Alberta is one of the most remarkable provinces in Canada. It’s ripe with majestic mountains, dense forests, and stunningly turquoise lakes.
This part of the country is home to some of Canada's most famous destinations including Banff, Jasper, and Calgary so there's a lot on offer.
Whether you're looking to hike in the outdoors, look out for wildlife, or explore cities - this province has something for everyone!
There are truly so many incredible places to visit in Alberta, and I’ve rounded up 20 of the best to help you plan your trip.
Let’s jump right in, starting with…
The two main ways to get to Alberta Canada are to fly, or drive.
Alberta has three international airports, including Calgary, Edmonton, and Fort McMurray. You can easily fly into these three airports from most major cities!
To find the best deal on flights, I recommend using Skyscanner.
They always have the lowest prices, and if your travel plans are flexible, you can use them to figure out the cheapest way to fly!
If you’re already in another region of Canada, or in the United States, you can easily get to Alberta by driving!
It’ll take a bit longer than flying, but road tripping through Canada is a unique and fun experience in itself.
You can either hire a car or you can choose to hire a campervan in Canada.
There are some fantastic motorhome rentals in other parts of Canada like Vancouver and Ontario, which is handy if you're planning a cross-country trip.
If you have the chance, we 100% recommend driving in Alberta! We traveled all through Alberta in our converted campervan Helen, and it was an amazing experience.
It’s also super easy to rent a campervan/motorhome in Alberta!
If you travel through Alberta in a campervan, you can camp out next to beautiful parks and lakes, and really embrace the nature of the region.
There are also plenty of rental car options if you’d prefer to drive around and stay the night in hotels.
If you do decide to rent a campervan, I 100% recommend booking with Motorhome Republic!
They are the world’s largest campervan/motorhome price comparison website, where you can see all of the top rental firms side by side to easily select the best price for your travel dates!
A few other reasons to book with Motorhome Republic:
Alberta is huge province and there are so many incredible places for you to visit! This in turn, means there are lots of places you could stay.
If I were to list all of them in this post, the article would go on forever...
However, some of the best places to base yourself include Banff town, Canmore, and Calgary!
Although we believe hiring a campervan is the best (and cheapest) way to explore Alberta, it's not for everyone.
If you're looking for accommodation then you can find some great deals on Booking.Com, Airbnb, Vrbo, and Agoda. Between them all, you'll find a great range of luxury and budget-friendly properties.
If you do choose Banff, then you might find our guide on the best private hot tub hotels in Banff to be particularly enticing.
We've also got a guide on how to get cheap hotel rooms if you're interested.
Banff is nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and is a gateway to incredible lakes, forests, and hiking trails!
Due to its central location, it's one of the best places in Alberta to use as a base for exploring the surrounding area.
The town of Banff itself is a fun resort town, with a stunning mountain backdrop and lots of little shops, bars, and restaurants.
If you’re short on time, don’t want to drive, but still want to see all the highlights in the Banff area, consider taking a Banff National Park full one day tour! You’ll get to see Sulphur Mountain, Bow Falls, and also check out the Johnston Canyon Walk.
Another great way to see Banff National Park is on a horseback riding tour that takes you alongside Bow River with your horse, as you look out at the beautiful mountains.
There are also plenty of opportunities for wildlife spotting right outside of Banff- you can go out on your own, or you can book a minibus wildlife sightseeing tour where expert tour guides will show you the best places to spot wildlife.
Lake Louise is one of the most picturesque sights in all of the province, and is easily one of the best places to visit in Alberta!
The lake has vibrant turquoise blue waters, and is surrounded by regal mountains and the Victoria Glacier.
It’s only a short drive from Banff Town too!
Aside from taking in the majestic views of the lake, there are plenty of hikes and places to hire canoes.
In the summertime, Lake Louise is extremely popular, and understandably so.
It’s quite enjoyable to paddle around the lake in the summer heat, and to hike around it.
In winter, the lake transforms- it freezes, and many of the surrounding trails turn from hiking into cross-country skiing.
If you're looking for beautiful places in Alberta then don't miss out on Lake Louise!
Moraine Lake is another insanely gorgeous lake in Alberta.
Like Lake Louise, Moraine Lake also has stunning turquoise wears and a backdrop of the Canadian Rockies.
Moraine Lake does have its own unique perks though- it’s surrounded by ten incredible mountain peaks, and those mountains with the vibrant waters, creates some utterly jaw dropping views.
Located a little past Lake Louise, Moraine Lake has some incredible hiking trails too! Some of the most popular include Sentinel Pass and Larch Valley.
Due to its popularity, parking is known to be a bit of a nightmare at Moraine Lake. The easiest way to get in and not deal with parking is to book a shuttle or a park and ride.
Lake Minnewanka is another magnificent lake located in Banff National Park.
The lake is massive, and surrounded by forest and mountains.
If you’re looking to go on a boat tour in Banff, Lake Minnewanka is the only lake in Banff that allows motorized boats, so this is the place to do it!
The area surrounding the lake is brimming with wildlife too; there is the potential for spotting tons of animals, including grizzly bears, elk, coyote, and even wolves!
Like the other lakes in the area, Lake Minnewanka is quite popular, and if you're visiting in the summer then your best bet for parking is to arrive in the early morning, or book a shuttle!
Either way, you don't want to miss out on this beautiful place!
If you're looking to see this incredible spot (which you 100% should) then here's some more information about visiting Lake Minnewanka...
The Bow Valley Parkway is a scenic route that connects Banff to Lake Louise.
It’s approximately 50km long, and runs parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway.
Driving the parkway is by far one of the best things to do in Alberta!
The windy road offers spectacular views of meadows, mountains, and forests.
There are also a number of stops along the drive that make it well worth it.
Some of the best stops along the Bow Valley Parkway include Castle Lookout, a lookout beneath Castle Mountain, as well as Johnston Canyon- an incredible canyon hike with a catwalk above the Bow River.
Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, and it’s DEFINITELY one of the best places to visit in Alberta!
This national park is remarkable no matter what season you come to visit, and I'll explain why now!
In the winter, you can experience cross country skiing and snowshoeing, lovely snow peaked mountains, and frozen lakes.
In the spring, all of the meadows explode with blooming wildflowers.
In the summer, you can hike, hang out on the lake, picnic, cycle, and more!
If you’re hoping to see wildlife, you’re in the right place too- Jasper is teeming with wildlife, and you’re almost guaranteed to spot some elk while you’re there.
To see the best of the park, including Maligne Lake, Medicine Valley, and Spirit Island, you can book an all-inclusive park tour on Viator!
For incredible views of the park, consider booking a ride on the Jasper SkyTram!
It’ll take you all the way up Whistler’s Mountain, and serve up some awesome views along the way.
The Icefields Parkway, also known as Highway 93, connects Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, and is known as one of the most scenic highways in the world.
It takes about 3 hours to drive the whole parkway, but you should definitely give yourself more time than this to account for the stops you’ll surely want to take along the way!
Some of the stops along the Icefield Parkway include the Columbia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier, and the Columbia Icefield Skywalk.
One thing to keep in mind throughout this drive is that cell service is pretty spotty, so it’s a good idea to have a map on hand or download your maps offline!
To enrich the drive, you may consider a smartphone audio driving tour. You can go at your own pace, and the tour will tell you all about the highlights and history of the drive.
Athabasca Glacier lies in the Columbia Icefield of Western Canada, and is the most visited glacier in North America!
The Columbia Icefield is the last surviving part of a massive ice mass from the Rocky Mountains, and the Athabasca Glacier is located in the midst of it.
The glacier has been slowly receding over the last 100 years, but it’s still impressively large.
When you’re there, information stands will show you pictures of just how large the glacier used to be!
It’s important to keep in mind that the glacier is just as dangerous as it is beautiful- for a fun and safe viewing, definitely stay behind the roped barrier.
If you’re visiting from Banff, you can take a full-day ice explorer tour that includes transportation, lunch, tickets to the glacier skywalk, as well as an all-terrain ice tour!
The Athabasca Glacier is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Alberta so isn't a place you want to miss.
The Columbia Icefield Skywalk, also known as the Jasper Skywalk, is a magnificent viewing platform located above Sunwapta Valley.
The glass viewing platform rests 280m above the ground, and offers incredible views of mountains, glaciers, fossils, and waterfalls!
The Columbia Icefield Skywalk also offers opportunities for wildlife viewing- mountain goats tend to frequent this area, and if you’re lucky, you may get to see them daringly traverse the mountainside!
If you’re looking to score some awesome views of the Columbia Icefield, the skywalk is well worth it, and you can book your admission tickets right here.
Peyto Lake is one of the brightest, most stunning lakes in Canada and is one of the best places to visit in Alberta!
This glacier-fed lake is located north of Lake Louise, and is a must-see stop along the Icefields Parkway.
With its brilliant blue water, and dense surrounding forests Peyto Lake is truly a magical place.
Some of the most popular things to do here include hiking, fishing, and camping!
The lake is open year round, so you can either come for deep blue hues in the summer, or for snow capped trees and a frozen lake in the winter.
As Peyto Lake is one of the few lakes open year-round, this is also one of the best places to visit in Alberta in winter.
There are tons of hikes surrounding Peyto Lake, and hiking up to places like Observation Point or Peyto Lake Panorama Overlook is the way to score a fantastic view of the lake.
Here's some more information about visiting Peyto Lake...
Maligne Canyon is the deepest canyon in Jasper National Park, and a true natural wonder.
At its deepest points, the canyon is a whopping 55 meters deep!
One of the best things to do in Maligne Canyon is to hike, as the canyon offers hiking for all different abilities and hiking levels.
The main hike here is called the Maligne Canyon Trail, which takes about 2-4 hours to traverse.
If you’re looking for an easier and less strenuous hike, feel free to only hike a portion of the loop and then turn back! You’ll still get great views, but it’ll be much quicker and easier.
Due to the water that flows through the canyon in the summer, in the wintertime, there are some awesome ice sculptures that form here.
You can also keep your eyes out on the canyon walls for fossils, which there are plenty of!
Maligne Lake is a spectacular lake located in the heart of the Rockies and Jasper National Park.
With its crystal blue waters and mountainous backdrop, it’s by far one of the best places to visit in Alberta!
Maligne Lake is the largest natural lake in the Rockies with an impressive length of 22km, so as you can imagine there's a lot to see!
Some of the best activities to do here include hiking, kayaking, and visiting Spirit Island in the middle of the lake.
The hikes surrounding Maligne Lake are great for all levels, including short nature walks and multi-day adventures too!
Spirit Island is located in the middle of Maligne Lake, and it’s one of the most photographed sites in all of Canada!
Despite its name, Spirit Island isn’t actually an Island- it’s connected to the shore during some parts of the year.
However, due to its geography it’s not accessible by land, only by boat.
Because private boats aren’t allowed, the only way to get to the island (which is also a famous landmark!) is to book a boat tour, or to kayak there.
The island doesn’t have much to do on it per se, but it’s a pretty famous photo opportunity, and the boat trip is a really fun experience.
Book a Spirit Island boat tour here!
Canmore is a beautiful resort town and is one of the best places to visit in Alberta, Canada!
Set amongst the backdrop of the Canadian Rockies, Canmore has that classic, Western old-town look combined with a sense of adventure.
It's also a great stepping stone to Banff National Park, and many other exciting natural landmarks.
One of the highlights of Canmore is to walk along Main Street, which is littered with bars, souvenir shops, and restaurants.
Other notable things worth checking out include Policeman’s Creek, Canmore Engine Bridge, and the Police Barracks Museum.
One of the best hikes near Canmore is the Grassi Lakes Hike Trail. It’s approximately 3.2 kilometers long, and a fun loop that showcases the brilliant blue water of the lake (in the summertime.)
If you're looking for more things to do in Canmore then I've included a link that you might find handy...
Waterton Lakes National Park is one of the best places to go in Alberta. It’s a beautiful park filled with lakes, meadows, and mountains.
The valley of the park was formed over 10 thousand years ago when glaciers melted to carve it out.
It's a great place for wildlife viewing, hiking, camping, and enjoying the various beaches in the area.
One of the best parts about Waterton Lake National Park is that it doesn’t suffer from the same overtourism of many other parks in Canada.
If you’re really looking to get off the beaten path, then this is one of the best Alberta destinations.
Here's some more information on the best things to do in Waterton Lakes National Park...
Red Rock Canyon is a stunning red canyon located in Waterton National Park. It’s popular for hiking, picnicking, and even simply for a scenic drive!
The landscape here is unique in that it marks the dramatic change from the prairie, to the mountains.
The Red Rock Canyon marks the end of the Red Rock Parkway, a scenic, 9 mile road.
Driving along the parkway offers a great opportunity to spot wildlife like bears, sheep, moose, and more!
Once you get to the end of the parkway, you’ll arrive at Red Rock Canyon.
Red Rock Canyon has a solid trails system which offers plenty of hikes through waterfalls and creek beds.
On hot summer days, the water levels are pretty low and the canyon is a fun place to hang out and cool off for the day.
Downtown Calgary offers a fun change of pace from the national parks in Alberta.
It’s a bustling, vibrant, and cultural area located in the heart of Calgary.
One thing that Calgary is particularly well-known for is its art. A rich culture and history of art brings many galleries and exhibits, as well as theatre performances and indie music concerts!
Aside from shopping and general exploring, some of the other fun things to do in Calgary include paying a visit to the Calgary Zoo, and the Calgary Tower.
The Calgary Tower offers sweeping, 360 degree views of the city- it’s an awesome experience, and you can buy admission tickets in advance.
The Calgary Zoo is another really fun place to visit in Alberta, and it's home to over 100 different species of animals!
Although Downtown is one of the most popular areas, you'll find plenty of other fantastic places to visit in Calgary.
Many people choose to start their road trip of Alberta in this city too, and luckily there are lots of fantastic motorhome rentals here!
For a totally different change of scenery, visit Dinosaur Provincial Park.
This park is located in the Alberta Badlands, and is home to incredible rock formations and dinosaur fossils!
In fact, Dinosaur Provincial Park is so rich in history that it’s been named a UNESCO Heritage Site.
To date, 50 complete dinosaur skeletons have been discovered in the park.
If you’re fascinated by dinosaurs, you can book a tour to get up close to the fossils and learn even more about their discovery, and the specific species that existed here years and years ago.
There are also a TON of hiking opportunities in the park. Some notable trails include the Prairie Trail, a 15 minute walk that’s fairly easy, as well as the 0.9km Trail of the Fossil Hunters.
If this sounds like the place for you, then you should also head over to Drumheller and visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology!
Crowsnest Pass is a stretch of Canadian Highway that connects 5 historical mining towns: Bellevue, Hillcrest, Blairmore, Coleman, and Frank.
Back in the early 1900’s, these towns were booming with coal.
The prosperity didn’t last though, and eventually the settlers in this area were forced to change paths, and many got into the energy and ranching sectors.
There is a lot to do in Crowsnest Pass, especially for history lovers! Some of the highlights include checking out Canada’s deadliest landslide, and the Bellevue underground mine tour.
The landslide occurred in Frank, when over half a mountainside simply slid away, decimating everything in its path.
The Bellevue underground mine tour is an interesting and accessible tour that explains the history of Canadian mines.
One of the most interesting places to visit in Alberta is the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary.
This sanctuary is dedicated to educate people on wolfdogs, as well as raise awareness for wolfdog conservation!
There are three types of tours you can take at the sanctuary- the Sanctuary Walk, Intro Tour, and the Interactive Tour.
During the Sanctuary Walk, you’ll take a self guided walk where you can see several packs of wolfdogs.
During the Intro Tour, you’ll have a tour guide who can answer any of your questions about the wolfdogs, and you'll also get to go on the viewing platform which takes you closer to the dogs.
The Interactive Tour is the most inclusive of the three, and includes all of the above plus a chance to interact close up with the dogs, including potentially feeding them a treat.
One of the coolest things about visiting the sanctuary is that all proceeds go directly towards funding the Sanctuary’s rescue efforts.
If you're looking for fun places to visit in Alberta, then you NEED to visit the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary!
The answer to this question really depends on your interests!
If you’re itching to see the brilliant blue lakes in Alberta, then the best time for you to visit will be in the summer! Overall, the summer is a popular time to visit Alberta and you’ll get to experience incredible views, the blue lakes, and lots of fun hiking.
If you’re enchanted by snow, you’re pretty much guaranteed frozen lakes and snow in the winter- and if you like snow sports such as ice skating, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, you're in for a treat.
You could spend MONTHS in Alberta and still find there are tons more places you want to see and explore. We don’t all have months though, so I’d recommend spending at least 10 days in Alberta.
This greatly depends on your travel style, but I would say to budget at least $85 per day to travel in Alberta if you’re planning on doing some sightseeing, as well as paying for a campervan rental.
If you're planning on staying in any of the beautiful campsites that Alberta has to offer, especially in the Rockies region, then you really need to book in advance if you're traveling between June-September. They WILL fill up!
And remember, you can't "freedom camp" in any of the national parks in Alberta, so if you don't have a campsite you will miss out.
Use this website to make your reservations.
Alberta is undoubtedly one of the best places to visit in Canada but this country has so much more to offer...
After exploring this incredible province, you’re probably going to want to check out British Columbia next!
British Columbia is packed with rugged coastline, beautiful forests, and tons of lakes, and there are lots of awesome places to visit. This includes the resort town of Whistler, the bustling city of Vancouver, and the scenic Yoho National Park.
If you're planning a road trip around Canada then here are some other guides that you may find useful:
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