Calgary: Six Fun Day Trip Ideas
No question, Calgary has numerous things for tourists to see and do in the city itself. But there are many fun tourist attractions that make for great day trips. The obvious ones are Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise and the Rockies, however this blog we will look at six somewhat off-the-beaten path day trips from Calgary.
FYI: Several are UNESCO or Canadian heritage sites.
#1 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Head south on Highway 2 and in about two hours you will see the turn off for Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump, a World Heritage site. (Note: Open from the third weekend in May to Labour Day.)
Here you will learn about the buffalo hunting practises of the aboriginal peoples of the North American plains for nearly 6,000 years. Using their excellent knowledge of the topography and of buffalo behaviour, they killed their prey by chasing them over a precipice; the carcasses were later carved up in the camp below.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was one of the most outstanding of the surviving bison jumps in the Americas and was in use for approximately 5,800 years, until about 1850.
On this grassy, windswept landscape can be seen the drive lanes that led the bison toward the jump (including the remains of stone markers used to direct the bison toward the cliff), the 10-meter high cliff face that served as the actual jump, the foot of the cliff where numerous undisturbed stratified layers of bone and cultural deposits are found, and the area encompassing the many butchering camps established through the millennia.
In addition to the museum take the 1.2 kilometer hiking trail beneath the cliff and/or the 200 meter upper trail above the cliff with several viewpoints and interpretive panel. Check the website for special events like drumming and dancing on the plaza.
Two hours south of Calgary off Highway #2.
#2 Bar U Ranch
The ranch has several buildings on site to wander through with staff to answer questions about pioneer ranching life. I love the barb wire display.
Founded in 1882 as the Northwest Cattle Company, the Bar U Ranch (a National Historic Site) was one of the first and most enduring of the large corporate ranches established in southern Alberta.
Three ranchers guided it through seven decades of change up to 1950: Fred Stimson set the foundation and infrastructure for the Bar U Ranch, which under George Lane achieved international repute as a centre of breeding excellence for cattle and purebred Percheron horses. Patrick Burns and his company modernized the ranch by replacing horses with tractors and streamlined the operations which took the Bar U though the Depression and World War II.
Here you can explore one of the largest collections of original buildings in Canada. Treasures include the blacksmith shop, harness repair shop, roundup camp and saddlehorse barn.
Taste the freshly baked cookies at the cookhouse, hear the clattering hooves of the Percheron team and smell the cowboy coffee roasting over an open fire.
One hour south of Calgary on Highway 22.
#3 Drumheller
If you or your kids are into dinosaurs (and what kid isn’t) you must visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller with its vast collection of fossils and bones. It is an awesome experience for everyone. The museum is located on North Dinosaur Trail in Midland Provincial Park about 2 hours from Calgary.
The museum occupies is situated in the middle of the fossil-bearing strata of the Late Cretaceous Horseshoe Canyon Formation. Adjacent to the museum, hike the 1.4 km Badlands Interpretive Trail.
The museum houses 13 exhibitions organized in geologic eras and includes 800+ fossils on display at any given time. The world’s most well-preserved thyreophoran is the highlight of the 160,000 fossil collection.
If you are a golfer you won’t want to miss the Dinosaur Trail Golf Course experience. The front nine is just a warm-up for the back nine which is out of this world – literally. You will feel like you are golfing on another planet. It is definitely target golf at its best.
If you have the time, Drumheller also has a quaint downtown worth exploring with its numerous galleries, shops and cafés and fun dinosaur statues that make for great photo opportunities.
Still looking for something more to see? Wayne, located 10 km southeast of Drumheller is worth a visit. It was once a thriving coal mining town whose population is estimated to have reached a high of 10,000 in 1932, its last mine closed in 1957 and today, it is home to about 40 diehard souls. Half the fun of visiting Wayne is navigating a winding road with 11 (no word of a lie) one-lane bridges along a moon-like landscape to get there.
In its heyday, Wayne had a school, hospital, hotel, theatre and several stores along its main street. Today, all that remains is the Rosedeer Hotel which surprisingly still operates as a hotel and its Last Chance Saloon, now a popular watering hole for touring motorcycle groups. The hotel has only 6 rooms, each with a different theme – Titanic, Golf, Harley, Miners, Honeymoon and Music Room. The Saloon often has live music and hosts the annual WayneStock music festival on the Labour Day weekend.
Another option is to drive to East Coulee to explore the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site that operated from 1936 to 1979.
It is the most complete historic coal mine in Canada and home to North America’s last standing wooden coal tipple. It achieved National Historic Site of Canada status in 2002.
Various guided tour options exist. You can take a train ride through the site, walk up the tipple or tour the 210 foot underground conveyor tunnel. The facilities are open to visitors from May to Thanksgiving weekend.
With not enough time to do a tour (we arrived 20 minutes before closing), we instead walked up the dead end road west of the parking lot where we had heard there was an art installation.
Sure enough, at the end of the road, stood dozens of 4 to 5 foot tall tree limbs with alien head-like knobs stuck in the ground with rock piles at their base to help them stay standing.
Many of the limbs had various small trinkets hanging or sitting on them, creating a somber, graveyard sense of place.
There is no markings or signs indicating who did them, why they are there, which only adds to the mystique.
On your way to (or from) Drumheller you will want to stop at the Horseshoe Canyon Park just off Hwy 9, 17 km west of Drumheller in the Canadian Badlands. It is an eye-popping sight. Stand at the edge of this huge U-shaped canyon and try to imagine what it was like when the dinosaurs roamed in the then lush sub-tropical habitat some 70 million years ago.
Today, marked trails guide your wandering down into the canyon to get a closer look at the different soils, rock formations and plants. There are even helicopter rides available on-site. The park is free and there is lots of free parking.
Two hours north-east of Calgary.
Another unique experience in the Drumheller area is the Bleriot Ferry. The Bleriot Ferry links the two sections of the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838) as it crosses the Red Deer River from Kneehill County on the west, to Starland County on the east. It was built by Andre Bleriot, commissioned in 1913 and, in addition to providing an essential transport service, acted as a major social hub in the Drumheller Valley. The Bleriot Ferry only runs seasonally and is closed during the winter hours. It is a perfect detour that connects the roads that access the Horsethief Canyon and Orkney View point.
#4 Soyopowahko (aka Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park)
Five minutes south on Highway 842 from Cluny is Soyopowahko Crossing a designated national Heritage Site. Its interpretive centre not only documents the complexity of the Treaty Seven (which was signed nearby), but the way of life of the Blackfoot people. The setting is spectacular - on the edge of a cliff looking out over the Bow River Valley.
The building itself is also dramatic with its modern interpretation of a traditional tepee. Its grand entrance has a wonderful overhang made of several feather-shaped glass pieces forming a traditional Chief’s headdress that casts a playful and colourful shadow on the wall when the sun shines. The building was designed by Calgary's Rod Goodfellow and is full of references to traditional Blackfoot culture. Link: Blackfoot Crossing Architecture
Upon entering the exhibition area, you encounter the entire Treaty Seven reproduced on large, illuminated glass panels that form a huge circle in the middle of the exhibition space. (FYI, The original Treaty Seven document is currently located at Fort Calgary). The sheer length and “legalese” language makes one question how the Chiefs (or anyone, including the government officials) could have fully understood what they were signing. It was sobering.
There are some interesting artifacts, however the only interactive hands-on display we found was the display with buttons you push and the Blackfoot word for various common words is played, then you say the word back, then press “playback” to hear how close your pronunciation matches.
90 minutes east of Calgary just off Highway #1 aka Trans Canada Highway
Link: Calgary Road Trip: Gleichen, Cluny, Blackfoot Crossing etc
#5 Nanton / High River / Okotoks
For those into history and antiquing, a trip to Nanton, a 45-minute drive south from Calgary is a must. It has a charming downtown with shops like Nostalgia Antiques, Mid Century Antiques and Sentimental Journey Antiques. There is also an old fashioned candy store and for lunch you will want to try Georgie’s Café, Wild Thyme Café or The Buzz. The Bomber Command Museum of Canada is a “must visit” and you can book at tour of the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre.
Still some time and energy to explore? You can also include a visit to High River and/or Okotoks on this day trip - both with downtown main streets worth exploring.
Okotoks has a funky art gallery in their heritage train station, and if you are into baseball, try to catch a Dawgs game at Seaman Stadium (the best little stadium on the prairies). Thrifters won’t want to miss the unique Foothills Regional Landfill & Resource Recovery Centre located a few km out of town but worth the trip – it has a great selection of books and other treasures. The Saskatoon Farm, located just 30 minutes east of Okotoks (on 338 Ave E or Township Road 210) with its restaurant, u-pick fields, garden centre and farmers’ market are worth a visit.
Nanton is about 90 minutes south of Calgary on Highway #2, High River about 60 minutes and Okotoks about 45 minutes, depending on where in Calgary you are coming from.
#6 Diamond Valley
Recently, the sister communities of Black Diamond and Turner Valley voted to merge into one town named Diamond Valley. But they are still really two different communities. Turner Valley is home to the award winning Eau Claire Distillery where you can taste some of the world’s finest spirits. (FYI: The craft distillery’s Rupert’s Exceptional Canadian Whisky was awarded double gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Their Batch 005 Single Malt Whisky won gold, and their Cask 47 Single Cask Single Malt Whisky received bronze at the event.)
Be sure to book at tour of the historic Turner Valley Gas Plant, to learn about southern Alberta’s early oil and gas history.
Into gardening, art or looking for a place for lunch? Just five minutes east in Black Diamond is Vales Green House, Bluerock Gallery, and The Westwood restaurant or saddle-up at the Hard Knox Brewery (yes, there might be a few horses hitched-up outside).
On the way there or the way home you will want to visit the Millarville Farmers’ Market with a history that dates to 1905.
45 minutes south of Calgary via Highway #22
Link: Turner Valley Gas Plant A Hidden Gem
Last Word
So, there you have it, six fun day trips from Calgary. Leave early to make sure you give yourself lots of time in case you discover something else along the way you want to explore. Always check ahead to make sure of hours and check the weather to make sure you have the right clothes for exploring.