| If there’s one quintessential mark of summer, one indispensable institution that lures us in when the mercury rises, it’s the road trip. More than a means of getting from point A to B, road tripping is a rite of passage, a voyage of internal exploration as much as it is of the landscape unfolding in front of you.
Since the price of gas is high and will likely remain so throughout the summer months, perhaps it’s time to rethink going on that killer dream trip down to Baja, California. Often overlooked in favour of the novelty of distant locales, there is much to be said for discovering the back roads of Wild Rose Country, taking an agrarian refresher through the foothills, miles of golden grasslands, forgotten grain elevators and eerie badlands. Here are three drives that truly define the beauty of this province.
Icefields Parkway
To travel the route between Lake Louise and Jasper is to experience one of the greatest scenic drives on Earth. The careful engineering of the road and the generous provision of viewpoints and interpretive information allow the sublime scale and wonderful variety of mountain scenery to be fully appreciated. Linking the valleys of the Bow, Mistaya, North Saskatchewan, Sunwapta and Athabasca Rivers, the highway winds through the tallest mountains in the Canadian Rockies. En route are 100 ancient glaciers flanking its western side, rugged limestone ramparts, lush forests, pristine lakes, waterfalls and raging rivers. Numerous opportunities for hiking, camping and staring blankly at its awesomeness are available along the road.
It is a generously dimensioned two-lane highway with relatively easy grades and paved shoulders that are popular with bicycle riders as well as with motorists, a million of whom travel it every year. Stopping places are well marked.
Stretching 230 kilometres between Lake Louise and the town of Jasper, it’s possible to drive the Icefields Parkway in 2.5 hours, but ease off the gas, stop frequently and take at least an entire day to witness one of the most spectacular mountain landscapes in the world. Note that between Lake Louise and Jasper the only services are at Saskatchewan Crossing and the Columbia Icefield. As a bonus, the drive is easy and relaxing, unlike many sketchy routes elsewhere in the mountains.
Badlands
Alberta's badlands are best described as a miniature version of the Grand Canyon; similar in appearance, they have been carved out of the prairie itself. Spending a day or two driving this area will reward you with some of the most intricately carved landscapes in North America. With the retreat of the last glaciers around 18,000 years ago, immense amounts of water were released that carved large and intricate drainage channels through the soft rock. Over time, these channels have been sculpted and moulded by wind and water into intricate and downright eerie landscapes.
The flat prairie abruptly opens up into a wide, beautiful canyon. Exploring the desert-like badlands is endlessly exciting. In spring, the desert comes to life as prickly cacti explode into fiery yellow and red flowers. Plants choke out a tough existence in this wild and dry land. The landscape is stark, almost moonlike.
Heading towards Drumheller on Highway 9, northeast of Calgary, you first experience Horseshoe Canyon, an excellent example of badlands scenery. A popular overlook into the canyon awaits sightseers, and if you’re feeling adventurous, there is an incredible hike into the canyon basin. There are also helicopter tours over the Canyon with Mountain View Helicopter Tours.
Heading on to Drumheller you have two options. You can head west along the north Dinosaur Trail towards Horsethief Canyon, an area rife with coulees, ancient gone beds and wildlife. Surrounding the canyon are immense canola fields spotted with rocking pump jacks–landscapes just don’t get more Albertan than that.
Continue another 14 km down the road and you’ll find the Bleriot Ferry, one of Alberta's last working ferries. Once you’ve crossed, drive south on South Dinosaur Trail (Hwy 837) to the Orkney Viewpoint for a spectacular view of the Drumheller river valley. From there, you can travel back to the town of Drumheller along South Dinosaur Trail, eventually looping back to Drumheller on Highway 575. You can also head east along Highway 10 and loop back on Highways 569 and 56. This takes you past the Hoodoos Campsite, a great spot to have a picnic or stay the night. From there, the 10 leads to the old Atlas coal mine where one of the province’s few remaining coal tipples stands. With a guide, you can climb up inside the giant tipple for a close-up look at its conveyor belts and massive machinery. After the mine, cruise back to Drumheller on the Hoodoo Trail.
Crowsnest Highway
The oldest inter-provincial highway in the province, the Crowsnest Trail follows historic roadways and features numerous heritage sites. So again, give yourself a day or two to properly soak in all of the history and scenery of the area. Start off with a 45-minute drive southeast of Medicine Hat for a visit to the Cypress Hills. Rising from the surrounding prairie, the hills are one of the few areas in Western Canada unaltered by the last glacial period.
From Medicine Hat, head west along the Crowsnest Highway through several of the region’s charming agricultural towns such as Bow Island, the first town in Alberta to operate its own natural gas well, and the town of Taber, famous for producing its Taber corn.
Take Highway 4 south to Milk River and then travel east on Highway 501 until you reach Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park. Taking the time to visit this area will give you a rare glimpse at petroglyphs and pictographs. The park contains the greatest concentration of rock art on the North American plains, and is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the province. You’ll find interpretive trails and viewpoints to guide your experience. If you decide to stay the night, there is a day use area and campground at the base of rugged sandstone hoodoos–natural pillars of rock left by erosion of the surrounding land.
Fort Macleod is southern Alberta’s oldest settlement, and its downtown core has been declared Alberta’s first Provincial Historic Area. The area contains 30 historically and architecturally important structures including a variety of wood frame buildings dating from the late 1890s and many brick and sandstone structures from the early 1900s.
The Highway passes by the town of Pincher Creek and heads into the Canadian Rockies. Visit the site of the Frank Slide 12 kilometres east of the British Columbia/Alberta border. In 1903, 91 million tonnes of rock crashed down Turtle Mountain covering a part of the coal mining town of Frank, killing 70 people. Take a look at the area’s volcanic rocks. These 100-million-year-old outcroppings are more ancient than the Rockies themselves and are the only evidence of volcanic activity in Alberta. When you’re done ogling the land around you, stop in for a visit to the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. The centre highlights the rich history of the Crowsnest Pass through programs, records and special events. The award-winning presentation, "In the Mountain's Shadow," is shown daily and offers a vivid account of the Frank Slide. |
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