After being awed by the natural wonders of British Columbia, it was time to do an epic road trip from British Columbia to Alberta and see some famous and quirky towns in Alberta.
When I say epic, that’s no exaggeration. The road trip from British Columbia to Alberta takes you through the amazing Rocky Mountains. Really, what is more epic than a mountain range that stretches almost 5000 kilometres?
The drive is also over 1000 kilometres, which is epic in some people’s books. I was planning on going all the way to Calgary in one trip. The universe had other ideas.
Road Trip From British Columbia to Alberta – Mission to Revelstoke
Through a series of unfortunate incidences, my departure was delayed and I didn’t end up leaving Mission, about 70 kilometres east of Vancouver, until the afternoon.
I was travelling at Easter, when there is still the possibility of snow in the Rockies, without snow tyres. I didn’t see snow until my twenties, so how would I even know snow tyres were a thing needed to pass through the Rockies in Spring?
The Perils of a Road Trip to Alberta in Spring
Fortunately, there were signs to remind me that I should have snow tyres or chains when travelling the area from October to March. Unfortunately, they didn’t appear until I was hundreds of kilometres from the city.
I was keeping an eye on the highway cams using the DriveBC website. It was showing some seriously crap weather about 10 kilometres east of Revelstoke.
That’s when I decided to rest in Revelstoke overnight.
Revelstoke to Lake Louise – A Road Trip From British Columbia to Alberta
The cam still looked pretty bad in the morning, but I was running out of time.
I needed to have the hire car back in Vancouver 2 days later.
I ran the gauntlet and it turned out that the cam had lied.
The weather wasn’t perfect, but it was far from the catastrophe the cam had indicated.
It wasn’t long until things dried up and I began to see the snow-tips of the Rocky Mountains getting closer.
I passed through some interestingly named towns; Glacier, Rogers, Donald, Golden and Field.
Once I got to Golden, I knew that I was less than an hour away from Alberta.
My next stop would be Lake Louise in Alberta.
Lake Louise – Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta
Well actually, it’s barely a town. It’s more like a hamlet that was built around the glacial lake it’s named after.
Lake Louise get’s pretty crowded all year round. But you might be so mesmerised by the view that you won’t even notice.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you could hike The Beehive.
Lake Moraine – A Must-See Lake Near Lake Louise
Moraine Lake in the Valley of Ten Peaks is simply stunning.
Who could ever get sick of looking at glacial lakes?
Moraine Lake is only accessible during the summer as it’s frozen over in winter.
If you happen to be passing through the area when things are frozen, there are plenty of winter activities to partake in at Lake Louise.
Including Ice Skating on the lake.
Lake Louise to Calgary Via Banff – Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta on a Road Trip From British Columbia to Alberta
Just before leaving Vancouver, I had managed to break my phone and had to buy a cheap one to be able to take photos of my trip.
Unfortunately, the new phone had decided it didn’t want to work with the car charger.
This meant I was without a map, compass and time telling apparatus for most of the trip.
Luckily the Trans Canadian Highway is so amazingly well sign posted that maps are not absolutely essential.
You’ll just have to believe me when I say that the drive was lovely and scenic!
Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta – Banff
The town of Banff, which is in the Banff National Park is not just a beautifully scenic town, it’s also pretty damn quirky! There’s a plethora of weird and wonderful things to see within 20 kilometres of the town.
Can I interest you in the slightly scary looking Banff Merman at the Indian Trading Post? Or perhaps a museum in a fence? If ghosts towns are more your style, there are both underwater and above ground versions near Banff.
If that’s all a bit weird for you, how about a giant head sticking out of the pavement in Canmore?
Honestly, who would’ve thought that Banff was so quirky?
Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta – Calgary
Calgary, the host of the 1988 Winter Olympics, is also known as Cowtown. You may ask, why? There’s actually a few reasons.
Their yearly cow shindig, the Calgary Stampede is one of them. Another is the general ‘wild west’ kind of feel of the place and it’s traditionally agricultural-based economy.
So what self-respecting Cowtown wouldn’t have a herd of painted cattle in its downtown area? Of course, no cows were harmed during the making of Udderly Art.
Art in Calgary – Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta
They seem to love their art in Calgary. You can find many street side utility boxes adorned with local art. The Calgary Utility Box Art Program started as a deterrent for graffiti and vandalism but has grown into so much more.
There’s also a huge blue ring on a highway bridge in Calgary. Some people love it. Some hate it, but it’s definitely something you won’t see elsewhere.
Speaking of bridges, you could walk the Finger Trap Bridge across the Bow River to or from the Calgary Downtown area. It’s actually called the Peace Bridge, it just looks like a big red finger trap.
Calgary to Edmonton – Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta on a Road Trip From British Columbia to Alberta
It’s only a 3 hour drive from Cowtown to the Capital of Alberta, Edmonton.
After driving through the Rockies, the road from Calgary to Edmonton didn’t seem anywhere near as scenic.
It’s flat. Very flat. The area between Calgary and Edmonton, as well as much of the rest of Alberta is part of the Great Plains and the Canadian Prairies.
These plains are the reason that Alberta is the biggest beef producing province in Canada.
Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta – Edmonton
Edmonton, the capital of Alberta contains one of the world’s biggest malls. It used to be the world’s biggest, but has now been relegated to biggest in North America.
I managed to get my phone working long enough to call my friends to let them know I was okay, get some WiFi and take a few photos. But that was pretty much the phone’s last stand.
West Edmonton Mall
The West Edmonton Mall claims to have it all. That might not be far from the truth. There’s a mini golf course, pool hall, water park, lagoon, arcade and bowling alley in there. Oh yeah, they have shops too but I had gone there for one reason.
Galaxyland; a space-themed amusement park complete with rollercoaster. Yee haw!
Vulcan – Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta
Of all the quirky towns in Alberta, Vulcan is arguably the quirkiest. It was my favourite of all the towns in Alberta that I visited. It’s a small farming town in the middle of nowhere. It’s claim to fame is it’s name.
It was named after the Roman god of fire, but don’t tell the Trekkies! If you don’t know, Vulcan is the name of the planet where all the logical aliens are from. Star Trek fans have kind of coopted the town’s name into Star Trek cannon.
Vulcan – One of the Quirky Towns in Alberta That Made Itself a Star Trek Destination
The town of Vulcan, being small and in the middle of nowhere, has happily allowed them to do that. They have fully embraced all things Trek, ( just take a look at the Vulcan tourism website). The town is basically a living Trek shrine with attractions to get Trek fans to visit.
It worked. I was there, after all!
Now, because of my electronics issues, I was unfortunately unable to get any photos of the town. I did however manage to find some WiFi and used my laptop to check in.
Because it didn’t really happen unless it’s on Facebook, right?
Trek Attractions in Vulcan: The Star Trek Capital of Canada
One of the first things you’ll see when you get close to the town is a replica Enterprise with the ‘registration number’ of FX6-1995-A. The FX6 is a reference to Vulcan’s airport designation.
There’s also a mural of the doctors from five of the Star Trek series as well as a tourism centre, shaped like a space station, full of Trek memorabilia. They even have Trek conventions there each year!
Star Trek Spirit of Vulcan
I was there around the time Leonard Nimoy, who played a the Vulcan character Spock, died. The town was paying homage to him with a memorial a week or so after I left.
Some might see this town as a bit cheesy, but it made me smile. The level of effort they’ve made to really get into the Trek spirit is commendable, so Vulcan is a must for Trek fans.
The Alberta Adventure Comes to an End
From Vulcan, I had to make a mad dash back to Vancouver to make sure I didn’t miss my flight out a few days later. I was moving on to the province of Ontario, via the US. That adventure will be available for your reading pleasure soon.
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22 Replies to “5 Famous and Quirky Towns in Alberta on a Road Trip From British Columbia to Alberta”
Banff is on my list and I hope to get there in the next few years – Covid permitting. Fortunately, Canada just reopened today for US citizens, but Banff will need to wait for at least another year as I have planned all my vacation for 2021.
Good to know about the city of Vulcan as I love Star Trek.
Vulcan is awesome! It’s not really that far from Banff either!
Lake Louise and Banff have been on my bucket list for a long time! I hope to go soon. Definitely Pinning this for later.
They’re both lovely places! I’d like to go back in the summer.
I have always wanted to visit Banff and Lake Louise, but you may have inspired me to do a road trip of the whole area. You always see such unique and interesting things on road trips. Kind of scary about your phone, but sounds like you managed to have a good trip!
Road trips are great. Sometimes it’s the cheapest way to get around in Canada too!
Oooh I have been t most of these, but I had not heard of Vulcan! I love the sound of that (and I would totally visit for the giggles!) I LOVED visiting the Rockies in the springtime. I am sure you must have seen loads of gorgeous views, even if you don’t have photos to show for it!
What did you think of Revelstoke? That is one of my favourite stops along that road trip (we always make sure to stop at La Baguette for food…)
Vulcan is awesome! Hehe!
Yes, the views were amazing. I’m almost tempted to do it again one day to get some photos!
Well, on the way to Alberta I was worried about running out of time, so I just wanted to get on the road and didn’t really explore Revelstoke too much. Plus the weather around Revelstoke was pretty crap, both on the way to Alberta and on the return trip to BC. It was so weird, either side of Revelstoke the weather was fine, but it was wet for a 10km radius from Revelstoke both times through.
I actually hit a small patch of black ice just out of Revelstoke on the way back to Mission. I had seen the car in front of me go a bit wonky and thought they were just driving badly. It dawned on me when I hit the same area and that little light on the dash came on that they weren’t as terrible at driving as I thought. I can’t imagine driving in Canada in winter would be fun :oP
What a great adventure. I think I would have been nervous without a phone working, but then again, I’m of the age when we travelled everywhere with maps!
I’d love to get to Vulcan. Live long and prosper.
I started travelling before phones had apps and generally choose to stay disconnected when travelling, so I wasn’t really too worried. I thought not having maps might’ve proved to be a problem, but streets in Canada are so well signposted that there was no issue. Plus I still had my laptop to use when I found WiFi.
What a great collection of towns! Banff is so high on my list and I’m really hoping I’ll be able to visit next summer. I’ve heard such incredible things!
Yes, Banff and Lake Louise are amazingly scenic places.
Lake Louise and Banff are both on my bucket list! Now that travel is opening between the United States and Canada, I’m hoping I can visit soon. Thanks for sharing!
I’d love to live that close to Canada! I’d be doing road trips all the time.
wow Lake Louise looks gorgeous!!😍😍
I know right. Glacial lakes are always amazing!
Lake Louise and Lake Moraine are at the top of my list! All of these places sound so lovely, I really need to get on exploring Canada more!
It’s such a long trip for me to get to Canada, so I made sure to explore big chunks of it at one time! I’d love to get back there one day to explore the northern and central provinces.
What a round-up of towns! And the views from your drive are beautiful! Thank you goodness the weather worked out for your drive. I probably would have been so stressed that I would not have even enjoyed the scenery. I had heard of Banff, but I never explored things to do in the area. Thanks!
I was a bit worried at the beginning and the cam feed did not help, but once I passed that area it was all good. I can’t resist scenery that awesome!
Nicely captured pictures and nicely detailed post. I was always fascinated by the Banff National Park. Would like to visit it someday. Galaxyland looks like a cool theme park to explore.
Galaxyland was fun. It was pretty much the only reason I went to Edmonton!