Alberta, Canada

State guide with cities, regions, and key information.

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Introduction
Alberta is the Canadian Rockies — the province holds the country's most famous mountain landscapes, from the turquoise lakes of Banff and Lake Louise to the glaciers and waterfalls of the Icefields Parkway up to Jasper. It pairs that alpine grandeur with wide prairie, a pair of fast-growing cities, and one of the world's richest dinosaur fossil grounds. For travellers it is, above all, a national-parks destination: Banff and Jasper draw visitors from around the world, linked by one of the most scenic drives on earth. But the Stampede in Calgary, the badlands around Drumheller and the big-sky prairie give the province more range than its mountain reputation suggests.

Discover Alberta

Banff National Park is the heart of any Alberta trip. The town of Banff sits in the Bow Valley beneath Cascade Mountain, with the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, the historic Cave and Basin hot springs that gave the park its origin, and elk wandering the streets. Half an hour north, Lake Louise stuns first-time visitors with its glacier-fed turquoise water beneath the Victoria Glacier, with a lakeshore walk and tea-house hikes above it; nearby Moraine Lake, in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, is even more vivid (its road is now access-controlled, so plan the shuttle or a tour). The park's hiking ranges from easy lakeshore strolls to serious alpine days; in winter the same terrain becomes the ski resorts of Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Norquay. Wildlife is part of the experience — keep your distance from elk, sheep and bears, and never feed them.

Travel Types

Rocky Mountain Parks

Banff and Jasper, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and hiking, gondolas and hot springs in the Bow Valley.

Scenic Drives & Glaciers

The Icefields Parkway, the Columbia Icefield and a walk onto the Athabasca Glacier.

Western Culture

The Calgary Stampede's rodeo and chuckwagon races, and the festival calendar of Edmonton.

Badlands & Dinosaurs

The Royal Tyrrell Museum at Drumheller and the UNESCO fossil grounds of Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Winter Sports

The ski resorts of Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Norquay, and winter in the Rockies.

Frequently asked questions

Calgary (YYC) is the main gateway — it's about 90 minutes' drive to Banff and the most common starting point for a Rockies trip. Edmonton (YEG) is the better choice if you're focused on Jasper at the northern end. Many visitors fly into one and out of the other to drive the Icefields Parkway one way without backtracking.

Summer (July to September) is peak season for the mountain parks — the hiking trails and high roads are open and the lakes are at their famous turquoise, though it's also the busiest. Late spring and September are quieter and beautiful. Winter (December to March) turns the Rockies into a world-class ski destination, with frozen lakes and snow-draped peaks, but some roads and facilities close seasonally.

A car gives the most freedom, especially for the Icefields Parkway and reaching trailheads early. That said, shuttles and tours connect Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, and access to popular spots like Moraine Lake and Lake Louise is increasingly by shuttle or guided tour to manage crowds. Book park passes, shuttles and accommodation well ahead in summer.

Cities in Alberta

1 city with detailed travel information

Calgary