Greetings! We recently returned from a trip to Calgary (cal-guh-ree), the largest city in the Canadian province of Alberta. This trip allowed me to add to my goal of visiting all ten provinces in Canada, and Alberta makes province number 5. Below, you will find information and photos from our trip.
Alberta is a province on the western side of Canada, just north of the US state of Montana, and bordered by Saskatchewan to the East, British Columbia to the West (Vancouver is 11 hours away from Calgary), and the Northern Territories to the North. Alberta is the largest growing province in Canada, with most people moving there from Ontario and British Columbia, as well as a large number of people moving there from the United States. Most people settle in Calgary (1.6 million people) and Edmonton (1.25 million people), which is 3 hours north of Calgary. Canadians move to Alberta because they pay fewer taxes, as Alberta only has a Goods and Services Tax (GST; 5%), whereas other provinces have an additional Provincial Tax of 7%. Alberta also has more affordable housing, with lower property costs.
Calgary is home to the Calgary Stampede, which is an annual 10-day rodeo and festival, featuring the world’s largest outdoor rodeo. It is held during the first week of July and often coincides with Canada Day (Canada’s Independence Day, which is July 1). The city completely transforms to reflect support for the event, which brings in over one million visitors. Everywhere you go, you can see how impactful the event is, as the entire city embraces what they refer to as the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.”
Banff National Park
Ninety minutes west of Calgary is Banff National Park, the first national park in Canada. It was discovered by workers on the Canadian Pacific Railway when they discovered a hot spring at the bottom of Sulphur Mountain. After more exploration and excavation, they determined that the area (6600sqkm/2548sqmi) should be designated as a national park, and it was named by the Scottish owner of the Canadian Pacific Railway, who said that it reminded him of a place near his home in Scotland called Banffshire (which was later changed to Banff, as well).
The Canadian Rockies establish a boundary between Alberta and British Columbia, and are divided into the Northern Range and the Continental Range. Along the combined range, 50 of the peaks are over 11,000 feet/3350meters, and while glaciers are retreating, over 1000 can still be seen throughout the mountain range.
second largest glacier in Banff National Park
Banff National Park runs northwest to southeast along the mountain range, and much of the surrounding land is owned by native people. To live in the town of Banff or in Lake Louise, you must be a Canadian citizen, own a business there, or work for a business there.
The average height of mountains in Banff National Park is 3600m, and those that are defined as glaciers have 50-100 feet (15-30 meters) of snow that accumulates on top. The weight of that snow becomes compacted and turns into packed ice. Glaciers move during the warmer months and grind the rock underneath it, which becomes silt. That silt is carried into the lakes and rivers during the melt, and the sunlight then reflects on the particles, which results in the turquoise colors, the hues of which are variable based on how bright it is outside (cloudy day vs. sunny day).
Lake Louise is the most photographed lake in Canada. It is 230ft/70m deep at this deepest point. You can see the difference that the amount of cloud cover makes on the color of the water in the photos above (it was raining off and on while we were there, which is reflected in the colors).
Alberta is home to grizzly bears, white tailed deer, wolves, bald eagles, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, lynx, bobcats, coyotes, and mountain lions (cougars). The bighorn sheep in this photo were originally on the side of the road, and then something startled them and they ran into the road.
(largest lake in Banff)
We enjoyed our time in Calgary and hope to explore other areas of Alberta in the future. Until next time, take care and be well…