ALBERTA IS FOR LOVERS
Whether romance or adventure, Alberta will get your heart pumping
Nothing sets the mood like a cozy room, a roaring fireplace and picture windows looking out on a winter wonderland with a sky so clear you really can see a million stars. And nobody conjures this dreamy scene better than Alberta, where the Canadian Rockies and prairies come together in spectacular (and romantic) fashion.
Some of the most romantic movies of all time were shot on location in Alberta, from “The Searchers” with John Wayne and Natalie Wood to “Days of Heaven” and “Legends of the Fall.”
Whether for a weekend getaway or a weeklong honeymoon, Alberta makes it easy to write the script for your own love story, set at a single romantic destination or combining several of the province’s alluring locations.
With direct flights from many North American cities, Calgary makes a perfect getaway for couples with no more than a weekend to spare. From landmark hotels like the Fairmont Palliser and Sheraton Eau Claire to chic boutiques like the Hotel Elan and Kensington Riverside Inn, plenty of hotels rank high on the romantic scale.
Calgary has always been a user-friendly city. Rent bikes and cycle the waterfront trails along the Bow River through the city center, paths that meander through multiple parks and islands. Skate hand-inhand at the Olympic Oval, the indoor rink built for the 1988 Winter Games.
Take culinary classes together at The Cookbook Co. or sample the fashion boutiques, indie jewelry stores and craft breweries of eclectic Kensington Village. Around sunset, make your way to Calgary Tower, slide into a window seat at Sky360, order cocktails and watch the sun sink over the Rockies.
The golden prairies melt into the snowcapped mountains starting just 30 miles west of Calgary, a series of rapturous highland resorts that stretches from Canmore and Banff to Lake Louise and Jasper.
Canmore is one of Canada’s adventure capitals and a great place for couples to hone their wilderness skills or learn an outdoor sport. The city is flanked by trails that morph from hiking, biking and horseback riding during the warmer months into downhill skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing come winter. Canmore is also a popular point for fly-fishing, mountain and ice climbing, caving and helicopter sightseeing in the nearby Rockies.
A few miles farther up the Bow River Valley is Banff National Park, and the Town of Banff and Lake Louise. There, you can sink into the steamy waters of Banff Upper Hot Springs after a pampering couple’s massage at the adjacent Pleiades Spa.
Those wanting to get their hearts racing can check out whitewater rafting, the Glacier Skywalk, Banff Gondola or the brand new Via Ferrata adventure course — a system of cables, ladders and a suspension bridge above the Norquay ski area.
Canmore and the national park offer hundreds of places to cozy up at night, from legendary hotels like the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise to comfy bed-and-breakfast inns and rustic retreats like the restored Beaver Cabins and the log chalets of Baker Creek Mountain Resort near Lake Louise.
If you can stretch your honeymoon or weekend getaway into an even longer holiday, Alberta offers plenty of other ways for couples to discover both the province and each other.
Sleep, eat and shop the romantic Old Strathcona neighborhood on the south side of Edmonton. Dig into the past during one of the hands-on activities at Dinosaur Provincial Park. Shoot bison, bear, moose, wolves and other big game (with your camera) during a summer or winter wildlife safari in vast Wood Buffalo National Park. Cruise the scenic byways and back roads of Jasper National Park on a rented motorcycle and sidecar tour. Arrive by stagecoach and ride the range during a dude ranch stay at the Outpost at Warden Rock.