The Millennium Experience

Alberta is best known for its spectacular slice of the Rocky Mountains. Sliding up towards the sky, the craggy peaks of these world famous mountains loom over the sparkling azure lakes and age-old glaciers that combined create Canada’s top tourist destination. These mountains can be hiked or biked, skied or climbed, but they are only a fraction of what Alberta has to offer.

The Canadian Rockies lie along Alberta’s southwestern border with British Columbia. The Canadian province is bordered in the north by the Northwest Territories, in the east by Saskatchewan, and in the south by Montana (USA).

From the west the steep Rocky peaks roll down into the foothills that surround Calgary, the slick and sporty city that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics and is overrun by cowboys at the annual Calgary Stampede – a rodeo for the world’s roughest and toughest. To the north of Calgary the eerie Alberta Badlands are the remnants of an ice-free prehistoric era where you can wander in the footpaths of lumbering dinosaurs. This moonscape is a small break in the rolling prairie that runs still further north towards the capital city of Edmonton and then on into the forested wilderness.

The sunniest of the Canadian provinces, Alberta’s warm summers from May to September are the time to enjoy the numerous festivals in Edmonton; to catch some white water running off the Rockies; to paddle and fish the more placid lakes of the north; or to hike through one of five national parks.

Even in the icy months of winter the sun still shines and Alberta will keep you occupied on the ice or on the snowy slopes. There are museums and art galleries to explore, the world’s biggest shopping mall to conquer and a rich cultural heritage to discover. Alberta could keep you busy a while.