Aboriginal adventures | Birders | Bison

Black Bear, Jasper National Park

Alberta is the only place in North America where the prairie, boreal forest and mountain ecosystems collide. As a result, Alberta has 300 species of birds, 90 mammals, 18 types of reptiles and amphibians, 50 species of fish and 1,700 flowering plants.

There are a growing number of organizations that will lead visitors into the wilds and beyond, no matter what the budget. In the Rocky Mountain parks, dozens of qualified guides as well as staff at Parks Canada, many hotels, and educational institutes, offer courses and excursions. From basic nature hikes to workshops on grizzly bears and cougars, from birdwatching and banding to wildlife ecology and nature photography — the list keeps growing.

Add an aboriginal or historical twist to a holiday

Teepee's, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Fort Macleod

In other parts of the province, enjoy nature with aboriginal leaders who add a cultural and historic perspective to any adventure. A three-day canoe trip might involve sleeping in a teepee, foraging natural foods and sessions on Native cooking.

But a nature-based holiday doesn’t always require a high level of fitness or wanderlust. Take an Ice Explorer tour on the Athabasca Glacier (at the Columbia Icefield Centre) and stand on a tongue of ice, thousands of years old. While in this neck of the woods, take a stroll behind the Icefield Centre where there’s a small patch of tiny Engelman Spruce, over 700 years old. This area has been granted Zone One — the highest level of protection available in Alberta.

Birders – haul out your scopes

Birdwatching, Kananaskis Country

In the north, on the shores of Kimiwan Lake, is the ‘Bird Capital of Canada’. The Lake is at the confluence of three major bird migration paths — the Mississippi, Pacific, and Central. An estimated 27,000 shorebirds and 250,000 waterfowl reside or pass through here.

An excellent interpretive centre overlooks the lake and has information on many of the 200 different species sighted here. Other northern bird centres, which include banding, guided walks and interpretive trails, are Hilliards Bay in Wingami Provincial Park, the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, Slave Lake and High Prairie. In the south, birders should visit the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale. Here, you can hold a live, specially trained falcon, owl, hawk or eagle and experience a behind-the-scenes tour of this unique facility — famous for its captive breeding and rehabilitation program.

Where the buffalo still roam

Buffalo, Waterton Lakes National Park

In the far north, take a bushplane over Wood Buffalo National Park, and see the largest herd of wood bison in the world. You’ll also hear of a remarkable conservation story, a symbol of the extremes Albertans take to protect an endangered species. In the '40s, the population of whooping cranes in North America almost vanished. The numbers dipped as low as 21 — the exact count taken in 1954 when a helicopter pilot spotted some ‘whoopers’ nesting in Wood Buffalo. Ever since, a concerted effort has been made to increase their population including an intensive captive-breeding program — which worked. Today’s population count of whoopers is over 200. In Alberta we make it our business to ensure that sustainable development and tourism co-exist.

Alberta has more than 25 sample itineraries that span the province. Discover the other scenic drives with detailed trip planning advice.