The province of Alberta, Canada is a feast for the nature lover with a huge diversity of landscapes and wildlife.
See the stunning turquoise glacial lakes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the wide-open prairie grasslands and desert badlands with dinosaur fossils more than 70 million years ago. 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites are waiting for you. The world-class cities of Edmonton and Calgary have a wide range of things to see.
We’ve got lots of options to help you plan THE best Alberta Road Trip!
Table of Contents
Best Alberta Road Trips
These are the 4 best Alberta Road Trip destinations:
- Edmonton – 3 days
- Calgary – 2 days
- Banff National Park to Jasper National Park – 5 days
- Southern Alberta – 7 days
Alberta Destinations Map
These are all of the Alberta destinations that we have covered.
Edmonton
Duration: 3 Days
Edmonton is a great summer destination and the perfect spot to start or end your Alberta Road Trip.
For those who love a mix of history and sprawling green spaces, Edmonton is an essential road trip stop. It boasts the North Saskatchewan River Valley, one of the largest urban parklands in North America. After exploring the trails, dive into Alberta’s story at the Royal Alberta Museum or step back in time at Fort Edmonton Park. With three days to explore, you can balance downtown’s modern art scene at the Art Gallery of Alberta with peaceful sunset walks along the river.
Summer is festival season in Edmonton. Enjoy the Fringe Festival or the Folk Music Festival, just two of the many festival options.
For more Edmonton activities, check out our full Edmonton guide.
Calgary
Duration: 2 Days
Calgary blends big-city energy with a friendly small-town vibe. The city serves as a gateway to the Rockies and a perfect bookend to an Alberta road trip, offering world-class culture and deep-rooted history.
Day 1 starts at the Calgary Tower standing 191 metres above the downtown core. The glass-floor observation deck offers a 360-degree view of the city skyline and the distant foothills of the Rockies. Next up is the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. Set on an island in the Bow River, the Calgary Zoo houses over 4,000 animals representing more than 100 species.
Finish the day at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland (formerly Fort Calgary), where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet. Discover the region’s history, from its Indigenous roots to the arrival of the North-West Mounted Police in 1875.
On Day 2, spend your morning at Heritage Park Historical Village, Canada’s largest living history museum. Ride an authentic steam train, explore a fur-trading fort, and visit Gasoline Alley Museum, which houses an impressive collection of vintage vehicles. Afterword, head to The Military Museums, one of the largest military museums in Canada. Explore eight distinct galleries dedicated to Canada’s naval, army, and air force history. For those seeking a thrill, visit WinSport. Scream down the track in a summer bobsleigh or try Downhill Karting, a gravity-fueled luge ride that’s become a local summer favourite.
If your trip aligns with early July, the Calgary Stampede is an unmissable 10-day celebration of western heritage, rodeo, and entertainment that transforms the entire city, and has been since 1923.
Banff to Jasper – The Canadian Rocky Mountains
Duration: 5 Days
Experience the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
Spend two days in the Banff area. Take the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain and then relax in the famous hot springs below. Experience the stunning outdoors on a number of easy and moderate hiking trails in the region, including nearby Johnston Canyon. Visit great museums in the Banff townsite.
Enjoy a day in Lake Louise. See the iconic turquoise lake and the beautiful luxurious Chateau Lake Louise with its modern thermal bathing experience. The area also has great hiking for a more active day. We hiked to the Plain of Six Glaciers and would rate this the best hike in all of Banff National Park. For full hike details, check out our Plain of Six Glaciers hiking guide.
Day 4 heads north on Icefields Parkway to the Columbia Ice Fields, another must-see attraction in the Canadian Rockies. Ride in an all-terrain vehicle to the top of the Athabasca Glacier. Experience the thrill of walking on the glacier and drinking pure glacial meltwater. Enjoy the view of the Sunwapta Valley from the Columbia Icefield Skyway ending on the glass-floored observation platform over the valley.
The final day covers Jasper National Park. Ride the gondola up Whistlers Mountain for excellent views of the townsite below. There are more hiking opportunities nearby, including the Path of the Glacier Trail to see Angel Glacier.
For more details on this unforgettable Rocky Mountain journey, see our full Banff to Jasper Road Trip guide.
Southern Alberta Road Trip
Duration: 7 Days
This 7-day loop of Southern Alberta from Calgary connects four UNESCO World Heritage sites, winding through the otherworldly Badlands, sacred Indigenous landscapes, and the dramatic “where the prairies meet the mountains” scenery of Waterton.
Day 1 & 2: The Dinosaur Capital and Fossil Fields
Start in Drumheller, home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, a world-renowned paleontology museums and the premier spot to see world-record dinosaur finds. Drive the Dinosaur Trail Scenic Drive for a closer look at the Badlands. On Day 2, continue to Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over 58 different species of dinosaurs and over 450 species of other organisms have been identified within the park’s boundaries.
Day 3 & 4: Sacred Art and Garden Tranquility
Head south to UNESCO-recognized Writing-On-Stone / Áísínai’pi Provincial Park, a sacred landscape of hoodoos and ancient rock art. It has the most significant collection of First Nations rock art in the North American Plains. Take a guided tour to see ancient petroglyphs and pictographs. On Day 4, transition to Lethbridge to walk the river valley trails under the iconic High Level Bridge, the longest and highest of its kind in the world. Find peace and tranquility at the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden.
Day 5: Ancient Traditions at Head-Smashed-In
Visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, one of the oldest and best-preserved communal hunting sites in North America. The Interpretive Centre features archaeological exhibits that explain the sophisticated hunting techniques used by the Plains People for over 6,000 years. Outside, walk along the cliff top and imagine the frantic activity of the great buffalo hunts.
Day 6 & 7: Waterton Lakes and the Crowsnest Pass
Finish your journey where the mountains rise abruptly from the plains. Waterton Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, sits on the Alberta/Montana border. Take a cruise on Upper Waterton Lake across the USA/Canada border to Glacier National Park (USA) through stunning mountain scenery. Hiking opportunities abound including the popular 6-hour Crypt Lake Trail.
End your trip at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre in the Crowsnest Pass, the perfect opportunity to walk through the debris of Canada’s deadliest rockslide and learn about the region’s coal mining resilience.
For more details about the above road trip, see our full Southern Alberta Road Trip guide.
Explore All of our Alberta Travel Guides
Discover our complete series of detailed Alberta guides to help you plan your perfect road trip from the Rockies to the prairies.
Main Article: Alberta Road Trips (You’re reading this guide now!)
Part 1: Edmonton – Alberta’s capital, river valley trails, and museums
Part 2: Banff to Jasper Road Trip – Rocky Mountain peaks, Icefields Parkway, turquoise lakes
Part 3: Plain of Six Glaciers Hike – Glacier viewpoint hike from Lake Louise to the teahouses
Part 4: Southern Alberta Road Trip – Prairie badlands to the foothills of the Rockies
Part 5: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump – UNESCO site of Indigenous bison hunts
Part 6: Waterton Lakes National Park – Border wilderness, lake cruise and the Prince of Wales Hotel
Part 7: Lethbridge – High Level Bridge and a Japanese garden
Interested in more Itineraries? Sign up here.
