Joan Marie Galat - Day Trips from Edmonton

DAY TRIPS

FROM

EDMONTON

ALSO IN THE BEST OF ALBERTA SERIES

Day Trips from Calgary

ALSO BY JOAN MARIE GALAT

Dot to Dot in the Sky series

Stories of the Zodiac

Stories of the Moon

Stories of the Planets

Stories in the Stars

BEST OF ALBERTA

DAY TRIPS

FROM

EDMONTON

Joan Marie Galat

Copyright 2013 by Joan Marie Galat

Whitecap Books

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The information in this book is true and complete to the best of the authors knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Whitecap Books Ltd. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.

Opinions expressed in this book do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Whitecap Books. The information in this book is for planning purposes only and does not reflect changing conditions relating to weather, construction, traffic or other circumstances. Obey all road signs and beware of wildlife on roadways. Whitecap Books does not review or endorse the contents of the websites listed in this book. Whitecap Books assumes no liability for any content or opinion expressed on these websites, nor does it warrant that the contents and links are error or virus free.

Editors: Theresa Best and Lara Kordic

Cover Design: Michelle Furbacher and Marjolein Visser

Cover Photography: City of Fort Saskatchewan; Paul Swanson; Economic Development and Tourism, Strathcona County; Rachel J. Photography; Lisa Priestly; Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm; Joan Marie Galat

Interior Design: Mauve Pag and Warren Clark

Maps: Leslie Bell | www.lesliebell.com

Typesetting: Jan Westendorp

Proofreading: Eva van Emden

eBook development: WildElement.ca

Printed in Canada

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Galat, Joan Marie, 1963-, author

Day trips from Edmonton / Joan Marie Galat. Second edition

(Best of Alberta)

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-77050-184-3 (pbk.)

1. Edmonton Region (Alta.) Guidebooks. 2. Alberta Guidebooks. I. Title.

FC3657.G35 2013 917.123'34044 C2013-903549-4

The publisher acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) and the Province of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

For Grant, who packs the best picnics
and makes every trip an adventure

CONTENTS

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM, STRATHCONA COUNTY

Sherwood Park Natural Area

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/NORTHERN PHOTO

Bison at Elk Island National Park

INTRODUCTION

T here are many perks to taking a day trip. You dont need to pack an overnight bag, find someone to water your plants, or arrange for someone to pick up your mail. Its not necessary to win the lottery, cash in frequent flyer points, or start searching for lost savings accounts to finance a trip. You wont have to work overtime to bank extra days off, and you wont be gone long enough to miss your loved ones or pets who cant come along for the ride. All you need is a reliable form of transportation, a full tank of gas, this guide, and perhaps a picnic lunch. Day trips have always appealed to me for all these reasons.

An Alberta resident for many years, I have lived in various areas but always within a few hours of Edmonton. I have spent hours on the road and frequently found occasions to seek out the pleasure of fresh wonders along the wayall while indulging a rather persistent passion for picnicking. Writing this book has given me the opportunity to share these discoveries.

During my travels I have contemplated a general tendency many of us have, to take long trips in search of the unusual and interesting while disregarding many fascinating points of interest close to home. Perhaps its normal to assume anything worth seeing is far, far away. For those living in the Edmonton area, what a happy surprise to discover a multitude of treasures close to home. Use this guide the next time you want to treat yourself to a day off, entertain out-of-town guests, or go on a date that offers something more original than supper and a movie. Take a day trip to teach your children Alberta history and show them why they should feel pride in Albertas wonders. For those visiting from more distant locales, Day Trips from Edmonton will reveal parts of the province where early pioneers thrived as they made their mark in Canada. These intriguing sites in Alberta towns, cities, and country spaces are all just a road trip and picnic away.

All the sites described in Day Trips from Edmonton are located two hours or less by car from downtown Edmonton. I have included natural wonders, human-engineered points of interest, historic sites, cultural features, museums, picnic spots, and recreational opportunities. In addition, I have described seasonal opportunities to highlight the appeal of sites throughout the year, lest you think day trips are only a summertime activity. The sites within Edmontons day-trip range can be enjoyed any time of year. They bring surprising new delights when experienced in different seasons and provide distinct opportunities to truly appreciate this areas myriad features. There are many relatively untouched places to explore and enjoy in solitude; there are also locations bustling with activities and events, including farmers markets, rodeos, fairs, and parades, as well as festivals, outdoor concerts, and community-wide garage sales.

The two-hour circle around Edmonton encompasses a variety of habitats and spectacular multi-hued natural landscapes. You will see parkland where trembling aspen woods alternate with farmland, defining the transition zone between southern prairie and northern boreal forest. Fields may be golden-yellow with canola, tan with barley or wheat, or green with one of the many garden crops grown in this region. You will pass pastures grazed by a wide assortment of cattle, including the black-and-white Holstein and the red-and-white Hereford; the Black Angus and Red Angus; the Black Baldy, which is usually a HerefordBlack Angus cross and is black with a white face; the usually sparkling white Charolais; the Simmental with red and white patchy markings; and even the Belted Galloway with a black-white-black pattern like an Oreo cookie on legs. And dont forget the horses, donkeys, bison, sheep, pigs, turkeys, and goats. Watch the farms for more exotic livestock such as elk, wild boar, game birds, alpacas, llamas, emus, and ostriches.

As you drive through rural Alberta, look for the still-standing grey and sagging pioneer homes and barns, sometimes surrounded by windbreaks of spruce or poplar. Imagine the first settlers arriving by cart and wagon, searching for landgenerally seeking flat ground with some trees for lumber, as well as a grassy area and water source. Settlers chose their homesteads when much more of this area was forested, and they judged the soil according to the trees they observed growing.