From seeing the cowboys and cowgirls of Calgary to the autumn colours in Jasper national park – here’s our guide to the best things to do month by month in Alberta.
January
Celebrate midwinter in Alberta at Lake Louise’s Ice Magic festival, which runs from 17-27 January in 2019. Artists from around the world will swap paintbrushes for power tools, transforming blocks of ice into spectacular sculptures. There will even be the chance to see the Canada Cup of Ice Carving – with 10 teams from around the world having 34 hours to carve 15 blocks of ice into their interpretation of the year’s theme! Don’t forget to enjoy a tipple at one of the ice bars too.
Visit Lake Louise in January for the Ice Magic festival
February
Be the king, or queen, of the castle in Hawrelak park, Edmonton – but bring your coats, as this is an ice castle. It’s sparkling, glittery and really does look like something out of Narnia. Crafted entirely by hand using only icicles and water, the palace is made up of an elaborate array of tunnels, fountains, waterfalls, slides and archways. Make sure you see it lit up at night for the ultimate in magical winter moments.
Spot lynx in Elk Island national park
While you’re there, consider hopping over to nearby Elk Island national park. This is one of Canada’s most popular snow-shoeing destinations and there are trails for all abilities. The wildlife is great – you can see coyote, bison, moose, mule deer, lynx, beaver, elk, white-tailed deer and porcupine. And if you are really lucky, you could spot a timber wolf or black bear.
March
There’s still a chill in the air before spring gets under way, so this is a fantastic time to indulge in some comfort food. At Edmonton’s Downtown Dining Week, the city’s top chefs will design exclusive menus for the occasion, and you can dine on cuisine from around the world, including India, Mexico, China and France, as well as experiencing the best in new Canadian cuisine. Also check out Calgary’s restaurant scene. North of Bow River, try Vero Bistro Moderne – which uses local suppliers to provide a Canadian take on Italian and French cuisine – or the Open Range for the best of Alberta beef, lamb and game; south of the river, try Cassis Bistro for an authentic take on the cuisine of the south of France.
April
Toast the end of winter at one of the fantastic breweries scattered across Alberta. Take a road trip through Calgary, which has some of the best, including Big Rock, a small brewery named after a big (16,000-tonne) rock that happened to end up in the middle of the Canadian prairies after being carried by glacial ice around 15,000 years ago. The Last Best Brewing & Distilling is famous for its weird and wonderful (but delicious) lager - their Caramel Latte beer is a case in point. Further north, the craft beers at the Fat Unicorn Brewery in Plamondon will quench every thirst – as will the Grain Bin Brewing Company in Grand Prairie, which uses local grains and offers great seasonal brews.
Lake Louise
May
Prefer grape over grain? Wine aficionados should make a beeline for the Canmore Uncorked food and drink festival in the lively picturesque town of Canmore, an hour’s drive west of Calgary. Expect bistro tours, a long-table dinner and festival days dedicated to wines, craft beers, and whisky and spirits. Work up an appetite with a springtime hike through Alberta’s most spectacular landscapes. Lake Louise has been described as “the hiking capital of Canada”. You will see why when you set eyes on its beautiful walking trails, glacier-fed turquoise lake and fragrant larch forests – and behind it all, there are the Canadian Rockies soaring into the clouds. Or go a little farther north to Jasper, where if you’re hardy, you can climb to the top of the 3,300m (10,827ft) Mount Edith Cavell.
June
Dinosaur provincial park is rich in dinosaur fossils
Channel your inner palaeontologist at the Unesco world heritage site Dinosaur provincial park. Fossils from 58 different species of dinosaur have been found here. In late spring, a carpet of wildflowers bursts into bloom, and trails are mostly crowd-free. If you get the dinosaur bug, there is much more to discover at the Philip J Currie Dinosaur Museum in Wembley, western Alberta, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, which has one of the world’s largest displays of full dinosaur skeletons.
July
The world-renowned Calgary Stampede kicks off on 5 July with a lively and colourful parade. It lasts a fortnight and is a brilliant place to watch the world’s best rodeo riders face off in amazing displays of skill, strength and true grit. The action isn’t just equine-related – at the 2019 event, there will be live music, dog shows, talent competitions and adrenaline-fuelled performances by motocross riders.
July is cowboy time as the Calgary Stampede showcases the skills of the world’s best rodeo riders
August
August is the ideal time to venture off the beaten track. Consider a road trip across southern Alberta, which has some of Canada’s most important archaeological sites. At the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Unesco world heritage site, Plains Buffalo culture is brought to life through guided hikes, theatre plays and exhibitions – and you will see the actual jump, the cliff where indigenous tribes chased their prey to their death. Other fantastic parks to visit include Writing-On-Stone provincial park, with its indigenous rock carvings and paintings, and Blackfoot Crossing historical park, a group of historic sites on the Siksika 146 Indian reserve near the Bow River. Southern Alberta is also where you’ll find the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre, home to some of North America’s largest birds. There are regular flying demonstrations as well as the fantastic Hawk Walk, where visitors can observe huge birds of prey close-up.
September
Autumn in Jasper national park
Alberta’s larch trees turn from green to copper in September – and Jasper national park is a great base from which to admire this autumnal extravaganza. Take note, though, that a number of new glamping sites are putting some of the lesser-known parks on travellers’ radars, too. Head to Pigeon Lake provincial park and camp in comfort in an insulated yurt, or to Rocky Mountain House national historic site to bed down in a traditional trapper’s tent.
If you prefer a little more luxury, try Lake Louise’s Moraine Lake Lodge, tucked into a narrow, wooded valley. The lodge’s beautiful cabins – with their extensive wooden decking outdoors – are the perfect place to spend long, lazy days soaking up the autumn colours. They are also refreshingly low-tech – there are no televisions or landlines – although wifi was recently installed, which means sending those jealousy-inducing “wish you were here” emails will be a breeze.
October
See the skies as you’ve never seen them before at the Jasper Dark Sky festival
Alberta’s got some of the darkest skies in Canada. A visit to the two-week Jasper Dark Sky festival will give you a new appreciation of the galaxy, with stargazing sessions and talks by astronauts and astronomers. If culture is your thing, how about the Banff Centre Mountain film and book festival? With authors, photographers and film-makers telling their stories of remote journeys and awe-inspiring adventures, it is bound to inspire you to travel even farther.
November
Carve up some fresh powder in one of Alberta’s impressive ski resorts in the Canadian Rockies. Lake Louise has 1,700 skiable hectares (4,200 acres) of world-class terrain, while Banff’s Sunshine Village boasts the longest non-glacial ski season in Canada and is now home to Canada’s hottest chairlift, Teepee Town LX - the first chairlift in Canada with heated seats! For breathtaking landscapes and first-class skiing, also try Marmot Basin alpine resort in Jasper national park – it’s pretty compact at 678 hectares (1,675 acres) but it still has 86 runs.
Skiing at Lake Louise
December
The beauty of Alberta is that there’s an activity for all types of winter sports fans – not just skiers and snowboarders. Snow-shoeing is a fantastic way to work out while gaining an insight into incredible destinations inaccessible by car. Medicine Lake in Jasper national park is a great place to start. Sign up for a guided snowshoe excursion to nearby Watchtower Canyon, or go it alone– this gentle, trail is less than a mile. Elk Island national park is known for the sheer diversity of its snowshoe trails, and Lake Agnes, in Banff national park, has some brilliant looping routes that provide stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
Make even more of the scenery by signing up for a dog sled ride. One of the best operators is Banff-based Howling Dog Tours – opt for their Unleash the Musher tour and you’ll learn how to lead your own pack of dogs, before feasting on cookies and hot chocolate.
There are adventures year round with Canadian Affair.
