Backpacking, Alberta, is a fantastic experience. If you are looking for the most fabulous mountain road trip in North America? Then you shouldn’t miss out on Alberta Road trips.
Alberta is a province filled with lovely friendly people, diverse landscape that includes huge mountains, desert badlands, prairies, and vast coniferous forests. This special place is having more than 600 lakes and rich mineral deposits.
If you’re striving to find out more about Alberta Road trips, then you can get the best information in this post.
5 Best Alberta’s Road Trip:
Eager to go on a road trip? Then Canada’s majestic mountain drive is the best of all. Just hop in a car and journey through the gorgeous Canadian Rockies.
ICEFIELDS PARKWAY AND COLUMBIA ICEFIELD:
Icefield Parkway is one of the most spectacular and Stunning Sceneries in Canada. Head over to Lake Louise to Jasper along the Highway 93, to get to these Dazzling Icefields. In your journey, drive through the continental divide, passing through a squadron of glaciers. It runs 143 miles through the river valley that rises and drops sharply in the dense forests and mountains.
There are lots of Instagram breaking photo spots in this Icefields parkway, one of the famous one is Peyto Lake; this is just 28 miles north of Lake Louise. To get an adventure feel, you can walk a paved trail through the woods to check out the beautiful lake.
If you want to explore more places, then farther north at Mistaya Canyon, you can check out river flow from the Peyto Lake. In this location, the river dips through fissures of the rock. If you’re wildlife lover, then you can spot black bears and bighorn sheep by the side of the road while you are traveling to Icefield parkway.
The Athabasca Glacier is easily accessible among all six glaciers on the Columbia Icefield. If you want to experience the glacier, then take a bus tour as it can show you lots of great places.
How Long: 144 Miles.
Location: Lake Louise to Jasper – Along Highway 93.
Tip: It’s best to pack your food before setting out. There will be no cafes or restaurants there.
The Bow Valley Parkway:
The Bow Valley Parkway, a road trip is another fantastic ride you have to experience. It’s near Banff to Lake Louise on Highway 1A. Although the driving route is smaller than others in length, it has lots of scenic spots and covers the route length in beauty.
The scenic beauties in this road trip are Banff, the mountain town with the 1880s railroad and the unique tourist destination with fantastic spots, and the other is the iconic hamlet of Lake Louise. This route stretches off the main highway, and it follows the mighty bow river.
On your road trip, you have to cross the Bow River. If you’re a nature lover, you should stop at this beautiful place to take some breathtaking pics. Banff lies along the Bow river with forested peaks that fill with hotels, restaurants, and shops. The gorgeous scenic spots and dense evergreen trees, swift blue waters make the bow river a must-visit place for tourists.
It would be best if you didn’t miss out on the dramatic peak of Castle Mountain as it’s incredible to view from all angles.
How Long: 35 Miles.
Location: From Banff to Lake Louise on Highway 1A.
The Dinosaur Trail:
To the west of Alberta’s badlands, you can find a unique part of the province landscape that’s different from the rocky mountains. This route is North and south dinosaur trails from Drumheller. It’s a 48km loop that goes through the highways 837 and 838. This ride can get you along the red deer river.
Here you can have a look at iconic hoodoo rock formations and can even hike in Midland park. You can stop by horse thief and horseshoe canyons that are carved out by the Red Deer River. Want to explore more, then stop at Royal Tyrrel Museum — The world’s premiere palaeontological research museum.
How Long: 30 Miles.
Location: Drumheller — North and South Dinosaur trails.
The BoomTown Trail:
Boomtown trail is one of the roadways you should explore because you can learn about tribes. If you are looking for an alternative route to the east of the regular highway, you can use the boomtown way.
Usually, lots of Albertans say that riding down Edmonton to Calgary is boring to drive. But, it’s not that boring drive for newbies who visit the place because they can experience the new areas. The road takes you through the Camrose; here, you can explore Alberta’s railway history. You can visit Donalda, the home of the largest lamp, and several other rural tribes in Calgary.
The best spot you should explore is buffalo lake; it’s the gorgeous place for a paddle.
How long: 246 Miles.
Location: From Calgary to Edmonton
Cowboy Trail:
Driving down from Mayerthorpe to Lundbrek on Highway 22 will take you to the rocky hills of grasslands where you can find lots of attractions. This ride offers a great experience because you’ll see full of meadows and tranquil lake views. If you want to enjoy swimming, camping, and fishing to feel more adventurous, then you can do that because it’s allowed. In this route, you will go through the chain lake; it’s one of the most stunning lake with great views.
On your ride, be sure to stop at the Head Smashed Buffalo Interpretive center because you can view buffalo culture only at that research center. You can visit the Sundre pioneer museum and also the Mountain house National Site. Apart from these, you can check out the history of Cowboys, horse-drawn wagons, and more. Never miss visiting Bar U Ranch National Historic Site because you’ll miss a lot of history.
How Long: 355 Miles.
Location: Highway 22 from Mayerthorpe to Lundbrek.
Conclusion:
These are the few Alberta Road trips you should try while planning your trip. Along with these, they are even more road trips, but I’ll update them later. Now, start packing your bags and go on a road trip to Alberta because you can begin filling your Instagram with jaw-dropping backdrops and massive glaciers.