Alberta hiking, walking, trails, tours
Canada travel, tourism
Hiking in Alberta
Alberta, Canada hiking and walking trails provide an excellent opportunity to explore communities, sightsee wilderness parks, follow river valleys, view wildlife and visit with lakes, historic sites and attractions.
In Alberta there are two types of hiking trails - community walking paths and backcountry day-hike wilderness trails. Walking paths are located within a community and are well signed trail systems following paved, gravel and/or shale paths.
The community walking path tends to be easy going, well maintained and suited for all fitness levels. In most cases they are decorated with sitting benches, picnic day use parks, grass lawns and viewpoints.
Many of these community trails are shared trails with activities like biking, roller blading and jogging. Community walking paths often connect with the local parks, attractions, downtown, historic sites and recreation facilities.
Backcountry day hikes explore the wilderness regions of the province following gravel country roads, fire roads, logging roads, cut lines, old railway tracks and single track wilderness trails.
Backcountry trails range from easy to difficult. Difficult trails may include obstacles like exposed tree trunks, large boulders, deadfall trees, loose rocks, extreme elevation gains, rock slides, unpredictable weather, river crossings and wildlife encounters.
Some backcountry trails include large elevation gains to reach destinations like mountain peaks, glaciers, alpine lakes and wildflower meadows. These hiking trails require good preparation, good fitness and a good understanding of alpine weather conditions.
Other backcountry trails experience low elevation gains exploring river valleys, boreal forests, wetlands, foothills, coulees and hoodoos. Some trails are interpretive trails with information signs, picnic areas and lookout points.
The Rockies in Alberta are one of Canada's most visited wilderness adventure destinations for hiking. The Rocky Mountain region includes the Banff National Park, Jasper National Park and Kananaskis Country. Each region is different. Each provides many hiking opportunities.
Some of the hiking destinations in North Alberta include Muskoseepi Park and the Wapiti Trails in Grande Prairie and the Rocky Lane Trails and the Wood Buffalo National Park near High Level.
In Central Alberta some of the popular destinations for hiking include the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Area, North Saskatchewan River Valley, Whitemud Park
and Elk Island National Park near Edmonton; the Willmore Wilderness Park and the Sulphur Gates Trail near Grande Cache; the Bighorn Trail and the William A. Switzer Park near Hinton and the Crimson Lake Provincial Park near Rocky Mountain House.
In South Alberta some of the popular destinations for hiking and walking include the Fish Creek Provincial Park near Calgary and the Nosehill Park and Bow River Pathway in Calgary; the River Valley Wilderness Park near Fort Macleod; the Park Lake Provincial Park and Henderson Lake near Lethbridge; the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park southeast of Medicine Hat and the Police Point Park in Medicine Hat and the backcountry trails throughout the Crowsnest Pass and the Waterton Lakes National Park.
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Alberta, Canada - Travel, tourism information guide
