Southern Alberta

Alberta's national parks and cities grab most of the headlines, leaving the expansive south largely forgotten. This is true cowboy land, where the ghosts of herders like John Ware and the Sundance Kid are woven through the history of endless ranch land. It's often interrupted by deep, dramatic canyons carved in the last ice age, as well as towering hoodoos – funky, Dr Seuss–like rock sculptures. History abounds at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, and Writing-on-Stone and Dinosaur Provincial Parks, Unesco World Heritage areas that preserve the region's fascinating past.

Picture-perfect landscapes are plentiful here. The dusty badlands around Drumheller open up into wide open prairies that stretch east all the way to the Cyprus Hills of western Saskatchewan. To the west lies Waterton Lakes National Park, with some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rockies – utterly different from Banff and Jasper yet still under the radar of most visitors.

Explore Southern Alberta

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Southern Alberta.

  • National Park

    Waterton Lakes National Park

    Here flat prairies collide dramatically with the Rockies, with a sparkling lake and a hilltop castle that may make you wonder if you've fallen into a…

  • Historic Site

    Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

    The story behind this Unesco World Heritage site with the strangest name of any attraction in Alberta is one of ingenuity and resourcefulness – and is key…

  • Museum

    Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

    This fantastic museum is one of the pre-eminent dinosaur museums on the planet, made even better by a $5.9 million expansion project completed in 2019…

  • Historic Site

    Bar U Ranch

    Founded in 1882, Bar U was once one of the largest commercial ranches in the world, covering 160,000 acres. You can wander back in time through its two…

  • Museum

    Frank Slide Interpretive Centre

    This excellent museum overlooks the Crowsnest Valley and helps put a human face on the tragedy of the Frank landslide. Displays bring mining, the railroad…

  • Lake

    Cameron Lake

    Backed by the sheer-sided slopes of Mt Custer, placid Cameron Lake is tucked tantalizingly beneath the Continental Divide at the three-way meeting point…

  • Lake

    Upper Waterton Lake

    Visible from all over town, this is the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies, sinking to a murky 120m. One of the best vantage points is from the Prince…

  • Animal Sanctuary

    Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation

    This is a working rescue sanctuary that takes in raptors, owls and other birds of prey and – ideally – releases them promptly back into the wild. However,…

  • Waterfall

    Cameron Falls

    At the west end of Cameron Falls Dr (a short hop from the center of town) is this dramatically poised torrent of foaming water, notable among geologists…

  • Mine

    Atlas Coal Mine

    Home to the last wooden tipple (a coal-loading structure) in Canada, Atlas Coal Mine closed its production in 1959. Today it's an engaging historic sight…

  • Museum

    Galt Museum & Archives

    The story of Lethbridge is told at the Sir Alexander Galt Museum, encased in an old hospital building (1910) on the bluff high above the river…

  • Park

    Dinosaur Provincial Park

    In no other place on earth has such a large number of dinosaur bones been found in such a small area – over 40 species and 400 skeletons. Set where The…

  • Historic Site

    Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park

    Perhaps the best thing about this park is that it really isn't on the way to anywhere. For those willing to get off the main thoroughfare, all efforts…

  • Historic Site

    Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park

    Standing stoically in the center of a First Nations reserve, Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park celebrates and embraces authentic Siksika (Blackfoot)…

  • Canyon

    Horseshoe Canyon

    The baddest of the badlands can be seen at Horseshoe Canyon, a spectacular chasm cut into the otherwise flat prairie located 17km west of Drumheller on…

  • Museum

    East Coulee School Museum

    This original village school in art deco style doubled in size to eight rooms during the coal mining boom of the 1930s. Exhibits inside detail the history…

  • Bridge

    Rosedale Suspension Bridge

    This suspension bridge isn't very long or particularly high, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart. Made of see-through wire mesh, it sways like…

  • Landmark

    World's Largest Dinosaur

    In a town filled with dinosaurs, this T rex is the king of them all. Standing 26m high above a parking lot, it dominates the Drumheller skyline (and is…

  • Gardens

    Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden

    The Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden is the perfect antidote to the stresses of the road. These immaculate grounds, interspersed with ponds, flowing water,…