Province of Alberta Off The Beaten Path

  View of the area from the hiking trail
by dabidc
 
  • View of the area from the hiking trail
      View of the area from the hiking trail
    by dabidc
  • D takes the gold!
      D takes the gold!
    by richiecdisc
  • The Sign to the Centre of Alberta
      The Sign to the Centre of Alberta
    by canuckmike
  • Some of the path on the way
      Some of the path on the way
    by canuckmike
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by oldentrance
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Province of Alberta

1.

Rural Alberta   Edmonton

Rural Alberta, Edmonton

 8 Reviews  If you enjoy fishing at all then theres lots of options open for you. My favorite place to go is East Pit Lake. Its about 70km west of the downtown core. It a reclaimed mining pit thats been... 

 See All 39 Off The Beaten Path in Edmonton

2.

Rural Alberta   Calgary

Rural Alberta, Calgary

 5 Reviews  In the countryside where our daughter's boyfriend was brought up on his parent's 140-acre horse ranch, we decided on a Sheep River rafting trip where it flows past their back pastures! With two rubber... 

 See All 117 Off The Beaten Path in Calgary

3.

Falls/mountains   Banff

Falls/mountains, Banff

 6 Reviews  MARTIN STABLES HAS THE BEST HORSEBACK RIDE. IT IS A 3 HR. BREAKFAST RIDE. YOU RIDE FOR AND HOUR THEN EAT FOR AN HOUR THEN RIDE A DIFFERENT TRAIL BACK FOR AN HOUR. WHAT A BLAST. A MUST TRY FOR HORSE... 

 See All 18 Off The Beaten Path in Banff

4.

Hiking /Trails   Banff National Park

Hiking /Trails, Banff National Park

 15 Reviews  The first look at the lake from a distance strikes one as a bit dark looking, even on a sunny day. Then as you get to the viewing point there is a little magic entering into the equation, especially... 

 See All 79 Off The Beaten Path in Banff National Park

5.

MoraineLake   Lake Louise

MoraineLake, Lake Louise

 3 Reviews  Well yes, but not in this day and age, go back thousands of years and the photo shows what was sand on the sea floor, before the world became what we see today. The rock and a descriptive plaque are... 

 See All 11 Off The Beaten Path in Lake Louise

6.

River Valley   Edmonton

River Valley, Edmonton

 6 Reviews  The North Saskatchewan River diagonally bisects the city, and Edmontonians are very (oddly) proud of their valley. Networks of 'multi-use' trails (for bicycles, rollerblades, joggers, etc) abound up... 

 See All 39 Off The Beaten Path in Edmonton

7.

Canada Olympic Park   Calgary

Canada Olympic Park, Calgary

 2 Reviews  I met Matyas from Szeged in Hungary on Fiday evening July 7th 2006, in Clagary. He had visited the downtown area and braved the Transit system to get to Heritage Park, where I collected him and we... 

 See All 117 Off The Beaten Path in Calgary

8.

Flowers   Banff National Park

Flowers, Banff National Park

 28 Reviews  At the south end of Banff Avenue and just across the bridge over the Bow river, stands the Park Administration Building. Access is from Mountain Avenue and some parking is available after heading one... 

 See All 79 Off The Beaten Path in Banff National Park

9.

Hiking   Lake Louise

Hiking, Lake Louise

 1 Review  The hike up to Lake Agnes from lake louise is quite a pleasant one in the summer ,at the top of the trail is a tea house where you can reward your efforts striding up the hill with tea and cakes... 

 See All 11 Off The Beaten Path in Lake Louise

10.

Elk Island National Park   Edmonton

Elk Island National Park, Edmonton

 3 Reviews  If you get a chance, you may want to visit Elk Island National Park. Just a 45 mins drive East of Edmonton (take Yellowhead Trail Eastbound; Highway 16, and follow the signs), it is home to herds of... 

 See All 39 Off The Beaten Path in Edmonton

11.

Mountains   Calgary

Mountains, Calgary

 3 Reviews  The Bow Valley Campground is about 1 hours drive outside of the city driving towards the beautiful Rocky Mountains. They have lots of sites, trees and are right on a nice blue river. Its only $17 CAD... 

 See All 117 Off The Beaten Path in Calgary

12.

Wildlife   Banff National Park

Wildlife, Banff National Park

 15 Reviews  Chipmunks, much like squirrels are the entertainers of the forest but what to us is entertainment, for the chipmunk is the work of storing food for the winter. They just move so fast it appears... 

 See All 79 Off The Beaten Path in Banff National Park

13.

Mountain Parks   Edmonton

Mountain Parks, Edmonton

 1 Review  As you drive around Golden, you will see these BIGHORN SHEEP abundant throughout the Rockies. The large rams are best viewed in the winter months when they are at lower elevations; in summer, most of... 

 See All 39 Off The Beaten Path in Edmonton

14.

Mountains   Banff National Park

Mountains, Banff National Park

 5 Reviews  The tunnels are located along the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1), a short drive west of Lake Louise, and east of Field, British Columbia (a short distance east of the turn off to Yoho Valley Road that... 

 See All 79 Off The Beaten Path in Banff National Park

15.

Banff Town   Banff National Park

Banff Town, Banff National Park

 6 Reviews  We found there to be a nice mix of reasonably priced shops along with the insanely expensive ones. We actually bought stuff at just a couple of them. Unique Canadian Alps had a lot of Tshirts and... 

 See All 79 Off The Beaten Path in Banff National Park

16.

Lakes   Banff National Park

Lakes, Banff National Park

 4 Reviews  Peyto Lake is one of the most photographed lakes in Banff National Park. As you go from lake to lake with the mountain parks, you will notice that all are incredibly coloured, but each one is a... 

 See All 79 Off The Beaten Path in Banff National Park

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Hidden hike in Banff National Park

by AdventureSpecialist

Tower of Babel by Moraine LakeHead to Moraine Lake and go up to the Rock Pile. Now look left, the tower you see is what you will conquer! This hike isn’t for everyone, it’s an hour of two of going straight up loose scree but it ends with an amazing payoff for the amount of time you spend hiking. You end up on top of the towering spire with amazing views of Moraine Lake, Consolation Lakes and Mount Temple. The best part is being able to enjoy these views in the living room; over the years people have built a couch, chairs, TV and table with rocks. Give me a call at work (Cathedral Mountain Lodge) and I'd love to share tips on the best route to take to get up here!

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The Centre of Alberta

by canuckmike

The very middle or the centre of Alberta is marked with a statue of a bear and there is a trail going to it. The access point for the trail is located a little of halfway between Swan Hills and Fort Assiniboine along Highway 33 (Grizzly Trail). It's about a 3 kilometre hike to the centre from the road. I've read there are two trails but I only saw one. I guess it was an ATV trail which was about 1/4 muddy and had to walk through the trees to avoid the muddy wet spots. The trail is fairly well marked with signs and there is a picnic area at the centre.

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Gopher Hole Museum

by canuckmike

God Bless Alberta. Where else can you take a bunch of dead animals, stuff them, dress them up like the local town folk and call it a museum. In Torrington they did just that. Torrington seems to have a love-hate relationship with gophers. These little critters destroy the local crops but because of the museum they bring in the tourist dollar from all around to a town that would literally see almost no tourists. The museum itself is about the size of a large trailer and has around 40 different exhibits of stuffed gophers. The taxidermy is done quite nicely as well as the paint job for the sets. There is a fat book of newspaper clippings of the museum and a guest book with people from literally all over the world. The gift shop is quite lackluster but the idea of the museum makes some of the souvenirs interesting. Entrance to the museum is $2 for adults. The town fire hydrants are painted...

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the Olympic toilets

by richiecdisc

I did spend a little time in Calgary in 1994 on my first trip to the area but on my recent pass in 2008, we just drove through. It was a Sunday, quite dead, and we still had a lot of driving to do so a stop was out of the question. We did, however need to use a restroom so could not resist to stop in the Olympic Park. Home to the 1988 Winter Olympics, it is still used for things like kids hockey leagues and general recreation. It was a cold blustery afternoon so we took a very brief look around, used the restrooms and got back on the road. D posed for posterity on the medal stand next to the Olympic flame. Notice she is in the gold position, one she very much deserves after her 2008 hiking/backpacking/camping outing!

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World's Largest Wagon Wheel and Pick

by canuckmike

The World's Largest Wagon Wheel and Pick is located in Fort Assiniboine. Fort Assiniboine is located about 80 minutes northwest of Edmonton near the Athabasca River along Highway 33 and has a population of around 200. The pick is 20 feet while the wagon wheel is 24 feet and was opened on the 20th of July, 2005. Right next to it is a museum in the fashion of a Hudson Bay fort. It was closed when I was there.

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Whitla

by iwys

Whitla is a truly off the beaten path place. It is a place that before I started my journey across the Prairies I had never heard of, but it is a place with a unique, wistful atmosphere that I will never forget. There was a heavy summer silence, broken only by the cry of a kestrel soaring above the grain elevators.I couldn't better this evocative description of the place: "Whitla is a whole street of abandoned buildings. Located 20 miles southwest of Medicine Hat, it is a real ghost town. The town began with the opening of the area to homesteading in 1908. It was named for R. J. Whitla, a Winnipeg merchant who visited the district in 1885 when it was a mere siding on the newly built Turkey Track Railway. In 1910 there was a general store followed by a lumberyard, a hardware store, a farm machinery firm, a Union Bank, several cafes, and three auto repair shops. During 1917 drought, dust...

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World's Largest Tractor Weather Vane

by canuckmike

The worlds' largest tractor weather vane is located in the town of Westlock which is about an hour northish of Edmonton. Westlock is on the intersection of highways 18 and 44. The weather vane itself is located on the westren edge of the town in the area of the tractor museum (I didn't visit the tractor museum). Go west along highway 18 and you should see it quite quickly, I don't remember the exact road it's on. It's a functioning weather vane as I saw it move around in the wind.

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Consider walking sticks

by CraigT

After observing several hikers using walking sticks we visited an outdoor supply store and got the salesman's take on their advantages. We finally chose Leki walking sticks, the Cadillac of sticks. The telescoping rods were sturdy, comfortable to hold, and the shock absorbers were a real plus. After getting used to the initial rhythm of walking with the new sticks we soon found their great advantage. We covered more ground with more stability and we arrived much more refreshed. We increased our hiking distances by 2 and 3 fold. Our initial paths were at Lake Maligne and nearby Moose Lake. We would highly recommend walking sticks for those wanting to enjoy their hikes at a different level. Don't discount the value of the shock absorbers in a high end stick.

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The Legacy

by canuckmike

The Legacy is the world's largest bucking saddle bronc horse & rider. It was created for the 100th anniversary of the Town of Ponoka (the town got it's name from the Blackfoot word for elk). Ponoka is located around 1 hour south of Edmonton and 5 km east of Queen Elizabeth 2 Highway. The statue itself is located along the west side of highway 2A in Centennial Park. Centennial Park also has a mini golf and a museum near by.

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Rowley - a ghost town

by vtveen

Rowley is one of Alberta’s ghost towns, although not completely deserted. There are still 10 or 15 people living. Some of the old buildings are restored and the village has even a coupel of museums. The Railway Museum is situated in an old railway carriage, close to the weathered grain elevators. During our visit on a grey and rainy Sunday old shops, buildings and the 'famous' Sam's in the ‘main street’ Saloon were closed for visitors. But normally this saloon is the heart of the copmmunity.DirectionsWe reached Rowley through typical rural Alberta landscape with grain and cole seed along the dirt roads. The ghost town is located north of Drumheller: first take Highway 9, follow Highway 56 and after 10 km turn left on a gravel road (3 km) to Rowley.

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Unique Places in Province of Alberta

Top 3 Hotels in Province of Alberta

The Westin Calgary  Calgary

 9 Reviews and 353 Opinions  In 11/09 I stayed at the Westin and had an awesome experience. The Westin upgraded me upon arrival... 

 Hotels in Calgary

Patricia Lake Bungalows  Banff National Park

 436 Opinions

 Hotels in Banff National Park

Hilton Garden Inn West Edmonton  Edmonton

 1 Review and 131 Opinions  I was very happy with the Hilton Garden Inn. Conveniently located 3 minutes from the West Edmonton... 

 Hotels in Edmonton

717 Hotels in Province of Alberta
 
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Reviews and photos of Province of Alberta attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Province of Alberta sightseeing.

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Province of Alberta
  1. Edmonton Off The Beaten Path
  2. Calgary Off The Beaten Path
  3. Banff Off The Beaten Path
  4. Banff National Park Off The Beaten Path
  5. Jasper National Park Off The Beaten Path
  6. Canmore Off The Beaten Path
  7. Lake Louise Off The Beaten Path
  8. Waterton Lakes National Park Off The Beaten Path
  9. Red Deer Off The Beaten Path
  10. Jasper Off The Beaten Path
  11. Drumheller Off The Beaten Path
  12. Cold Lake Off The Beaten Path
  13. Lethbridge Off The Beaten Path
  14. Rocky Mountain House Off The Beaten Path
  15. Kananaskis Lakes Off The Beaten Path
  16. Whitecourt Off The Beaten Path
  17. Grande Prairie Off The Beaten Path
  18. Okotoks Off The Beaten Path
  19. Leduc Off The Beaten Path
  20. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Off The Beaten Path
  21. Blairmore Off The Beaten Path
  22. Saint Albert Off The Beaten Path
  23. Stony Plain Off The Beaten Path
  24. Hinton Off The Beaten Path
  25. Sylvan Lake Off The Beaten Path
  26. Valleyview Off The Beaten Path
  27. Cereal Off The Beaten Path
  28. Camrose Off The Beaten Path

More Cities in Province of Alberta

 

Questions and Answers

CdnJane profile photo

Q:  I'm planning a trip for an Aussie of Polish/Ukrainian heritage to Edmonton and then driving down to Drumheller, and over to Banff.... 

CdnJane profile photo

A: OH NO!!! Just checked back on the website for a Taste of Ukraine and discovered that it closed July 24th - hope that it will reopen somewhere else!!! 

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