Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/534792
ALBERTA - CANADIAN ROCKIES An untamed land of craggy peaks, natural hot springs, boreal forests, and deep lakes, it's only fitting that its motto is "Strong and Free." Both traits are celebrated here, by the daring skiers and snowboarders that dot the mountains every November to May, and the elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and bears that wander the prairies of this indomitable region. This destination may not be for the weak of heart, but it was certainly designed for the intrepid. Jasper National Park, one of Alberta's five UNESCO World Heritage Sites and spanning a whopping 6,976 miles, features attractions from the northern lights to the 160-million-year-old Maligne Canyon Icewalk, where fearless climbers fight their ways up incredible frozen walls brilliantly illuminated in color at night. Fellow World Heritage Site Banff National Park and neighboring Lake Louise draw over four million people each year, most of which are found along 124 miles of amazing trails on skis, boards, dogsleds, or horseback. This larger-than-life personality continues in Calgary, where cowboy tradition has held strong for as long as 111 years in places like Cypress Hills, and an annual Stampede becomes "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth." Stetsons, over 150 parade floats, meat- cutting demonstrations—starring Alberta's famous beef—and other rugged endeavors are celebrated during this spectacular event, but Alberta's Heritage Park Historical Village and the Canadian Badlands provides a taste of the Wild West year-round, the latter with a side of dinosaurs at the Dinosaur Provincial Park and its renowned Royal Tyrell Museum. T r ans- C a n ada H w y . C A N A D I A N R O C K I E S Jasper National Park Ban N.P. Yoho N.P. Kootenai N.P. Glacier N.P. Wells Gray Provincial Park Willmore Wilderness Provincial Park Wood Bualo National Park B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A S A S K A T C H E W A N Bistcho Lake Lake Athabaska Lake Claire Hay R. Lesser Slave Lake R e d D e e r R. B o w R . S . S a s k a t c h e w a n R . N . S a s k a tch e wa n R . At h ab a s k a R . P e a c e R . Pe a c e R . S l a v e R . Edmonton Camrose Calgary Vancouver Medicine Hat Lethbridge Red Deer Fort McMurray Fort McKay Slave Lake Peace River Grande Prairie Kamloops Rainbow Lake Drumheller Bonnyville Ban Lake Louise 9 43 43 35 63 83 93 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 1 16 16 97 16 0 100 miles 0 100 km U N I T E D S T A T E S Columbia Icefields 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 Alberta - Canadian Rockies 85