Winter travel ideas: 10 reasons to visit Alberta, Canada

November 2 2011 , Written by thediversetraveller Published on #adventure, #Alberta Travel, #Banuff, #Canada, #Edmonton, #North America, #Recommendations & Rants (tips, links and reviews), #Travel ideas

As the days get shorter and colder, I don't care what anyone says about unseasonable weather for Autumn, my mind often travels to escape through winter travel. Travel to destinations where one wakes up drenched in sweat or shivering due to the air conditioner being on full blast.

Countries that sell themselves on the amount of snow they have, or anywhere that involves disrobing at checkout desk, due to the amount of clothes I am wearing, so I don't hold up the security queue, do not enter my mind. But this week, Canada forced its way into my winter travel dreams.

Canadian possibilities

Since travelling to Canada, a whirlwind visit, in 2009, I have signed up to many a newsletter, entertaining the dream that one day I might fight my fear of the cold and emigrate there. Being the second largest country by land mass in the world, Canada is diverse in people, regions, and language. I fell in love on first visit. The Canadian newsletter that grabbed my attention this week was about a region I am yet to visit, Alberta, in western Canada.

Alberta offers visitors something off the beaten track, truly breath-taking scenery with lots of adventure and exploration thrown. Alberta is one of Canada’s most beautiful regions.

Alberta - taking a moment to savour the view. Source: www.myalbertaadventure.com

An all-year round destination

Alberta offers visitors of all ages and abilities, authentic adventures, breathtaking scenery and endless possibilities for goosebump moments throughout the Province. Below are ten signature Alberta experiences for visitors to enjoy:

1: See the breathtaking scenery of Alberta by air: the Rocky Mountains of Alberta offer amazing scenery no matter what the viewpoint, but from the air the true size and breathtaking vistas are even more outstanding. Helicopter experiences include sightseeing trips over the snow-capped mountain peaks of Banff National Park or why not take off from Canmore and enjoy heli-yoga, heli-hiking or in the winter heli-skiing and snowboarding for a very personal adventure in the Rockies.

2: Take a drive up the Icefields Parkway: known as one of the most beautiful drives in the world, the Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper runs parallel to the Continental Divide along the backbone of the Canadian Rockies. Along the drive there are numerous icefields which can be spotted, and the most famous is the Columbia Icefield, the lake of ice that feeds the massive Athabasca Glacier. Here visitors can take a discovery trip onto the icefield and take a voyage back to the last Ice Age.

3: Get out and discover your own Canadian Rockies: hiking, mountain biking, canoeing and camping are a spectacular way of exploring Alberta. With adventures available for all abilities and ages, visitors can choose between taking an afternoon to hike up to the Lake Agnes Teahouse in Lake Louise or going out on a guided canoe ride or hike all day or even overnight to spot wildlife and learn of the flora and fauna of Jasper. Whether a seasoned camper or beginner and so needing Parks Canada’s Camping 101, staying out in the great outdoors is also a must.

4: Enjoy a Festival: across the Province there are a range of festivals to be enjoyed throughout the four seasons. Edmonton, the Provincial Capital is renowned as the Festival City with 30 festivals across the year. Highlights include the International Fringe Festival and the Street Performers Festival. The Calgary Stampede is also known as the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ and in 2012, this 10 day extravaganza will be celebrating its 100^th anniversary.

5: Become a cowboy and cowgirl at one of Alberta’s guest ranches: take part in Cowboy College, enjoy a cattle ride, herd, rope and brand with the cowboys before camping under the stars after enjoying a cowboy cook-out. Across the Province there are a range of Ranches available which will bring the cowboy lifestyle to life and showcase the history of Alberta and the Wild, Wild West.

6: Get out on the slopes: the skiing and snowboarding in Alberta is not only great value but is available for a long season from November through until May. The main ski areas are in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. Banff enjoys through ski hills all within easy reach – Sunshine Village, Mount Norquay and Lake Louise, which are all serviced by the Triarea Ski Pass which this year now includes the ski shuttle bus and also winter activities such as snow-shoeing and snow-tubing. At Marmot Basin in Jasper, two new ski lifts have been built to ensure an even better service. Castle Mountain and Kananaskis are two other ski hills within Alberta.

7: Look UP: across the Province, looking up gives you a whole new outstanding experience. In the North of the Province the Northern Lights are often on show dancing across the night sky in hypnotic colours of gold, red, purple and green. Star-gazing is another must-do activity. Jasper National Park has recently joined The Cypress Hills Dark-Sky Preserve as a recognised dark-sky preserve where there is so little light pollution that the stars shine out of the darkness. At the TELUS World of Science in Edmonton, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view at the largest planetarium dome in Canada.

8: Eat UP: after all of the activity and adventures, refuelling the body and mind is a must and certainly something well earned. The cities of Calgary and Edmonton are home to first class restaurants, outstanding Farmers Markets and food movements ensuring local produce is front and centre on any menu. Regional produce is also integral in Banff, where Rocky Mountain Cuisine was first introduced. Combing local produce such as Alberta Beef, elk and Saskatoon berries with the hearty fare of the first explorers from Switzerland, Rocky Mountain Cuisine is not to be missed after a busy day in the mountains.

9: Winter adventures: from dogsledding, snowshoeing and ice walks, for the non-skier there are a range of winter adventures and activities to be enjoyed across the Province. Blaze a trail on snowshoes and get out and discover the Province just as Alberta’s original adventurers did or why not take either a two hour or full day dog-sledding experience. Ice walks and ice climbing on the lakes and waterfalls of the Province are a great way to see much of the Province that just wouldn’t be possible in the summer and autumn.

10: Take the train: in winter take the snow train to Jasper, a great way to get to the slopes of Marmot Basin and the largest Canadian Rocky Mountain Park, Jasper National Park from the gateway city of Edmonton. Or why not take the Rocky Mountaineer, the train from Jasper or Banff which takes visitors all the way through the Rockies and down to Vancouver in British Columbia. Taking two days, the Rocky Mountaineer allows visitors to see the spectacular breathtaking vistas, spot wildlife and enjoy first-class cuisine and hospitality.