Categories: Lifestyle

These Alberta spots were named ‘alternatives’ for American visitors

Image via Kabindra shrestha/Shutterstock

Alberta is renowned worldwide for its stunning outdoors, and two spots in the province were featured by The New York Times (NYT) as “alternatives” for Americans seeking to escape U.S. national parks.

The prestigious American newspaper recently released a piece that rounded up Canadian national park alternatives that “offer similar appeal to certain American parks” in the midst of recent staff and budget cuts to the U.S. National Park Service that “threaten to bring long admission lines, shuttered campgrounds and overflowing garbage cans.”

Two spots in Alberta were included, and our province was the only one to be mentioned multiple times by the NYT. How impressive!

Waterton Lakes National Park is a dupe of Montana’s Glacier National Park

The NYT selected Waterton Lakes National Park in southwestern Alberta due in part to it sharing the ecosystem and landscape of neighbouring Glacier National Park, making them a natural pair and filled with plenty of outdoor attractions.

We highly suggest checking out Red Rock Canyon in the park, the village of Waterton, and of course, the stylish Prince of Wales Hotel.

Banff National Park is a dupe of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park

Banff National Park is no stranger to the spotlight, and as Canada’s first national park, it protects a large swath of the Rocky Mountains, similar to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

In addition to the usual suspects of things to do and see while visiting, such as paddling, biking, and rock climbing, iconic spots like Lake Louise and Moraine Lake were also mentioned.

While we are on the topic of being touted as some of the best, Alberta is no stranger to the spotlight. Just last month, two picturesque spots in the province were named the most beautiful in the world.

A small town in Alberta was also named one of the best places to visit in Canada by travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet last month.

You can view the full list of Canadian national parks tapped by NYT online.