Cowboys & Western
Searching for an authentic western experience? You don’t have to settle for a Hollywood movie—in Alberta you’ll find the real thing. From high country ranch vacations to rodeos and fairs, museums, historic sites, western jamborees and even a cowboy poetry festival, make time to experience it all.
Canadian Rockies Ranch Vacations
For the ultimate western experience, spend your holiday at a working ranch. Learn how to handle a horse or rope a steer, or take part in a multi-day cattle drive. Enjoy the mountain scenery of our high ranch country on a nature hike or trail ride and then relax around a campfire after an Alberta cowboy cookout. Stay overnight in log cabins, tents or comfortable lodges. Visit Alberta Country Vacations Association to arrange your stay.Rodeos and Fairs
Calgary
The Calgary Stampede bills itself as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, and that’s no exaggeration. The ten-day extravaganza has yearly attendance numbers well over a million. A big attraction is the rodeo—competitions for cumulative points throughout the event feature some of the best talent in North America vying for prize money in bareback, bull riding, ladies’ barrel racing, saddle bronc, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, wild pony racing and more.
Be sure to visit the agriculture barns to see who's winning the blue ribbons. Families are known to spend a good part of an afternoon looking at all the different breeds of animals. The little ones will love the miniature horses. Stroll around the enormous midway and take in some of the live music while you're waiting for the Rangeland Derby chuckwagon races to start. Afterward, settle in for the stage show entertainment. Don't leave early or you'll miss the spectacular fireworks that close the grounds each night. Dress in western gear and you'll fit right in.
Edmonton
In November, Edmonton’s Canadian Finals Rodeo draws talent from the North American rodeo circuit that compete for big money in the Canadian Championship events. Visit the agricultural exhibitions and learn about how well we care for our show breeds. Enjoy the chili-cookoff, pancake breakfasts and international music stars.Around Alberta
You’ll find rodeos in all six of Alberta’s regions throughout the summer. For a complete list of rodeos start with Alberta Fairs, Exhibitions, Rodeos and check out Rodeo Canada. The rodeo events often include a parade, country dances, ranch style breakfasts and barbecues, live entertainment and camping facilities.Chuckwagon Races
Chuckwagon races are a big deal in Alberta. If you want to join in the excitement, begin with the detailed calendar at the World Professional Chuckwagon Association. Many of these events also include rodeo competitions, fairs and related entertainment. Here are a few that feature the top competitors.- Calgary Rangeland Derby (part of the Stampede), July
- Drumheller Badlands’ Dinosaur Derby, July
- Edmonton Chuckwagon Derby, July
- Grande Prairie Stompede, June
- High River North American Chuckwagon Championship, June
- Lethbridge Rocky Mountain Turf Club Derby, June
- Red Deer Dodge World Chuckwagon Championship, August
- Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association Finals (part of the Lloydminster Exhibition), August
Museums and Heritage Sites
Calgary
Glenbow Museum: Calgary's Glenbow Museum houses western Canada's largest inventory of Aboriginal and western artifacts and hosts heritage days full of "old west" activities.Fort Calgary: This historic park commemorates the site of an 1880s North West Mounted Police post. The facility allows you to experience the history of the Mounted Police and the settlement through reconstructed buildings, interpretation, exhibits and even dinner theatre. On offer are numerous programs designed for school children learning about the history of the city.
Edmonton
Fort Edmonton Park: The Park represents four distinct time periods, exploring Edmonton's development from a fur trading post to a bustling city after the First World War. Costumed interpreters live the ways of the past in over 75 structures, many original.
Royal Alberta Museum: While top-notch traveling exhibits keep this mammoth museum in Edmonton fresh, you'll still unearth something new in the permanent Syncrude Gallery that spans 11,000 years of western history.
Around Alberta
The Bar U Ranch National Historic Site south of Calgary on Hwy 22, is a perfect place to explore the history of ranching in the west. Interpreters demonstrate ranching activities and there are often special events such as blacksmith competitions, cowboy poetry readings, music and campfire stories on summer weekends.
Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village in Pincher Creek celebrates the famous pioneer, George “Kootenai” Brown. Visit his log cabin and other buildings that take visitors back to the late 1800s. There are interpreters and thousands of artifacts from ancient dental equipment to kids’ toys and Boer War paraphernalia.
Special Attractions
The Cowboy Trail begins in the southern Alberta town of Cardston and tracks northward along the eastern slopes of the mountains for more than 700 km (435 mi) to Mayerthorpe. Drive this scenic trail and you're guaranteed to spot working cowboys, find a country fair or two, western art, antiques and collectibles, small-town rodeos and big-time museums and historical sites. Rocky Mountain House Museum, the Remington Carriage Museum and the Leighton Art Centre, Gallery and Museum are just a few of our finest.If you like to dance western style or would like to learn, don’t miss Hillspring’s Saturday-night-only Great Canadian Barn Dance.
Other salutes to Alberta’s western roots include annual events such as Pincher Creek’s Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Camrose’s Big Valley Jamboree, Stony Plain's Blueberry Bluegrass Country Music Festival and Edmonton’s Capital Ex (formerly Klondike Days).
