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Alberta Destinations
Alberta parks ideal for a variety of activities
 Are
you looking for new places for bird watching, hiking, canoeing,
mountain biking, or building your own sandcastle? You don’t
have to look far. Alberta’s provincial parks and protected
areas network boasts at least one protected area within 100
kilometres of every household in the province.
An abundance of wetlands, grasslands, parkland, boreal forest,
and unique habitats such as the badlands, attract an amazing
variety of songbirds, waterfowl, and birds of prey to the
province.
Migrating birds are funnelled into a flight path that goes
right over Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, making it the
perfect place for Canada’s northernmost bird observatory,
the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory.
Far to the south, bird watching at Writing-on-Stone Provincial
Park, along the Milk River, is an entirely different experience.
Species run the gamut from prairie falcon, kestrel, pheasant,
partridge, owl and swallow, to mourning dove, western meadowlark,
yellow warbler, rock wren, golden eagle, and ferruginous hawk.
Beaches
Location, location, location-if you require a huge freshwater
ocean for the doorstep of your own sandcastle, Lesser Slave
Lake Provincial Park is an obvious choice. Several other parks
can offer comparable, though nowhere near as big, castle construction
sites.
Aspen Beach Provincial Park, just west of Lacombe, was Alberta’s
first provincial park. Go for the day -- or stay at the campground
and play on the beach from sun-up until sundown. Southern
Albertans looking for a beach experience could head north
to experience Sylvan Lake Provincial Park or east to Cypress
Hills Interprovincial Park, where Elkwater Lake supports a
busy beach and marina.
Canoeing
Canoeing enthusiasts can find water for all tastes in every
corner of Alberta. Streams and rivers provide perfect highways
for discovery, and our lakes have thriving wildlife communities.
Lakeland Provincial Park is a wonderful area of lakes and
streams to explore by canoe. Backcountry campsites provide
rustic facilities for the more adventurous, and car-accessible
launch sites give day-trippers a memorable paddling experience.
With the Rockies as a backdrop, several sparkling lakes in
William A. Switzer Provincial Park are connected by the meandering
Jarvis Creek.
Biking
As mountain biking becomes more popular, many provincial
parks are developing trails to accommodate the growing numbers
of mountain bike enthusiasts.
Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, near Camrose, has a great
network of trails, developed years ago as hiking and cross-country
ski trails. In the eastern reaches of the province, in the
vicinity of the intriguing history at Frog Lake and Fort George-Buckingham
House, Whitney Lakes Provincial Park offers trails that criss-cross
through the backcountry among several main lakes, taking riders
through varying landscapes.
Hiking
Many folks prefer to enjoy the outdoors on foot. Alberta’s
protected areas, representing six natural regions throughout
the province, offer just about anything a hiker could want.
At Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, hike a challenging
trail to a viewpoint from which the prairie opens out before
you. You could choose a trail that winds into a cool green
forest filled with songbirds or a wide path through grasslands
and coulees. At Elkwater, stroll along the beaches and marshes
of the lakeshore-a great trail for wildlife viewing. Just
minutes from Edmonton, Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Recreation Area
is a unique area managed for a broad spectrum of activities,
from cattle grazing and hiking, to canoeing, mountain biking,
and horseback riding.
These are only a few of the hundreds of provincial parks
and protected areas. Find out more at www.cd.gov.ab.ca/gateway.
You can search on this site for parks by name or geographical
location and read about some of Alberta’s featured parks.
You can also call parks staff at 1-866-427-3582 or contact
Travel Alberta at 1-800-ALBERTA.
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