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Between Alberta's two, large booming cities of Calgary and its capital, Edmonton, runs the Queen Elizabeth II highway (QEII) and many opportunities for exploring and trekking. The areas west of the highway are comprised mainly of the Alberta foothills, leading up to Canadian Rocky Mountains, with western towns, fishing, and waterfalls. Take Hwy. 27 west to Sundre, which also connects to the Cowboy Trail (Hwy. 22) a scenic north/south drive along the foothills.
The first side trip, going north from Calgary on the QEII, which was formerly known as the Calgary/Edmonton Trail (Depending on to which destination you were headed for), would have to be east (via Hwy. 72 & 9) to Drumheller, where you can take in the badlands, abandoned coal mines, ghost towns and, of course, The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. Give yourself at least the better half of a day, to see this world acclaimed museum...It's worth, just for the Tyrannosaurus Rex itself!
The next area along the QEII will be at Innisfail with the RCMP Police Dog Service Training Centre visible east of the highway, where during the summer months (Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.) visitors can watch a public demonstration. Other attractions in the area of Innisfail are the Innisfail and District Historical Village remnants of Alberta's Icelandic heritage with the Markerville Creamery and the restored house of the famous Icelandic-Canadian poet, Stephen G. Stephansson.
Innisfail is also home to the Discovery Wildlife Park, which in addition to exotic animals the park serves as a sanctuary to orphaned animals native to Alberta by taking animals from Alberta Fish and Wildlife. They have bottle-fed, doctored and cared for numerous species, including bears, elk, moose, deer, beaver, badger, skunk, coyote, cougars and wolves. The animals have either remained at DWP or have been placed in other institutions that have been able to provide quality facilities for them.
Cowboy and rodeo enthusiasts will find the Daines Rodeo Ranch interesting. It's the site of the annual mid-June Innisfail Pro Rodeo, the Mothers Day Bucking Horse Sale, and the August long weekend Ivan Daines Country Music Picknic (the correct spelling). From late spring to early fall, you can also find other rodeos along the QEII. Going east from Innisfail on Hwy. 590 will take you to an aboriginal buffalo jump at Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park.
Further north on the QEII takes you to Red Deer, central Alberta's small, but expanding city, with Waskasoo Park which contains the Kerry Woods Nature Centre, Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary, and Ft. Normandeau.
On the south end of Red Deer in the Westerner Park that hosts the Westerner Days Fair & Exposition and also their Centrium is the home of the Red Deer Rebels Hockey Team, for winter entertainment. Also, just north of the service area of the highway (appropriately called "Gasolene Alley), is the the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Museum.Going north from Red Deer and taking the David Thompson Highway (Hwy 11), west is probably the least known, but most scenic route into the Canadian Rockies, joining the Banff to Jasper, Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93), at Saskatchewan Crossing. Travellers can also take this route to central Alberta's lakeside resort town of Sylvan Lake.
East of Red Deer on Hwy 11 for 101 kms. will take you to Stettler, the home of Alberta Prairie Railway Excusrions, where steam locomotive enthusiast can travel from Stettler to Big Valley, the divisional point for the Canadian Northern Railway in the early 1900s. Along the line they may experience train robbers and fatured attractions at Big Valley include restored railway station, roundhouse interpretive centre, St. Edmund's Church and Jimmy Jock Boardwalk.
Continuing North on the QEII will take you into the Alberta Heartland and an abundance of locations to tour, lakes, campgrounds and agri-tourism with a mixture of grain, corn, mixed, dairy, poultry and even bison, alpaca and elk ranches and for bird watchers the Ellis Bird Farm, southeast of Lacombe. For a more leisurely drive north, many travellers and cyclist go east to the older, two-lane highway (2A) that wanders through the farm land and communities of Lacombe, Ponoka, Wetaskiwin, Morningside, Millet and Leduc.
Those that enjoy early western prairie architecture, will want to give themselves time to visit the town of Lacombe, which has some of the best preserved early 20th century georgian buildings in the centre of town. This town is one of the best examples of restoration under Alberta's Main Street program. Step back in time and take time to visit this town!
Further east, if you want to see the restored mainstreet of farm town, be sure to take in Bashaw.Each fall there is a corn maze at Lacombe, where visitors can find their way through a labyrinth cut into a cornfield. Each year the maze is also visible, from the air as a different image.
For those seeking a western experience, with a bit of a twist, they may want to check-out the annual Tees Longears Days - Mule and Donkey Show. This event, sponsored by the Alberta Donkey & Mule Club, is held every August at the Tees Rodeo Grounds, 25 Km east of Lacombe on Hwy. 12.
The next town north is Ponoka, well worth a visit for their annual Ponoka Stampede, Alberta's 6th largest Rodeo. Book your accommodations and tickets early for this rodeo that happens the nearest weekend to July 1st (Canada Day). 2006 marked the 70th anniversary of this event, with the "Mile Long Parade on opening day as well bronco and bull riding, rodeo clowns, chuckwagon races, country music and, of course cowboys and cowgirls!
If you want to know about the history of Alberta's cars, trucks, airplanes, farm equipment and pretty well everything else mechanized; go to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin. If geology is your hobby, go west of this small city on Hwy. 13 to Gwynn. There's not much there, except a large valley, as this was the point where the prehistoric "Lake Edmonton" poured out onto the prairie. If you're a bird watcher, this reservoir, know as Coal Lake offers excellent sightings!
Aat Hobbema, west of the QEII, the centre for four First Nations bands Ermineskin Cree, Louis Bull Tribe, Montana Samson Cree nation.
On to the city of Leduc, where you can enjoy its intricate 35 km walkway, great downtown (for poking around) or beautiful city centre lake. Leduc is a neighbour to the industrial centre of Alberta's oil industry, Nisku and home to the newly expanded Edmonton International Airport (YEG). This airport is a natural to arrive at should you wish to explore Canada's north, northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, or (of course) Jasper! It can also be used as a departure point for travellers coming from any part of North America and wanting to see this part of Canada.
From Leduc, travellers can carry on into Edmonton, explore the agri-tourism in the area, head west, via Devon to the University of Alberta Devonian Gardens, the Clifford Lee Bird Sanctuary, the Enoch Cree Nation, or take HWY 16 west to Hinton and Jasper.
If you would like more information about central Alberta go to our
Ya'Gotta: Alberta Adventure Travel Information.
More related links may be found on our Ya'Gotta: Alberta Adventure Travel Links page.
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