The Crowsnest Highway (Highway #3) is an east-west, 1161 km road from Hope, British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta where it meets up with the Trans-Canada Highway. Opened in 1932, it follows the mid-19th century gold rush trail traced out by engineer Edgar Dewdney. Our recent (mid-October 2020) road trip took us from Coaldale to Medicine Hat (151km) in hope of discovering some fun hidden gems. We found some - in Taber, Bow Island, Seven Persons and Red Rock Coulee.

FYI: International readers might want to check out Canada Driver Guide for information on driving in Canada and renting a vehicle.

Strange Architecture

The Crowsnest Highway was like any other highway until we got closer to Taber when we started to see farm trucks hauling some strange (at least to us) produce.

At first we thought they might be potatoes, but then realized they were sugar beets (Ah, urbanites!).

Most Albertans know about Taber corn, but many may forget (not even realize) how Southern Alberta is also a mecca for root vegetables like potatoes and sugar beets.

Drive along the highway and you see large manufacturing plants like McCain and Redpath and strange lots of unmarked long storage buildings that look a bit like small town arenas. You have no idea what is inside.

They were probably potatoes, as we later found out they are stored in long temperature and humidity-controlled buildings.

And, who knew 197 different varieties of potatoes are grown in Alberta? Or that the Lamb Weston plant at Taber and the McCain plant at Coaldale both produce french fries for the fast-service restaurant industry? And did you know there is a Frito Lay potato chip plant at Taber?

I wonder if they give tours with free samples?

Taber is also home to a huge Rogers sugar beet plant (opened in in 1950) that processes 6,000 tonnes of beets per DAY. Driving by, the beets were piled up next to the plant, looking a little like a huge gravel pit operation.

It produces 1,000 tonnes of sugar a day in peak season, i.e. from September to February. The refinery makes icing sugar, molasses and those little packets of sugar for your morning coffee.

You can actually tell if you are purchasing Alberta-made Rogers sugar by looking for a packaging stamp that starts with the number 22; this means the sugar is from Taber Plant.

Bow Island Main Street

Needing to stretch our legs, we decided to see what was happening on a Friday afternoon on its main street. Not much! But seeing some interesting photo ops, we decided to park and explore.

We first checked out the local grocery store to see if they had any local beans – Bow Island is known as the Bean Capital of the west.

I left Brenda to explore the grocery store as we had spotted a nice yellow snow shovel outside the hardware store - that we thought would look great on our front porch this the winter with our yellow pillars.

Small town Hardware stores are great places to explore; often more like an old general store with a little bit of everything. As I explored the store, I found three bright yellow plant pots on sale. Hmmm…I wondered if I could get a deal if I bought all three. I asked the lady who walked by but she said, “you will have to talk to man at the front desk.” So I did.

I wandered over and asked, “What is your best deal if I buy the three pots and the shovel?” He thought for bit and then said “I have another pot in the window so there are four pots…do you want all four. Brenda walked in about that time and said she wasn’t sure about the pots - they might be too small (good bargaining strategy – don’t let them think we are too interested). Then I noticed the pots had different price stickers - two were priced at $14 and one $12…turns out two were from this year and one was from a year ago. I questioned his pricing policy! We had a chuckle! And after some more good natured, lively back and forth bantering, we settled on a deal for three pots and the shovel.

We continued to chat and he introduced himself as Robin, the store owner (we had figured that out) and we shared with him our names and that we were the Everyday Tourists on a road trip looking for hidden gems. We told him how much we loved his “old-school” store with its vintage wooden shelves and drawers full of hardware.

He then shared that the building has been a hardware store for 90 years, his family owning it for the past 60 years.

And, it has provided him with a good living, supporting his three kids through university including one who now lives in London, England working in a high profile IT job.

It was evident he was not only very proud of his children, but how the community had supported his business which enabled him to provide a good life for his family. Thanking him for sharing his family history, we took our purchases and were on our way.

We both smiled once on the street and said “You don’t get this kind of story talking to the guy at a big city Home Depot!”

Having strategically parked our car outside The Rollin Pin Bakery, we dropped in to pick up a treat for the road. We left with a large apple fritter and a lemon tart – the bill came to $3.80 – I gave her a $5 and told her to keep the change. How could I not at that price? Both were very tasty; small town bakeries are often hidden gems.

Seven Persons

Just 34 km further down the highway sits the town of Seven Persons. When researching our road trip, I had read many positive reviews about Premium Sausage, located right on the Crowsnest Highway at Seven Persons, but I was skeptical.

Turns out, Premium Sausage has been around for 30 years and is a great local success story.

The sausage factory was established by Ralph and Elaine Erb on their hog farm, and then moved to an ATCO trailer on the highway, but when they realized their kids weren’t going to take over the business, they sold it in 2009. New owners Mark and Debra Penner have continued the tradition of making tasty garlic coils, beef sticks and a variety of sausages.

Today, you can’t miss Premium Sausage with its grain elevator shaped factory/shop right on the highway. It is definitely a “must stop” and be sure to bring a cooler as you will want to bring some sausages home. We were told there is normally a gallery on the second floor showcasing lots of local history; unfortunately it was being renovated when we were there.

Wondering where the name “Seven Persons” comes from? The origin is uncertain, but one theory is the name comes from a late 19th century indigenous battle. A Blood Indian band, led by its chief, Calf-Shirt, was travelling through the area and encountered a band of Crees. A battle ensued and seven Crees were killed and their medicine pipe taken. The place where the battle took place was called Kitsuki-a-tapi by indigenous people, which could be interpreted to mean “seven persons.”

Red Rock Coulee

Then, it was time to veer off the Crowsnest Pass Highway and onto Highway 887 for a 15-minute picturesque drive to Red Rock Coulee. The Coulee is a fascinating place. It is a remnant of an ancient sea bottom, with huge round boulders of red sandstone. It is as if you have landed on another planet.

Though not very big, it makes for a fun place to explore for 30 or so minutes, the trails are not difficult and it provides great photography opportunities with spectacular views of the prairie landscape. Just be careful, it can be very slippery and muddy.

Red Rock Community Park

Enroute to the Coulee (on Hwy 887), we noticed the Red Rock Playground that warranted a stop on our way back to the Crowsnest Highway. What looks like an abandoned baseball field with vintage swings, a slide, a baseball field and dugout is in fact still in use (as evidenced by the full garbage cans). Though the baseball field is full of gopher holes, there is a home plate with other bases and pitcher’s mound clearly marked by steel discs. It was fun to run the bases, dodging the holes.

Red Rock Coulee and playground made us feel like we were “time-travellers” wandering first into prehistoric times and then into the world early 20th century prairie settlers.

Check out this slideshow….

Last Word

Over and over again we are aptly rewarded whenever we get off the highway and explore the towns and villages on our road trips in Alberta – and elsewhere for that matter. We encourage you to do the same. You will see the world we share from a different perspective.