The Cowboy Trail

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Fur Trade | Diamond Valley

Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail), south of Longview

Officially, the 397-mile-long (640-km) Cowboy Trail stretches the entire distance of Highway 22 from Mayerthorpe (northwest of Edmonton) south to Pincher Creek. It then jogs south on Highway 6 and east on Highway 5, ending in Cardston, a nudge above Montana, USA.

While it’s possible to drive the entire distance, most people carve it into little two- and three-day loops, using Calgary — the official Gateway to the Cowboy Trail as a starting point. Whatever portion you choose, you’ll see cowboys ropin’ cattle, experience small town rodeos, country fairs and rich ranchland where quarter horses still reign. The proximity to the Rockies means you’ll also witness a great diversity in wildlife and scenery. From deer and elk to numerous small town rodeos — the Cowboy Trail is full of geographic and historic gems.

 Discover the Impact of the Fur Trade

Rocky Mountain House National Historical Site

Out of convenience, let’s start in Mayerthorpe and head south along the eastern flanks of the foothills to Rocky Mountain House. Here is a superb National Historic Site where the story of Canada’s fur trade and rugged voyageur life is re-enacted. For a different perspective take a Voyageur Canoe trip down the North Saskatchewan River, ending at this very site. So wild is this forested area that when you spot the teepees and smell the smoke from the site’s camp, you’ll be spirited back 200 years when the trading post was first built.

Back on Highway 22 continue south through Sundre, which is a good jumping-off point for wilderness trips or horseback ventures into the Rocky Mountain Forest Reserve. Or, just poke around Sundre’s Pioneer Museum.

Calgary Stampede

For more of the Wild West, visit Calgary at Stampede time (early July) and kick up your heels at the 10-day whoop-up, known as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.”

From Calgary, veer west to Bragg Creek. Full of artisans, this funky little village is a great place for a picnic, a hike and horseback riding, as well as shopping for western art and unique crafts. Bragg Creek is an ideal gateway into Kananaskis Country, should you want to add another loop to your itinerary.

Little Towns Glitter in Diamond Valley

Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail), south of Longview

Back on the Cowboy Trail, continue south through towns like Millarville (famous for its farmers market held on Saturdays throughout the summer), Turner Valley (it was here, in 1914, that Canada’s first major crude-oil discovery was made), Black Diamond and Longview. These towns are all part of Diamond Valley — the heart of the Cowboy Trail. For an unusual diversion take a gas plant tour in Turner Valley. The tour tells the story of the area, once one of the most active oil and gas fields in the British Empire.

Just south of Longview is another excellent interpretive centre, the Bar U Ranch, full of original buildings, ongoing archaeological digs and intriguing exhibits. At this point you could take Highway 541 into Kananaskis Country for a horsepack trip or gentle trail ride. Or, stick to the Cowboy Trail, bound for Pincher Creek — most noted for Kootenai Brown’s Pioneer Village. And just a jog east on Highway 3 is Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) on the fringes of Fort Macleod.

Red Rock Canyon, Waterton Lakes National Park

If you choose not to go to Fort Macleod, head south on Highway 6 to Waterton Lakes National Park (see Trail of the Great Bear), full of charming B&Bs, lodges, hotels and natural mountain splendour.

To complete the Cowboy Trail, turn east on Highway 5 to Cardston where the Remington-Alberta Carriage Centre is the No. 1 magnet. Housing one of North America’s largest collections of carriages, buggies and wagons, it’s a spectacular example of another era...the Wild, Wild West.

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