Tourism in Alberta

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Alberta has been a tourist destination from the early days of the 20th Century, with attractions including outdoor locales for skiing, hiking and camping, shopping locales such as West Edmonton Mall, outdoor festivals, professional athletic events, international sporting competitions such as the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games, as well as more eclectic attractions.

A million visitors come to Alberta each year just for Calgary's world-famous Stampede, a celebration of Canada's own Wild West and the cattle ranching industry, as well as Edmonton's Klondike Days. Edmonton was the gateway to the only all-Canadian route to the Yukon gold fields, and the only route which did not require gold-seekers to travel the exhausting and dangerous Chilkoot Pass.

Only an hour's drive from the Rocky Mountains, Calgary also makes a visit to tourist attractions such as Banff National Park something which can easily be done in a day. Calgary and Banff each host nearly 5 million tourists yearly.

Contents 1 Tourist Attractions 1.1 Mountains 1.2 Ski 1.3 Hunting and fishing 1.4 National and provincial parks 2 Significant events in Alberta tourism 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Tourist Attractions

[edit] Mountains

The Canadian Rockies in Alberta's south-west are a major attraction for climbing and hiking, with an extensive park system and mountain peaks reaching over 3000 m. The Kananaskis park system has numerous trails for hiking and horseback riding, and rafting is done on some of the rivers.

See also: Mountains of Alberta

[edit] Ski

Alberta is an important destination for tourists who love to ski. It boasts several world-class ski resorts, such as Nakiska and Fortress in Kananaskis Country, Sunshine Village, Mount Norquay and Lake Louise Mountain Resort in the Banff area or Marmot Basin near Jasper. Canada Olympic Park, with its downhill ski and ski jumping facilities, is located in the city of Calgary.

[edit] Hunting and fishing

Hunters and fishermen from around the world are able to take home impressive trophies and tall tales from their experiences in Alberta's wilderness. The Bow River is famous for fly fishing and its trout population. Many of Alberta's lakes contain ammenities for fishing, such as campgrounds and boat launches.

[edit] National and provincial parks

Five national parks are located in the province of Alberta, with Banff, Jasper and Waterton Lakes being the most popular tourist destinations. 69 provincial parks, 33 wildland provincial parks, 248 provincial recreation areas, 16 ecological reserves, 3 wilderness areas, 149 natural areas and a heritage rangeland are also protected on a provincial level.

Alberta also contains stunning scenery, including 5 of Canada's 13 UNESCO World heritage sites. These are Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (includes Banff and Jasper National Parks), Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Wood Buffalo National Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

See also: List of Alberta provincial parks

[edit] Significant events in Alberta tourism

The history of Alberta tourism events^[1]:

• 1885: Banff National Park established, making it the first Canadian National Park, and the world's third^[2]
• 1912: Calgary Exhibition and Stampede debuts; Alberta's first movie theatre, the Empress Theatre, opens in Fort Macleod
• 1921: Road from Banff to Lake Louise opens
• 1923: Road from Banff to Radium opens; First competitive chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede
• 1927: Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton opens 25 Jul 1927
• 1932: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park established; Going-to-the-Sun Road opens in Waterton
• 1936: Chinook Train begins operation between Calgary and Edmonton (now on display at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel)
• 1940: First teahouse on Sulphur Mountain opens; Icefields Parkway opens
• 1959: Sulphur Mountain Gondola opens - the first bi-cable gondola in North America and first ever gondola in Canada; First heritage trails (walking trails with posted historical information) open in Banff, including Hoodoos and Bow Summit trails
• 1962: Klondike Days begin in Edmonton, as extension of the Edmonton Exhibition, itself dating back to 1879.
• 1967: St. Paul opens a UFO landing pad to celebrate the Centennial of Confederation
• 1968: Calgary Tower opens June 30
• 1975: Fish Creek Park established in Calgary; Ukrainian Easter Egg "Pysanka" (10 metre high statue) erected in Vegreville, commemorating the settlement of Ukrainian immigrants east of Edmonton
• 1977: Kananaskis Country opens
• 1979: Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton
• 1981: West Edmonton Mall opens, with Phase II in 1983 and Phase III in 1985; Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump designated a World Heritage Site
• 1985: Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology opens in Drumheller; Frank Slide interpretive Centre opens April 28; Oil Sands Interpretive Centre opens in Fort McMurray
• 1988: XV Olympic Winter Games held in Calgary
• 1990: Museum of the Regiments opened in Calgary, June 30
• 1991: Saamis Teepee erected in Medicine Hat; originally built for the Olympic Games in Calgary in 1988, the structure is the world's largest teepee
• 1996: Torrington Torrington Gopher Hole Museum opens
• 1997: Canadian Petroleum Interpretive Centre opens, honouring the occasion of the Leduc No. 1 oil well going into production on February 3, 1947; First leg ot Trans-Canada Trail, the Bow Corridor Link Trail, opened on October 18; Town of Legal unveils first of 28 murals
• 2000: Dino 2000 opens in Drumheller as a Millennium project in August. The 8 story T-Rex sculpture incorporates a viewing platform in the head; Shaw Millennium Skate Park opens in Calgary, the world's largest public outdoor skate park.
• 2006: The Military Museums announced June 3, a reorganization of the former Museum of the Regiments, Naval Museum of Alberta, and elements of the Calgary Aerospace Museum.

[edit] See also

• List of attractions and landmarks in Calgary
• List of Alberta provincial parks

[edit] References

v • d • e Topics on Alberta
History	Fur trade • Numbered Treaties • Alberta Act • Oil exploration • Social Credit • Historic sites
Politics	Political parties • Elections (last) • Government • Lieutenant Governor • Cabinet • Premiers (current) • Speaker • Legislature • Electoral districts (federal)
Geography	Demographics • Mountains • Provincial parks • Lakes • Rivers
Communities	Counties and Municipal Districts • Towns • Villages • Hamlets • Indian Reserves • Métis • Census divisions
Economy	Companies • ATB • Tourism • Highways • Airports
Culture	Education • Festivals • First Nations • Franco-Albertan • Music • People • Symbols • Flag • Coat of arms • Anthem