It’s my home province – so I may be a little biased – but Alberta has some of the most spectacular hikes I’ve ever encountered. With the province’s western border following the crags and valleys of the Rocky Mountains – neatly sectioned into national parks, provincial parks and wilderness and recreation areas – hiking options abound.

Waterton Lakes National Park
Joined with Montana’s Glacier National Park (since 1932) as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park – first of its kind in the world – this unique park is truly a jewel in Canada’s hiking crown. Although it’s the smallest of Canada’s Rocky Mountain parks (525 sq km/ 203 sq mi), Waterton has 200 km (124 mi) of hiking trails – ranging from easy to strenuous, day hike to backpack. One of my favourite hikes: Crypt Lake.

Banff National Park
A classic – and Canada’s very first national park – Banff spans 6,641 sq km (2,564 sq mi) of prime hiking terrain! There is more than 1,500 km (932 mi) of hiking trails within the park’s boundaries – apparently that’s more than any other mountain park. From scenic lakeshore strolls to mountain summits, you’ll find it all in Banff National Park. One of my favourite hikes: Larch Valley-Sentinel Pass.

Jasper National Park
The largest of our Rocky Mountain national park’s – measuring in at 10,878 sq km (4,200 sq mi) – is of course Jasper National Park. Renowned for its extensive backpacking opportunities, this national park is a natural beauty offering over 1,200 km (746 mi) of trails to explore. One of my favourite hikes: Skyline.

Kananaskis Country
Kananaskis Country is a 4,000 sq km (1,544 sq mi) multi-use recreation area consisting of five provincial parks, four wildland provincial parks, five provincial recreation areas, and one ecological reserve. Again, biases based on over a dozen years of working and living in the area (plus another dozen hiking and backpacking) make this my favourite hiking spot in the province. There are over 1,000 km (621 mi) of trails to discover. One of my favourite hikes: Ribbon/Galatea.

Willmore Wilderness Park
Bordering Jasper, Willmore is a 4597 sq km (1775 sq mi) escape from civilization. As such, don’t expect maintained trails and bridge crossings. That being said, there is approximately 750 km (466 mi) of horse and hiking trails in the park. Yes, horsepacking is a popular pastime in the park too (expect a few muddy trail sections). One of my favourite hikes: Ogre Canyon.

Want to do it all?
If you’ve a couple of months to spare, consider thru-hiking the Great Divide Trail. Yes, you’ll slip back and forth between B.C. and AB (63% of trail lies in AB), but the route leads all the way from Waterton to Willmore – a total of 1,198 km (744 mi).