Athabasca Falls is one of the most popular sights in Jasper National Park, less for its 79-foot height than for the power of the water that roars into the gorge below.
Photo by Wenhao Ji/Unsplash
This article was originally published in 2025 and most recently updated on October 21, 2026, with current information.
I’ve called Alberta home for the past 15 years, after growing up just over the border in British Columbia, so I’ve spent a lifetime exploring this corner of the Canadian Rockies. Yet it still seems endlessly new. Whichever season of life I’m in, from a child toddling along alpine lakeshores to an adult climber taking in my first views of the Icefields Parkway, the tumbling glaciers, jagged peaks, and aquamarine waters retain their majestic pull.
The offseason is my favorite time to visit the far reaches of Alberta. As the crowds thin and winter settles in, creativity, culture, and the natural world all thrive. From the holiday festivals in the capital, Edmonton, to the crunch of an elk’s hooves through a snow-draped forest, the chilly season here is anything but still.
On a winter trip here, you can visit lively cities with acclaimed food and drink scenes, ski the Rockies before retiring to cozy cabins, dive deep into Indigenous life, and take in some of the world’s most stunning mountain scenery. Here’s how to spend four exciting days in Alberta.
Day 1: Learn about Indigenous culture and cuisine and hit an Edmonton festival
At Bernadette’s in Edmonton, chef Scott Iserhoff draws from his Indigenous heritage and family traditions.
Courtesy of Indigenous Tourism Alberta
- Sweet treats at the Goodness of Love
- Baked goods at Lift Me Up Bakery
- Dinner at Indigenous-run Bernadette’s
- Explore Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market
- Shop at the Indigenous Artist Market Collective
- Find a good read at Wee Book Inn
- Discover a treasure at the Old Strathcona Antique Mall
- Visit Fort Edmonton Park
- Immerse yourself in the Indigenous Peoples Experience exhibit
- Celebrate winter at the Deep Freeze: a Byzantine Winter Festival and the Flying Canoë Volant festival
Morning: Nab breakfast and explore shops in a hip Edmonton neighborhood
Begin your journey in Edmonton, Alberta’s vibrant capital. Though it’s sometimes dismissed as a quick stopover, this cultural and culinary hub deserves a deeper look.
If you’re here on a weekend, start with a visit to Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, the city’s year-round indoor market, where local vendors sell everything from farm-fresh produce and artisan baked goods to handmade goods and local art. Check out sweet treats from the Goodness of Love, an inclusive business that creates employment opportunities for people with disabilities. And stop by the Indigenous Artist Market Collective, a space at the farmers’ market that showcases the work of more than 180 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit members.
Next, wander down historic Whyte Avenue, the neighborhood’s main strip, to explore its independent shops and offbeat character. Don’t miss the charming Wee Book Inn, a long-standing institution packed with secondhand reads (along with a friendly feline), and the Old Strathcona Antique Mall, where vendors offer vintage finds, collectibles, and curiosities.
Carb lovers should also consider crossing hopping a bus (or, on weekends, the historic High Level Bridge Streetcar) across the North Saskatchewan River to the neighborhood of Westmount to order irresistibly sticky and soft pistachio cinnamon buns and house-roasted coffee at Lift Me Up Bakery, attached to Tiramisu Bistro (find it behind the distinctive red door). Take a moment to browse the display of locally made jewelry and pottery before heading to Fort Edmonton Park.
Afternoon: Go back in time at Fort Edmonton Park
This riverside park takes its name from the on-site replica of Fort Edmonton, a 19th-century Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading post. Though the fort operates only seasonally (from May through September), the Indigenous Peoples Experience is open on weekends year-round. Situated on the traditional territory of the Blackfoot, Cree, Dene, Saulteaux, and Stoney Nakoda nations, this immersive exhibit transports you into the worlds of pre- and post-contact Indigenous life. Step into a simulated buffalo run, learn how Edmonton was once a settlement for members of the Métis Nation (a mixed-ancestry people that is one of three groups recognized by Indigenous Peoples of Canada, along with First Nations and Inuit), and follow the cycle of the seasons to understand how Indigenous people measured time.
Evening: Eat dinner at Bernadette’s and follow the festival
After strolling along the peaceful riverbank, head to your reservation at Bernadette’s, which chef Scott Iserhoff named for his grandmother. A proud member of the Attawapiskat First Nation, Iserhoff draws from his heritage and family traditions. His connection to the land, in dishes like raw elk topped with fried capers and bison-cheek potato dumplings, shines through his thoughtful, ever-changing menu.
Discover why Edmonton is known as Canada’s Festival City after dinner. Events happen all year—there are more annual festivals held here than there are weeks in the year—but the city really leans into winter. During January, for instance, Deep Freeze: a Byzantine Winter Festival (January 16–17, 2027) celebrates French-Canadian, Indigenous, and Ukrainian cultures with food, art, performances, and activities, including races in which contestants push deep freezers.
Later in the month, Flying Canoë Volant (January 27–30, 2027) draws on the legend of the flying canoe, in which a man is cursed to spend his life soaring through the sky in a canoe. The myth is a combination of First Nations and French Canadian stories, and the singular event is an interactive cultural celebration with music, storytelling, and food.
Tuck in for the night at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, the city’s only hotel with a Michelin key. The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway opened this elegant, French Renaissance–inspired property, known locally as the “Château on the River,” in 1915, and in the century since, it has hosted guests such as Queen Elizabeth and Bill Clinton.
Day 2: Indigenous traditions, snowy forests, and quiet winter nights
Gather around an outdoor fire at Painted Warriors.
Courtesy of Indigenous Tourism Alberta
- Brunch at Pip
- Take in the postapocalyptic decor at Shelter
- Get a kick out of pop-culture cocktails at Proof
- Snowshoe and then relax around a fire at Painted Warriors
- See the skyline and the Calgary Tower from a seat at Major Tom
Morning: Savor breakfast in Old Strathcona
Start your day at Pip, an Old Strathcona favorite known for its inventive take on brunch. Menu highlights include the savory Dutch baby, a fluffy, cast-iron-baked pancake topped with sharp Gruyère, creamy béchamel, and a sunny-side-up egg. For a lighter option, the lox and avocado toast combines beet-cured salmon with marinated cucumber and everything bagel spice.
Afternoon: Get out in the woods with a First Nations guide
It’s time to head out of town. Hop in the car and drive about two and a half hours south to Painted Warriors. The 82-acre ranch is set far into the forested foothills of the Canadian Rockies, and in colder months its activities, led by Cree, Mohawk, and Ojibway locals, take place under the soft light of winter skies. Arrive by 1 p.m. for the Bimaagimose Day Experience, a snowshoeing adventure offered from December through March.
Strap on your snowshoes and follow your guide into the forest. Along the way, you’ll learn how to track wildlife and use natural landmarks to navigate. The air is crisp, and the land whispers its stories—the echoes of earlier journeys mingling with the slow rhythm of travel across snow. End by gathering around a crackling fire to share a meal, like chicken with roast potatoes, asparagus, and harvested ingredients like wild mint and rose hips, cooked slowly over open flames
Beyond snowshoeing, Painted Warriors offers a range of immersive experiences: horseback riding along tree-lined trails, archery, and hands-on workshops, in which guests craft their own ribbon skirts, a deeply significant garment girls would traditionally wear as they became young women. The skirt later became a symbol of resilience, as Indigenous women would wear it to proclaim their connection with their heritage.
Evening: Sip and stay in downtown Calgary
A one-hour drive farther south takes you to Calgary. Historically thought of as a gateway to the Canadian Rockies, the province’s largest city is a wildly diverse place with a vibrant food and drink scene worth exploring.
And what better way to explore than with a bit of bar-hopping? Downtown Calgary is full of excellent cocktail lounges, such as Major Tom. Located on the 40th floor of the Stephen Avenue Place retail center, the bar offers drinks like the Supernova, which brings together Alberta whiskey, black cherry, and coffee oil; bites ranging from caviar to Alberta Angus steak frites; and views of the city skyline, including the nearby 626-foot-tall Calgary Tower.
Continue the evening a few blocks away at Shelter, which has a postapocalyptic aesthetic (complete with gas masks behind the bar), tapas, and aromatic cocktails like the Pecan & Agave (a tequila-and-rum drink inspired by northern Mexican pecan caramels). Walk one block farther, and you’ll hit Proof, known for inventive, pop culture–themed drinks such as the apricot-and-fig-laced Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship and the rum-based Blue Monday. Both spots made this year’s long list for the 50 Best Bars in North America.
By now you’ll be ready to lie down, so cross the Bow River to the hip Beltline neighborhood and the design-centric Hotel Arts. Come for the murals by Canadian artists, such as Bruce Pashak’s colorful pastiche The Caution Horse; stay for the heated outdoor pool, open year-round.
Day 3: Sleigh rides, skiing, and hot springs in Kananaskis Country
Kananaskis Nordic Spa has several types of saunas, hot pools, and cold plunges, many with views of the surrounding mountains.
Photo by Karl Lee/Travel Alberta
- Start with upgraded eggs Benedict at OEB Breakfast Co.
- Dig into Alberta steak at the Cedar Room
- Dash through the snow in a horse-drawn sleigh at Boundary Ranch
- Hit the slopes at Nakiska Ski Area
- Try Nordic skiing on the Pocaterra Trail
- Soak at the Kananaskis Nordic Spa
Morning: See bison from a cozy sleigh
Fuel up for the day at the downtown location of OEB Breakfast Co., a Calgary morning favorite that has expanded across Western Canada. The eggs Benedict shows why: The brunch classic is served on a flaky butter croissant, with the twist that you can get it with Korean bulgogi or a seasonal ingredient like braised butternut squash.
Hit the road due west for an hour’s drive, and you’ll reach Kananaskis Country, locals’ preferred mountain playground. At Boundary Ranch, a horse-drawn sleigh awaits to whisk you through the snowy landscape—and past the bison paddock, where you’ll see North America’s favorite shaggy bovine. At the end of the ride, ranch staffers will welcome you back with a crackling bonfire and marshmallow roast.
Afternoon: Ski and soak in Kananaskis
Spend a few hours carving down the slopes at Nakiska Ski Area, which was built to host alpine events for the 1988 Winter Olympics. (Nordic skiers, meanwhile, can hit the Pocaterra Trail, a personal favorite of mine in nearby Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. It winds through snowy forests and open landscapes with mountain views.)
If you’ve reserved a night at the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, an Autograph Collection hotel just a couple of miles from Nakiska’s base, it’s worth adding access to the Black Diamond Club, which has a dedicated adventure concierge who can help build your outdoor itinerary.
Adjacent to the lodge, the recently reimagined Kananaskis Nordic Spa has introduced the Element Circuit, a quieter, more intimate hydrotherapy experience. Capped at 50 guests a day, with the option to book the entire space privately, it features a two-story Calm Cabin with red-light therapy booths, a variety of saunas, a mountain-view hot pool, and a walk-through cold plunge.
Now that you’re relaxed, indulge in dinner at one of the lodge’s restaurants: Forte for wood-fired pizza and pasta, the Cedar Room for prime rib and mammoth porterhouse and tomahawk steaks, and Blacktail Bar for craft cocktails with local ingredients like Alberta tarragon honey.
Day 4: Winter wonders on the Icefields Parkway
Alberta’s Highway 93, also known as the Icefields Parkway, offers views of some of the world’s most dramatic mountain scenery.
Photo by Jason Hill
- Indulge in soufflé pancakes at Bluebird Banff
- Chase brisket with Canadian whiskey at the Maligne Range
- Branch out with elk burgers at Elderwood or venison at the Barbican
- Drive the Icefields Parkway
- Walk to frozen waterfalls in Jasper National Park
- Challenge yourself with ice climbing
- Cold plunge in Lac Beauvert
- Stargaze at the Jasper Planetarium
- Enjoy fireside storytelling by the Warrior Women collective
Morning: Take a drive on one of the world’s most scenic highways
Check out of the Mountain Lodge early and make the hour’s drive to Banff for a breakfast of lemony soufflé pancakes so soft and fluffy you could nap on them—or prime rib toast on thick brioche with creamy pimento cheese and rich gravy—at Bluebird Banff.
Now that you’ve fueled up, get ready to experience the legendary Icefields Parkway. Connecting Banff National Park to under-the-winter-radar Jasper National Park, the route winds past hanging glaciers, towering peaks, and forests dusted with frost, with a new view unfolding around every bend.
Two of the most spectacular sights you’ll spot when you reach Jasper are Sunwapta and Athabasca falls. During the winter, these waterfalls take on a quieter, more otherworldly character, as ice gathers around the rushing water and snow blankets the surrounding forest and mountains. The short walks from the parking areas lead to viewpoints that are far less crowded than in summer. There, you can watch the partially frozen falls force their way through a steep canyon.
Afternoon: Strap on a pair of ice-climbing boots
After arriving in the town of Jasper, tuck into lunch at the Maligne Range, a smokehouse and Canadian whiskey distillery with a menu that celebrates Western Canadian ingredients in dishes such as Alberta beef brisket, bison carpaccio, and elk Milanese and West Coast salmon. Fortify yourself for a few hours out in the cold with a Tekarra rai tai, made with the house Tekarra rye whiskey.
You won’t have to wander far to experience Jasper’s most thrilling winter activity. Just a few blocks away is Rockaboo Mountain Adventures, where you can strap on crampons, grip an ice axe, and learn to climb a man-made tower of ice in the heart of town, under the patient guidance of expert instructors. All the gear is provided, so you can focus on the exhilaration of the ascent, the fog of your breath in the cold air, and the thrum of your heart against the stillness of the surrounding mountains.
Evening: See the stars and settle into a posh lakeside cabin
Spend your final night in a lakeside cabin at the newly renovated Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. If you’re feeling brave, take a (very short) dip in the frigid Lac Beauvert before warming up in the hotel’s new waterfront barrel sauna, which looks out across the lake to the mountains.
For dinner, pick something from the property’s newly refreshed dining lineup: Elderwood has casual Canadian cuisine (elk burgers, wild mushroom flatbreads), the Barbicon does steakhouse fare (venison loin, rib-eyes, roasted bone marrow), and Orso Trattoria favors pasta dishes (carbonara, ricotta agnolotti).
Your bed may be calling after a big meal and four long days, but first stop at the on-site Jasper Planetarium for stargazing; after all, Jasper is one of the world’s largest dark-sky preserves and puts on a Dark Sky Festival in the fall. Aside from the planetarium’s scientific programming on the stars and the aurora borealis, you can hear cultural stories about the night sky through activities like fireside chats with Cree Knowledge Keeper and Warrior Women cofounder Matricia Bauer. She might tell the tale of Star Woman, who descends from the heavens and is caught by geese and placed on a turtle’s back, helping bring the world into being. Bauer points out that the Cree words for “star” and “spirit” share a common root, reflecting the belief that we come from the stars.
Take time afterward to scan the sky on your own. Even if you don’t spot the northern lights, the myriad of constellations and galaxies spread out above the mountaintops will take your breath away.
Where to stay: Alberta hotels
Here’s where we recommend staying for this itinerary.
