Scenic Road Trips

Day 1: Edmonton to Edson (206 km/129 mi)

• Head west from Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway and your first sign of wilderness will be the Pembina River Provincial Park, famous for fishing and hiking.
  

• Get out for a stretch at Entwistle, a pleasant throw back to another era, evident in its main street, which is lined with handsome historic buildings.
  

• Stop at Edson, or overnight here, where you can take a coal mine or mill tour, play a round of golf at the Edson Golf Course, or take a dip at the Edson Leisure Centre (indoor water slides). You can also visit the Galloway Station Museum or enjoy a walk along the Edson Native Interpretive Trail.

• Otherwise, carry on to Hinton which makes for a great base, as it lies in the front ranges of the Rockies.
  

Day 2: Edson to Hinton (70 km/43 mi)

• Explore the northern reaches of Jasper National Park or Hinton’s closer attractions like the historic Coal Branch (the scene of feverish coal mining activity for 80-odd years), canyons, hoodoos and unique sand dunes.
  
  
• Outfitters and adventure tour companies abound, offering everything from ATV trips to heli-tours and wildlife viewing, as well as fishing and hunting.
  

Day 3: Hinton

• To discover the very roots of Hinton, visit the Alberta Forest Service Museum—packed with artifacts and archival photos of the lives of early forest rangers and the logging industry at large.

• While in Hinton, take your pick from any number of tours: ATV tours, helicopter sightseeing flights, coal mine tours, saw mill tours, Foothills Model Forest Tour.

• Just a short distance south on Highway 40 are the Cadomin Caves, which are Alberta’s best known and most accessible, and are well worth a side trip. You can explore them with a qualified guide.

Day 4: Hinton to Grande Cache (143 km/89 mi)

• After that short detour, head north on Highway 40 to another great wilderness hub, Grande Cache. The gateway to Willmore Wilderness Park, an unspoiled region of snowcapped mountains, rivers and over 700 km (420 mi) of hiking trails, Grande Cache’s main attractions focus on the great outdoors.

• Rafting and kayaking on the Muskeg River, Sheep Creek and the Smoky River are popular thrills but there are also prime birdwatching spots and loads of hikes, plus an extensive web of mountain bike paths. Horseback riding, ATV tours and jet boat excursions are other magnets.

Day 5: Grande Cache

• ATV tours/rentals
• Willmore Wilderness Park

Day 6: Grande Cache to Grande Prairie (183 km/114 mi)

• Follow Highway 40 north to Grande Prairie. Once you arrive, you’ll find yourself in a rolling valley of grasslands—an anomaly at such a northern latitude

• Not only is it a pretty town, but it’s framed by half a dozen parks and lakes noted for healthy bird populations (Crystal Lake), millions of years of history (Kleskun Hills Park), hiking and biking (Muskoseepi Park), even a 27-metre-tall waterfall (Wild Kakwa Recreation Area).

Day 7: Grande Prairie

• Crystal Lake
• Evergreen Park
• Kleskun Hills Park
• Muskoseepi Park
• Wild Kakwa Recreation Area
• Grande Prairie Museum
• Prairie Art Gallery

Day 8: Grande Prairie to Edmonton (461 km/288 mi)

• Back on the circle tour, dip east and south on Highway 43, toward Whitecourt (some 341 km away).
  

• On the last leg of this loop anglers should haul out their fishing gear for a final cast in Sturgeon Lake, noted for northern pike, perch, and walleye.
  

• The next major stop is Whitecourt, the “Forest Centre of Alberta.” This is a terrific place for an industrial tour of either a pulp mill, a newsprint plant, sawmill or fibreboard plant. Stick to Highway 43, which flows into Highway 37, for your final destination—Alberta’s capital, Edmonton.
  
  

Grande Alberta Trail
Total Distance: 1,063 km/664 mi