Blaze a New Trail

Great Alberta Destinations!

By Terri Mason

Seriously, when was the last time you had a truly memorable vacation? Plan one for this summer, and you’ll never go back to ho-hum again. Here are just a few ideas to make this summer special!

If you spend most of your day horseback, do you want to ride some new country? Pack in the horse cubes and ride the horse-friendly trails in Kananaskis Country west of Calgary, or the stunning Willmore Wilderness Area north of Jasper. In central Alberta, riders are welcome to camp at the Big Horn Campground and ride on the Ya Ha Tinda Ranch, west of Sundre. The ranch, bordering Banff National Park, is owned by the Federal Government and is used for the grazing of patrol horses used by Parks Canada.

Come stay at a ghost town - accommodations range from tipis to cabins at EM-TE Town, near Alder Flats, a privately built ghost town that features the Hogs Breath Saloon, jailhouse, harness shop, log buildings, livery stable, bank, church, emporium and restaurant. Do-si-do west of Calgary to The Great Canadian Barn Dance. They offer live music, great food and accommodations in a fun family atmosphere. As well, they host a bluegrass music festival every July.

Do you want to learn something new on the range? Take a tour of some of the livestock operations across the province. Many of the farms and ranches offer educational tours, including elk and bison ranches.

Explore the past and discover the traditions of Alberta’s First Nations people. The Blackfoot Gallery in Calgary offers an authentic cultural experience that tells the story of the Blackfoot people who have inhabited the northwestern plains of North America for thousands of years. In the northern town of Grouard is the Native Cultural Arts Museum, highlighting the traditional and contemporary clothing, decorative arts, birch bark work, carvings and textiles.

Pincher Creek’s Crystal Village and Heritage Acres features historic farm equipment and antiques, horse drawn carriage rides, barn dance and field demonstrations. View the Crystal Village, 13 buildings handmade out of 200,000 glass telephone insulators.

These are just a few of the thousands of Alberta destinations.

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