonton International Fringe Festival<\/span><\/a> in August, and don\u2019t miss the hyper-modern <\/span>Art Gallery of Alberta<\/span><\/a> in Churchill Square, with\u00a0architecture is reminiscent of Paris\u2019 Centre Pompidou.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grande Prairie<\/span><\/h3>\n

Swing by the seventh-largest city in Alberta for <\/span>Muskoseepi Park<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Grande Prairie Museum & Heritage Village<\/span><\/a> for a shot local pioneer history, and <\/span>Saskatoon Island Provincial Park<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Fort McMurray \u2014 Northern Lights<\/span><\/h3>\n

Wind your way up to Fort McMurray, one of Canada\u2019s major oil production hubs. While that may not seem like the sexiest of destinations, just wait till nightfall, when the northern lights come out to play in full force. There\u2019s also canoeing and kayaking in the summer time, snowmobiling in the winter, and hunting and fishing no matter the time of year.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alberta is a land rich with natural phenomena (and views that will literally make your jaw drop), history that stretches from prehistory to the present (attention all dino lovers), and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":1275,"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-1271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","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