Alberta is a province of western Canada. It is Canada’s fourth largest province after Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. Its capital is Edmonton but largest city being Calgary. Both Calgary and Edmonton are the metropolitan areas of the Alberta with a population exceeding 1 million. It has been given the title of Canada’s Wild West. Alberta’s landscape encompasses a diversity of mountains, prairies, desert bedlands and vast coniferous forests making it a perfect place to live. It has more than 600 lakes and rich mineral deposits. It has humid continental climate but the seasonal temperature swings due to the Chinook winds flowing from the Pacific ocean. There are countless best places to visit in Alberta, some of the famous being Banff, Canmore, Drumheller, Jasper, Sylvan Lake and Lake Louise. Now, let us have a glimpse of these best places to visit in Alberta,
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Places to Visit in Alberta
1. Peyto Lake
It is one of the most beautiful lakes flowing in the valleys of Alberta. It is a glacial lake inside the Banff National Park. This perennial lake was named after Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area. During the summer, the sedimentary rocks flow into the lake, and these rock particles give the lake a bright, turquoise colour and hence listed as one of the colorful lakes in the world. Because of its bright colour, the area around the lake is a popular sightseeing spot for tourists. The lake can be best seen from Bow Summit which is the highest point on the Icefields Parkway.
2. Banff National Park
One of the best places to visit in Alberta, Located in the Rocky Mountains of Calgary, this 110–180 kilometres long national park is the oldest National park of Alberta, established in 1885. It is enriched with mountainous terrain, numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes which are home to the large number of species such as the grizzly, cougar, elk, bighorn sheep, and moose, along with hundreds of bird species. Reptiles and amphibians are also found but only a limited number of species have been recorded. The main commercial centre of the park in the town of Banff is the Bow River valley. This park has an annual visitors of three million with Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise as the most attracted and visited places. It is also listed as one of the National Parks in Canada.
3. Cave and Basin National Historic Site
Cave and Basin National Historic Site is one of the coolest places in Alberta. This is a historic site which is located in the town of Banff, Alberta. The “Basin, “part of Cave and Basin is an open-air mineral pool with a bunch of different coloured algae. It is also a site of natural thermal mineral springs around which Canada’s first national park, Banff National Park, was established. This site was founded by James Hector of the Palliser Expedition, followed by Joe Healey in 1875. Also, The Cave and Basin were formally declared as a national historic site in 1981.
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4. Athabasca Waterfall
Located in Jasper National Park, this is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Alberta. It is not so much high, just only 23 metres but it is known for its force caused by the large quantity of water falling into the gorge. Even on a cold morning, when river levels are at their lowest point, numerous amount of water flows from this beautiful waterfall. The spell bounding view of the waterfall can be best experienced from platforms and walking trails around the fall. Also, read about tourist attractions in Vancouver.
5. Galaxyland
Galaxyland was previously known as the Fantasyland and now it is the biggest indoor amusement park in the world. It is located in the West Edmonton Mall, the biggest mall in North America. Also, it is a place of the world’s tallest and longest indoor roller coaster which stands as 14 storeys building, it is also the place of Mindbender ride and Space Shot ride which is the world’s tallest indoor tower ride located at a height of 36.5 meters. There are a total of 24 different rides operating in Galaxyland such as Moto jump, Galaxy spinner, Galaxy raceway etc.
Related: Top 10 Most Amazing Destinations in Eastern Canada.
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6. Royal Tyrrell Museum
One of the most popular and best places to visit in Alberta, Located 6 km towards the northwest of Alberta, The Royal Tyrrell Museum is a Canada’s most popular tourist attraction because of palaeontological research. It is known for its precious collection of more than 1,30,000 fossils and celebrates the spectacular diversity of life on Earth, from the tiniest grain of pollen to the mightiest dinosaur including numerous specimen’s from Alberta badlands, Dinosaur Provincial Park and the Devil’s Coulee Dinosaur Egg Site. This historical museum is managed by the Ministry of culture, Alberta.
Related: Tourist Attractions in Toronto.
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7. Edmonton, the capital city
It is the capital city of the province of Alberta. Edmonton has a population of over one million making it second-largest city in Alberta and fifth-largest municipality in Canada. Residents of Edmonton are known as an Edmontonian. It is a hub of cultural, governmental and educational centres. It hosts a large number of festivals every year and that is why it is known as the “Festival City of Canada”. It is also the place of North America’s largest mall, West Edmonton Mall and also Canada’s largest living history museum.
8. Canmore Town
This is the ninth-largest town in Alberta, located at a distance of 81 kilometres to the west of Calgary. Canmore’s climate is relatively mild as compared to other regions of Alberta. Most of the areas have been designated as the wildlife corridor and provides natural habitat to animals such as bears, cougar, wolves, and elk where they can find their food, escape from predators, breed, give birth, and can establish territories. Also, the town is expected to reach its maximum growth and development level after the completion of the Silver Tip and Three Sisters Mountain Village development project by 2024.
9. Calgary, the largest city
One of the best places to visit in Canada, Calgary is a cosmopolitan city in Alberta. It is the centre of Canada’s major oil producing industry. It has earned the nickname “Cowtown,” because of steeped western culture. Also, it is Alberta’s largest city and Canada’s third-largest municipality. The economy of Calgary is rich in providing financial services, television and broadcasting, transportation, technology, manufacturing, health, retail outlet, and tourism sectors. The Calgary is the second-largest place to have corporate head offices in Canada and it is also among the 800 largest corporations of Canada.
10. Strathcona City
It is a historic district in south-central of Edmonton named after Lord Strathcona, who was the Governor of Hudson’s Bay Company. It was the commercial centre of Edmonton but now the area is home to the art & culture and entertainment facilities in Edmonton and as well as a shopping hub of Alberta. Most of the areas are meant for business purposes which are owner-operated. This beautiful district has various tourist attractions like Whyte Avenue, downtown Edmonton, the Queen Elizabeth Pool and other areas of the city and it also has numerous shops, restaurants, bars, theatres, buskers etc to explore and enjoy.
These are the best places to visit in Alberta. Do share your comments.
