However, Alberta ’s No. 1 attraction, however, is the West Edmonton Mall, home of the largest shopping mall in North America and the world’s largest under one roof. It attracts some 22 million visitors a year, 10% from outside Canada. Who goes there? Alberta is another venturer destination, but not well-known to Americans. The huge shopping mall aside, its attractions draw active, outdoor-oriented travelers who appreciate the lack of crowds. When do they go? Winter draws skiers and other lovers of winter sports; other seasons bring those who want to play in warmer weather and who love outdoor entertainments, most notably rodeos.

Go mountain climbing (alpine climbing, ice climbing, rock climbing) in the Banff, Jasper or Kananaskis Country and Waterton Lakes National Park. Train at indoor climbing sites. See www.indoorclimbing.com/alberta.html for locations.

Take the Backcountry Canoe Circuit on the Lac La Biche area and be ready to portage from lake to lake. Or, go kayaking in the same region.
Sleep in a teepee next to North America’s oldest (about 6,000 years), largest and best-preserved buffalo jump, colorfully named Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. See an interpretive center on site and attend events that include dancing and archaeological digs.

Go mountain biking in Canada Olympic Park. Built for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, it has an extensive dirt jump park with stunt areas, hidden obstacle courses and tight single tracks.
If you are good enough, enter one of the province’s numerous bike races.
For whitewater rafting thrills, take the Bow River through Horseshoe Canyon in the Rockies.

Enter the Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache, called one of the toughest adventure races in the world, requiring, it is said, “the constitution of an ox.” Covering more than 75 miles, it includes three mountain summits, 17,000 feet in altitude change and crossing a major river.
Go on a dinosaur dig. The Albertosaurus was discovered at Drumheller. Now, the town is home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology.

Book a Creative Western Adventures nine-day immersion program to learn the history and culture of the Blackfoot tribes. Live on reserves, participate in pow wows, search for berries and bear tracks and paddle canoes. Or, go to Kak Ki Yaw Cultural Camp to experience survival training, trapping, canoeing and/or a sweat lodge ceremony, topping off the day with a storytelling session.
Go heli-skiing; try heli-boarding, as well.

Go sailing in one of Alberta’s parks. Or, try windsurfing or kite boarding on any of several lakes with strong winds (Abraham, Beauvais, Cold, Keho or Waterton lakes) or the Old Man and Ghost Lake reservoirs.

Attend the Calgary Stampede for 10 July days jam-packed with rodeo and rodeo-related activities. The event site, Stampede Park, also offers horse racing, harness racing and a casino.
Take a multiday biking holiday, guided or independent, along Alberta’s classic bike routes, such as the 142-mile Icefields Parkway which takes you through Banff and Jasper national parks. Alternatively, rent a bicycle and try out the cycling loops and trails found in Alberta’s cities.

Attend a pro hockey game in Calgary or Edmonton.

Drop in on some unusual races. Examples: chuck wagon races (four days in High River and often part of rodeos); the annual jet boat race at Peace River or the annual dragon boat race at the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival.
If you are an experienced horseman or horsewoman, sign on for multiday horsepacking in Alberta’s backcountry. You’ll pitch a tent each night or take it easier in lodges on the route. Or, stay at one of more than 30 guest ranches. Ride the herd with the ranch hands. Swim in a lake, paddle a canoe, go on a hayride or sleigh ride, depending on season and ranch facilities.

See theater in Calgary or Edmonton. Both have options running the gamut from Shakespeare to fringe theater. Edmonton’s Fringe Festival is North America’s largest theater festival.
Ski where Olympians have skied, at the sites of the Calgary Olympics in 1988. Or, join an evening ski outing; all the province’s major resorts have evening torchlight runs. There also are numerous races on weekends.

Be entertained, and educated, on National Aboriginal Day (June 21) at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump where Blackfoot sessions feature storytelling, aboriginal art and games.

Do your sightseeing in Calgary or Edmonton from a river aboard a paddle wheeler.
Enter one of the nordic races — available for skiers at all ages and skill levels — at the Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival, then stay around for the Viking Feast that ends the day. For other ski options, see www.canadatrails.ca/xc_ski/xc_ab.html for a list of 80 nordic skiing areas. Alternatively, go backcountry skiing and camping.

Enjoy wildlife viewing in Wood Buffalo National Park where you must scout out the world’s largest herd of bison. Also, visit other national parks to see beavers, bighorn sheep, black and grizzly bears, elk and moose.

Place your bets in any of several Alberta casinos or at any of its racetracks.
Plan for some bird-watching. Endangered whooping cranes nest in the north, the rare trumpeter swans summer in the province and golden eagles migrate across its southern border.

Go fishing. The province hooks the fishermen (and women) with 600 lakes, 245 rivers and 315 spring-fed creeks and ponds.
Work on your golf swing. Alberta has more than 280 courses including six on Canada’s list of top 10.

In August, attend the Edmonton Heritage Festival, one of the world’s largest outdoor multicultural festivals, featuring traditional dancing from around the world.
Dip yourself in hot pools at Upper Hot Springs in Banff National Park or at the Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park. Or, settle in at a resort spa for massages plus golf, horseback riding and tennis.

Drive one of a long list of scenic road trips of varying lengths and built around a range of themes. See www1.travelalberta.com/en-us/index.cfm?pageid=920 for the list.
Take a cruise tour on Lake Minnewanka in Banff or on Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park.

Visit Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park to see the largest concentration of rock art on the North American plains. In summer, guided walks and tours are available.

For more information, consult Travel Alberta at www.travelalberta.com.

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