Issue link: http://read.canadatravelguides.ca/i/651528
TRAVEL GUIDE TO CANADA NATURE'S WONDERLAND The timeless beauty of our national parks is just the beginning. More than 300 provincial recreational areas will keep you outdoors—with 661,848 sq. km (255,541 sq. mi.) to play in. Five major snow resorts and endless tracts of untrammelled backcountry lure powder-hounds from November to May. Try dogsledding through the untouched Spray Lakes valley, or take a guided ice walk in frozen Maligne Canyon with ice cleats. The lakes of Kananaskis Country, west of Calgary, are a paradise for ice fi shing in winter, and boating, hiking and cycling in the summer. Try winter camping at Elk Island National Park east of Edmonton; watch for wildlife, including its resident buffalo. Let your spirits soar at the annual Festival of Eagles bird migration each October in the Rockies. Rent a mountain bike and test the trails in West Bragg Creek, or do a more sedate, but still breathtaking, cycle on the paved path between Banff and Lake Louise. VENTURING OUT Adrenaline might just be Alberta's middle name. Float your boat down a river—North Saskatchewan, Red Deer or the Bow, all fed by glaciers—or head for calmer waters along Lake Minnewanka or Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. Bonus: hearing the crack of avalanches overhead, well out of your path but still powerful. Chase powder from the top of world-class resorts such as Lake Louise or Marmot Basin, or explore them in summer—Sunshine Meadows near Banff is a hiker's paradise, and accessible year-round by gondola to max your time at the top. Canada Olympic Park in northwest Calgary has a national athlete training centre, a snow park and Olympic museum. Saddle up to explore the rugged beauty of Willmore Wilderness Park near Grande Cache, a northern town ringed by a dozen ice-capped peaks. Bar U Ranch is a national historic site south of Calgary, which chronicles life from 1882-1950. Travellers with time on their hands head north to Wood Buffalo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 44,807 sq. km (17,300 sq. mi.) of protected wilderness where the world's largest herd of free-roaming buffalo can be found. WHAT'S NEW? Calgary's East Village: The site where Calgary was originally founded has undergone an exciting transformation. A thriving new urban hub has emerged with St. Patrick's Island, restoration of the historic Simmons mattress factory building into local eateries and coffee shops, and landscaped pathways to Fort Calgary and the Calgary Zoo (www.evexperience.com). Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum: After the discovery of the Pipestone Creek bone-bed, a massive dinosaur gravesite dating back 73 million years, this elaborate facility near Grande Prairie opened. It can be toured with a guide or independently. Helicopter bone-bed tours can also be booked ( www.dinomuseum.ca). River Forth Dining Car Lunch: Located in the Heritage Park Historical Village, a fully restored 1929 CP rail car offers luxurious three-course dining while travelling around the park powered by an antique steam train ( www.heritagepark.ca/plan-your- visit/event-calendar/river-forth-dining- car-lunches.html ). CITY LIGHTS Alberta's two major cities are different in character, but are equally worth exploring. Edmonton is the provincial capital, so it is a government city with a grand legislature building, a thriving arts community and numerous galleries, craft stores and art shops. Most can be found along trendy Whyte Avenue or in the downtown Arts District, the location of the modern Art Gallery of Alberta, the Winspear Centre and the Citadel Theatre. The meandering North Saskatchewan River cuts a steep swath through the city north of the busy downtown, and can be explored by canoe, raft or the Edmonton Queen Riverboat ( www.edmonton.ca). The "Festival City" boasts more than 60 events a year. Its long winters are cause for several events including the Ice on Whyte winter festival in January. Summer offerings include the Fringe Theatre Festival, the Folk POPULATION: ,, CAPITAL CITY: edmonton PROVINCIAL WEBSITE: www.travelalberta.com INTERNATIONAL GATEWAYS: Calgary international airport, 23 km (14 mi.) from downtown edmonton international airport, 27 km (17 mi.) from downtown BRITISH COLUMBIA reD Deer • traVeL aB/eGon BorK