Day Tours From Edmonton
from Edmonton Visitor Guide

Take advantage of Edmonton's central location ­ its close proximity to both the northern and the southern parts of the province ­ to find out what makes Alberta's capital an exciting and enjoyable starting point for your provincial travels. Be sure to check out the impressive sights and attractions that have transformed the greater Edmonton area itself into one of Canada's most unique tourism destinations.

Whether you're planning on adding several days to your itinerary to explore the province or simply in search of a few hours of local sightseeing, Edmonton tour and transportation companies have the expertise and enthusiasm to ensure that all your requirements are met.

The many transportation and tour operators in the city offer personalized group tours, soft adventures, tour planning and local sightseeing as well as customized charters, spousal tours and convention servicing.

Grande Alberta Trail
Adventure and pure unspoiled open space are yours to discover.

What could be called the OGrande' daddy of Alberta road tours will transport you from a modern urban environment to the pristine wilderness of the northwestern part of the province.

As you leave Edmonton via the Yellowhead and head west along Highway 16 you'll soon reach Edson, where the Native Interpretive Trail provides additional insight into how members of Canada¹s First Nations lived.

Continuing west on Highway 16, you approach Hinton, where the Yellowhead's scenic vistas transform into forested views. One of the key components in Alberta's forestry industry, Hinton is home to the Alberta Forest Service Museum.

From Hinton you'll head northwest on the Big Horn Highway (Highway 40) into a land of rolling hills and boreal forest as you wind your way up to Grande Cache, an area used by fur trappers in historic times to make a large Ocache' of furs for spring trading. Grande Cache offers splendid opportunities for lovers of the outdoors. Whitewater rafting, horseback riding and fishing abound in this scenic and rough-hewn refuge, which skirts the huge Willmore Wilderness Park.

From Grande Cache the adventure gets even grander as you head north into Grande Prairie, a modern city that provides an excellent opportunity for wildlife watching, fishing and hiking.

Muskoseepi Park offers biking trails, camping, canoeing, hiking, kayaking, golf, concerts and festivals, in an area that encompasses 1,000 acres along Red Creek Valley. Learn about the region's forest industry during a tour of Weyerhaeuser Canada¹s pulp mill, saw mill and forest lands.

As you start your return loop to Edmonton, you'll head southeast to Valleyview on Highway 43, continuing to the town of Whitecourt. In Whitecourt, the ES Huestis Demonstration Forest explains forest ecosystems and reforestation in a 10 sq. kilometre (6.25 sq. miles) span that includes 16 interpretive sites.

Located just outside of Whitecourt lies Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park, an excellent spot for camping, fishing or windsurfing.

For an interesting side trip, try Lac. Ste. Anne (on secondary-highway 765), famous for its annual native pilgrimage July 21-26 ­ where they believe the waters are sacred and have healing qualities. From Lac Ste. Anne it's back to Edmonton as you complete the Grande Alberta Trail, 1,100 paved kilometers of pure adventure and discovery.

Mountain Majesty
Farming communities. cottage country, foothills and the splendor of Jasper National Park.

The Yellowhead Highway (Hwy. 16) is the scenic route from Edmonton to Jasper. Travel west to Stony Plain, the Town with the Painted Past. Here, history and heritage is depicted on 19 colourful outdoor murals.

Visit the Wabamun Lake area, Alberta's cottage country, where sailing, canoeing and fishing are favored activities. Continue to Edson, home to the Galloway Station Museum and the Edson Native Interpretive Trail. Pass through the forested foothills of the Miette Range to Hinton where the Alberta Forest Museum, sawmill and coal mine tours (summers only) and Alberta's largest night-lit cross-country ski facility await.

Further west enter Jasper National Park, part of the Rocky Mountain Wold Heritage Site. This 10,878 sq. km. (4,200 sq. mi) of preserved wilderness offers a fabulous array of outdoor activities - hiking, mountain biking and skating. The mountain scenery and opportunities for wildlife watching are world renowned. Before arriving in Jasper townsite drive Pocahontas Interpretive Trail to scenic Punchbowl Falls and the Miette Hot Springs where you can soak from late June to early September. Also take the scenic drive along Maligne Lake Road. Walk the rim of Maligne Canyon (Alberta's deepest); during winter icewalks are conducted on the canyon floor. Pass Odisappearing' Medicine Lake en route to Maligne Lake and a 90-minute interpretive cruise to Spirit Island, one of the most photographed sights in the Canadian Rockies.

The Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course is rated one of Canada's best and the thrilling guided tour of Jasper Tramway, open April - Oct., rises to 2,300 metres (7,500 ft.) and views of six mountain ranges. During winter ski or snowboard the high alpine bowls, glades and groomed runs at Marmot Basin.

If you have time, continue south of Jasper on the Icefields Parkway (Hwy. 93) past campgrounds, lakes, glaciers and towering peaks. Visit Athabasca and Sunwapta falls, and the magnificent Columbia Icefield where Osnowcoach' tours atop 350 m (1,000 ft.) thick glacial ice are offered late May to early Oct. Return to Edmonton via the scenic David Thompson Highway (Highway 11).

Uniquely Alberta
Traverse the rolling plains of east-central Alberta to see a UFO landing pad, an oversized Easter egg and a living museum of Ukrainian history.

This excursion meanders past quaint towns and rolling farmland just east of Edmonton for a tour that is distinctly Albertan. Highway 16 East provides a direct route to the sprawling wildlife sanctuary of Elk Island National Park. Established in 1906 to preserve endangered animal populations, the park is home to flourishing populations of plains and wood bison, elk, moose, deer, coyote and beaver. Its many lakes, forests, meadows and wetlands ­ part of the Beaver Hills aspen parkland ecosystem ­ have become a popular place to view over 250 species of birds, including loons and trumpeter swans.

If you're in search of something more, something you'll only find in Alberta, head east on Highway 36 to the historic town of St. Paul, where you'll discover the world's only UFO landing pad, constructed in 1967 as a Centennial project. The landing pad site also houses a time capsule that will be opened in 2067.

For something a little more down to earth, take Highway 41 to Vermilion. Just before you reach the town you'll cross a region chock full of sport fishing spots and recreational lakes. From Vermilion, head west on Highway 16 to see something that is definitely out of this world. Vegreville is home to a 7.8 metre (25 foot) pysanka, or Ukrainian Easter egg. The 2,270-kilogram egg represents prosperity, life, food, fortune and eternity. The structure was constructed from more than 3,500 pieces of aluminum to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP and attracts thousands of visitors annually.

On the way back to Edmonton (Highway 16 West) visit the Basilian Fathers Museum in Mundare (21 kilometers west of Vegreville), which tells the story of Ukrainian settlement in the area, or sample the world-famous smoked sausage available at several retail outlets in the town. At the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village (30 kilometers west of Mundare), more than 30 restored buildings and costumed role players bring history to life. Ride in a horse-drawn wagon, nibble on Ukrainian delicacies or explore the historic buildings at this unique open-air museum as the lifestyles of the late 1800s and the early 1900s come alive before your eyes.

Explore the Capital City
Take a drive through Edmonton's scenic downtown and Chinatown, check out prominent residential areas and the awe-inspiring beauty of the North Saskatchewan River valley park system.

Edmonton's cosmopolitan downtown is the location of the Citadel Theatre, Edmonton Art Gallery, Chinatown Gate, Shaw Conference Centre, the new city hall and extensive shopping and business areas. A 1,900-seat concert hall, the Francis Winspear Centre for Music, opened in September, 1997.

Discover Edmonton's convenient indoor pedway system which allows you to move throughout downtown in total comfort. The city centre is a shopper's haven with Eaton Centre (120 stores), Edmonton Centre (100 stores), ManuLife Place (specialty stores and services) and Commerce Place.

The Edmonton Art Gallery exhibits some of the best contemporary and historical art form Canada and around the world. The Citadel Theatre includes a tropical indoor garden/ amphitheatre.

A local landmark, the Alberta Legislature Building overlooks Edmonton's North Saskatchewan River valley. The river valley is the longest stretch of urban parkland in Canada. Several of the more than 70 golf courses within an hour's drive of Edmonton are in the valley.

Encompassing an area of 10 blocks, the 124 Street district includes eight art galleries, quaint shops, fine dining and a day spa.

Step back in time at the Provincial Museum of Alberta with its wealth of displays depicting natural and human history.

Discover Edmonton's past at Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest historic park. Here you'll experience daily life in the frontier era through the First World War.

Are you a nature lover? Then visit the John Janzen Nature Centre, which serves as a focus for natural history events and programs in the river valley. Also set in the river valley is the Muttart Conservatory, four spectacular glass pyramids filled with more than 700 species of plants.

Steeped in history, the Old Strathcona area features hundreds of quaint shops, a farmer's market and the Telephone Historical Centre.

© 2001 Copyright Tanner Young Marketing Ltd. This article can not be reproduced in whole or in part without the expressed written permission.