Southern Alberta
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Cities
Southeastern Alberta
- - Jumping off point for Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- - The focal point of the Alberta badlands, best known for its museum of paleontology.
- - Small community near Drumheller in the badlands, known for its abandoned coal mine.
- - Small town northeast of Calgary.
- - Second largest city in Southern Alberta. It has a pretty river valley and is the jumping off point for Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.
- - Small town near the Saskatchewan border.
- - Small town, known as the Corn Capital of Canada.
Southwestern Alberta
- - Small town in the foothills best known for its carriage museum and Mormon temple.
- - Southern Alberta's gateway to the Rockies.
- - Jumping off point for Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- - Fourth largest city in Alberta and centre of Southern Alberta. It has a pretty river valley and variety of attractions.
- - Small town south of Calgary.
- - Small town in the foothills north of Waterton Lakes National Park.
- - Small town southeast of Calgary and the "Official Star Trek Capital of Canada."
Other destinations
- - A true natural gem in the Rockies in Alberta's extreme southwest. It is connected to Glacier National Park in Montana to form Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park.
Understand
Southern Alberta is lined to the west by the Canadian Rockies and their foothills, while the rest of the region is dominated by the semi-arid prairies where farms and ranches have been built, often with the help of irrigation. The region features areas as Waterton Lakes National Park, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, while sites such as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and Dinosaur Provincial Park were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Alberta Badlands, a kind of weird and wonderful eroded landscape. are developed in the northeast of the region, prominently along the Red Deer River. Badlands are also found to the south in North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States. The best single destination for viewing the Alberta badlands is the world heritage listed Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks. There are a number of good fossil beds and exhibits in this region. Top among them are the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, and Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks. They are apart, and each demands a day or two of attention, so allow at least three days to see them all. Both feature interpretive tours, that are also easy to moderate hikes, during the summer months.
Cypress Hills, located in the east, at the border with Saskatchewan, are the highest point between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador.
The Alberta Badlands, a kind of weird and wonderful eroded landscape. are developed in the northeast of the region, prominently along the Red Deer River. Badlands are also found to the south in North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States. The best single destination for viewing the Alberta badlands is the world heritage listed Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks. There are a number of good fossil beds and exhibits in this region. Top among them are the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, and Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks. They are apart, and each demands a day or two of attention, so allow at least three days to see them all. Both feature interpretive tours, that are also easy to moderate hikes, during the summer months.
Cypress Hills, located in the east, at the border with Saskatchewan, are the highest point between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador.
Get in
By plane
International flights are available to the Calgary and Edmonton airports. There are regional connectins to Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.By car
From the United States
There are four main land border crossing points, between the Southern Alberta and the Northwestern Montana and Russell Country regions of Montana, USA. They are referred to by different terms in Canada and the US.Major crossings
| Canadian name | US name | Location | Hours | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coutts | Sweetgrass | Coutts, AB (Hwy 4) – Sweet Grass, MT (I-15) | 24 hours, daily NEXUS • Canada-bound: M-F 3PM–5PM, closed holidays • US-bound: 24 hours, NEXUS is accepted in all lanes |
Primary border crossing point for passenger vehicles and the only 24 hour crossing into Alberta. |
| Carway | Piegan | Cardston, AB (Hwy 2) – Babb, MT (US-89) | 7AM-11PM, daily |
Other crossings
There are three other crossings between Montana and Alberta, check ahead as hours will vary by season.| Canadian/US name | Location | Hours | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Mountain | Waterton Park, AB (Hwy 6) – Babb, MT (MT-17) | May 15-May 31: daily 8AM–11PM June 1-Labour Day: daily 7AM–10PM Tuesday following Labour Day to Sept 30: daily 9AM–6PM Oct 1-May 14: CLOSED |
Connects Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park; closed during the winter. |
| Del Bonita | Del Bonita, AB (Hwy 61) – Cut Bank, MT (MT-213) | Jun 1-Sept 16: Passengers daily 8AM–11PM Sep 16-May 31: Passengers daily 9AM–6PM |
|
| Wild Horse | Wild Horse, AB (Hwy 41) – Havre, MT (MT-232) | May 15-Sept 30: Passengers daily 8AM–11PM Oct 1-May 14: Passengers daily 8AM–5PM |
145}} south of Medicine Hat, AB and {{mi |
From other places in Canada
- Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) − connects to Vancouver, Kamloops, Calgary, and Regina; passes through Medicine Hat
- Highway 2 − connects to Calgary and Edmonton; continues into Montana as US Highway 89
- Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway) − connects to Cranbrook, BC; passes through Lethbridge and Medicine Hat
- Highway 9 − connects to Calgary and Saskatoon (becomes Saskatchewan Highway 7); passes through Drumheller
- Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) − alternate route from Calgary which passes through the foothills
By bus
{{Template:Greycan}}Red ArrowBus service between Calgary and Lethbridge. Service (by reservation only) to Claresholm and Fort Macleod.
Go next
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