Seasons, routes and the practical details of getting around Alberta well.
Jasper is one of the largest dark sky preserves in the world, and autumn is when the aurora returns. Where to stand, what the forecasts actually mean, and how to dress for three hours of waiting.
Read the postSeptember and early October give you the Parkway at its best: low light, gold larches, no summer convoy. Here is what is open, what has closed for the season, and how to time the stops.
Read the postFrom early September to mid-October the bull elk bugle, and they are genuinely dangerous. Where to hear them, how far back to stand, and why the townsite is the worst place to get close.
Read the postAlberta’s only deciduous conifer turns gold for about two weeks each September. Here is when the colour peaks, which valleys hold it longest, and how to reach them without fighting for a parking space.
Read the postThe Highwood Pass, the Cowboy Trail, the Badlands and two more. Alberta in autumn is bigger than the Bow Valley, and most of it is emptier.
Read the postThe summer crowds have gone and the ski crowds have not arrived. October in Banff is half empty, considerably cheaper, and about half the attractions are shut. Here is which half.
Read the postThe October long weekend is the last big mountain weekend of the year and everyone knows it. Here is how to have a good one without spending it in a queue on the Trans-Canada.
Read the postGold larch, low sun and still water. Eight locations across the Bow Valley and Kananaskis, with the time of day each one actually works.
Read the postOctober and November are when YYC starts losing afternoons to snow. What actually happens to ground transport when it does, and how to arrive without the scramble.
Read the post
