Travel Diary: Alberta

From the mountains to the badlands

Visiting Alberta was the most relaxing part of my summer trip. I’d spent two weeks traveling California and Arizona (which I have been sharing in previous entries of my travel diary), and was ready to be somewhere closer to home. I stayed in Calgary with my relatives and during the week we drove to Banff to see The Rocky Mountains.

We hiked at a popular trail, Johnston Canyon, and also stopped by Lake Louise. Unfortunately, after a few weeks in California I forgot the weather in Canada would be a little cooler, and the lake, known for its pristine turquoise waters, was still mostly iced over.

Leaving Banff National Park at the end of the day, my cousin pointed out some of the lakes on the outskirts of the protected land. He explained that mining companies had been excavating for minerals in the last few years. As a result, the lakes directly surrounding the area, which had once been as turquoise blue as Lake Louise, are now grey and muddy from the silt caused by the excavation process.

While it was great to see so many people enjoying everything within the national park, I think it’s important to remember that every bit of nature can be enjoyed, and is worthy of being preserved. To do my part, I challenged myself to create as little waste as possible during my trip, which I documented and will be sharing soon.I also traveled to Drumheller, a small town east of Calgary known for being home to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, a museum of palaeontology. The town itself seemed extremely proud of its association with dinosaurs and showed it by placing decorative dinosaur statues, murals, and other art around the municipality. I even found a postcard at a gift shop that featured a scavenger hunt to find the dinosaurs!

Not only did many of the local businesses incorporate a dinosaur theme into their storefronts, which was incredibly charming, Drumheller also had more to offer, including amazing landscapes of valleys, badlands, and Hoodoos — a naturally occurring geological formation that resemble mushroom caps.

During the short time I was in Alberta, I was amazed that I could see glaciers and wild cacti growing in the same province. I feel lucky to have been able to visit so many provinces in Canada, and I can’t wait to explore even more of this wonderful country.

Read part one, two, three, and four of my travel series too!

Photo by Karen K. Tran