262 Best Sights in Alberta, Canada

This is Calgary’s most iconic Downtown building. The views from this 191-meter (626-foot) scepter-shaped edifice take in the city's layout, the surrounding plains, and the face of the Rockies rising 80 km (50 miles) to the west. A "torch" that crowns the tower is lighted for special events and occasions. The tower top also holds the revolving Sky 360 Restaurant and Lounge, which serves dinner nightly and weekend brunch. It also boasts Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and a gift shop.

These beautiful falls are one of the most photographed sites in Waterton. Located right in the townsite, a paved walkway and bridge as well as a paved trail beside the falls makes them accessible to all. Interpretive signage explains the geology and history of the falls.

The jewel of Waterton, Cameron Lake sits in a land of glacially carved cirques (steep-walled basins). In summer, hundreds of varieties of alpine wildflowers fill the area, including 22 kinds of wild orchids. Canoes, rowboats, kayaks, and fishing gear can be rented here.

Enjoy a picnic near one of the most scenic spots in the Rockies. Six picnic tables surround Cameron Lake and one partially enclosed picnic shelter. There are also toilets.

Relatively flat and paved, this 1.6-km (1-mile) one-way trail offers a peaceful hike. Look for wildflowers along the shoreline and grizzlies on the lower slopes of the mountains at the far end of the lake. Easy.

One of the sites of the 1988 Winter Olympics, Winsport operates this year-round attraction featuring a brand-new (2024) day lodge. Summer activities include mountain biking and mini-golf. In winter the slopes are open to the public for skiing and snowboarding and tubing; lessons are available. The new day lodge houses a food court, the Eighty-eight Bar and Grill, and a coffee shop, as well as the Olympic Hall of Fame.

Browse through the displays at this museum and learn about the history of Canmore and the region from millions of years ago to the present day. Enjoy a fun virtual tour of a coal mine and learn about the geology of the region, too.

You get great views of the Kananaskis River from this day-use site along Highway 40, and if you're lucky you can watch kayakers navigating artificial rapids. There are toilets, a picnic shelter, and a water pump.

This Designated National Historic Site of Canada was constructed from 1913--1923 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the eighth temple constructed by the church. The monumental granite structure is built on a hill with large landscaped grounds and views of Chief Mountain in the distance. It was designed by American architects, Hyrum Pope and Harold Burton, in the Prairie School style of Frank Lloyd Wright. The building’s interlocking geometric shapes form a pyramidal shape, evocative of Pre-Columbian architecture. Only members of the church are allowed inside the temple, but there is a visitor's center that can be explored and anyone is welcome to walk around the grounds.

This 300-seat air-conditioned theater has been hosting live theater performances since 1989. Productions run regularly throughout July and August with a variety of family-friendly shows on offer. There are also some winter community theater productions.

This 4-acre park was built in the 1930s and showcases gardens terraced into a hillside, water features, pavilions, gazebos, and more. The park is behind the administration building, a short walk from downtown Banff. It blooms from late June to early September and is a great place for a picnic or a short escape from the busy downtown area.

This spot has picnic tables, a kitchen shelter, and flush toilets, and it's one of the only picnic areas with firepits. There's also access to trails, swimming in the summer, and plenty of room for kids to run around.

Outstanding views of the mountains above the Bow River Valley are the highlight of this 3.7-km (2.3-mile) one-way trail that is somewhat steep. Moderate.

Castle Mountain, one of the most striking peaks between Banff and Jasper, got its name from Scottish geologist James Hector who thought the 11-km-long (7-mile-long) mountain resembled an ancient fortress with steep walls. When U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe, visited Canada in 1949, Prime Minister Mackenzie King ordered the Geographical Board of Canada to officially change Castle Mountain to “Mount Eisenhower.” Eisenhower had been given a castle in Scotland and Canada would not be outdone. However, the Alberta government was not consulted or informed of the name change until afterward, causing such a controversy that in 1979, the name was changed back to Castle Mountain; a pinnacle on the southeastern side of the mountain was named Eisenhower Tower.

Architecture buffs should plan a visit to Calgary’s newish central library. When it opened in 2018, it was one of Architectural Digest's most anticipated buildings of the year. The building’s curved surface is composed of hexagonal panels that give way to an expansive archway at the entrance, created entirely of western red cedar planks from British Columbia. Inside, six floors provide all the trappings of a modern, tech-enriched library, from a children’s library on the main floor to the Great Reading Room on the top floor, designed so Calgarians and visitors can ruminate over their books and computers in the glow of natural light.

This is Calgary’s oldest surviving public park and a shady respite from the frenetic energy of the Beltline. A cenotaph and two statues memorialize Canadian soldiers who fell in various 19th and 20th century wars. At the east end is Central Memorial Library, a national historic site, which was constructed in 1910 with financial support from the Carnegie Foundation.

Opposite the Athabasca Glacier, this facility houses interpretive exhibits, a gift shop, and cafeteria- and buffet-style dining facilities. It's also the place to book glacier treks and excursions as well as skywalk visits. The summer midday rush between 11 and 3 can be intense. The 32 rooms at the Glacier View Inn, on the center's second floor, are available from early May to mid-October.

This fully accessible, cliff-edge walkway leads to a glass-floor observation platform 280 meters (918 feet) above the Sunwapta Valley. From this vantage point, you'll get a bird's-eye view of the surrounding ice-capped mountain peaks and deep glacier-carved valleys of the Canadian Rockies. A five-minute shuttle from the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre delivers you to the walkway.  You must book a tour to access this walkway through the Discovery Centre, but it's faster and less costly to book your tickets in advance online.

Although those who hike this 13-km (8-mile) trail are rewarded with awesome views, it's one of the park's most strenuous treks, requiring about six hours to complete, and so it's recommended only for experienced hikers who can trace a difficult route. The return trip loops around Mount Edith Clavell and descends the Edith Pass Trail. Difficult.

This moderate/difficult 13-km (8-mile) hike takes hikers to the top of Cox Hill and features beautiful wildflowers and fantastic panoramic views. This trail is not highly traveled, fairly steep at the start, and you may have the summit all to yourself---make sure you don't stop at the false summit. By continuing along the trail through a treed section, you will arrive at the true summit. The best time to hike this trail is June through October. Difficult

This 2½-km (1½-mile) trail winds through fragrant pine forest, ending at a popular mountain lake. Easy.

Crescent Falls is a 27-meter (89-foot) two-tiered waterfall that is beautiful in every season. The turnoff for Crescent Falls Provincial Recreation Area is 22 km (13.7 miles) west of Nordegg on Highway 11. The gravel access road is 6 km (3.7 miles) long and there's a lookout point partway along the road where you get great views of the Bighorn Gorge. There's also a 29-site campground near the falls.

About 34 km (21 miles) northwest of Lake Louise, the Crowfoot Glacier is one of the first glaciers you see on the Icefields Parkway. Situated on the northeastern side of Crowfoot Mountain, the glacier overlooks Bow Lake---if you stop at the Bow Lake pullout, you can see the glacier and mountain on the other side of the lake. Runoff from the glacier flows into the Bow River, which runs from Banff National Park to the City of Calgary and beyond to the prairies.

Above the CORE Shopping Centre, this balmy 2½-acre enclosed tropical roof garden provides a welcome escape from the business of Downtown. It holds 20,000 trees and plants, nearly 2 km (1 mile) of lush walkways, a sculpture court, and a playground. Alberta's largest indoor gardens, which are reached by two glass-enclosed elevators just inside the 7th Avenue light-rail transit (LRT) entrance, have a living wall and numerous ponds with rainbow trout, koi, goldfish, and turtles. Art exhibitions are held here, and there's a stage for performances.

On a hillside above the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, this 0.8-km (½-mile) boardwalk takes you past the vent of the cave to a spring flowing out of the hillside. Interpretive signage explains the geology and history of the cave and basin. Follow the Marsh Trail to observe the birdlife and the lush vegetation fed by the mineral water. Along the boardwalk are telescopes, benches, and interpretive signage as well as a bird blind on the marsh itself. Wheelchairs have limited access to the boardwalk. Easy.

This half-day hike gives you a taste of the Willmore Wilderness. It's a 6-km (3.7-mile) round-trip hike from the Sulphur Gates parking lot to beautiful Eaton Falls. With 120 meters (394 feet) of elevation gain, the hike is relatively easy and one of the few day-trip options in the Willmore Wilderness. There's a viewpoint partway along the trail that is worth stopping for. Moderate.

Echodale Regional Park provides a riverside setting for swimming, boating, and fishing; it also has a 1900s farm and a historic coal mine.

Starting at the Funicular, the walkway travels for 10 km (6 miles) through the North Saskatchewan River Valley ending at the Groat Bridge. Along the way, the path passes popular city landmarks like the Indigenous Art Park and the John Walter Museum. In 2024, the experience was enriched with nearly 50 new stories by Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, and storytellers.

For an interactive experience, there's a downloadable app (available on the website) that helps you embark on the Quest for the Golden Key along the walkway. There are five storylines (Indigenous, history, family, river, and winter) to follow, and an icon appears on the app's virtual map when you get close to a clue. 

The zoo has seen some renovations and new exhibits over the last decade and is a wonderful place to take the family. The new Nature’s Wild Backyard exhibit, built to participate in the international Red Panda Species Survival Plan, holds up to four breeding pairs of these endangered species and allows visitors to get up close to these adorable Himalayan carnivores. You can also meet Lucy, a 47-year-old Asian elephant that is the zoo’s longest resident, and more than 300 other animals.