Alberta is that dreamland of prairies, the Wild West and the Rocky Mountains where you would love to ride while listening to “Country Roads Take Me Home.” Alberta makes the perfect destination for a road trip exposing you to the dreamy, country landscape of Canada and letting you have the time of your life.

Here are 5 of the best road trips you can take to Alberta in a car with your buddies. Just hit the road and treat your soul to the best of peaks, glaciers, and country landscape around.

5 Best Alberta Road Trips

Cowboy Trail

The stretch from Mayerthorpe to Lundbrek on Highway 22 is called the Cowboy Trail. You take this drive under the vast blue skies, amidst the prairies and the spectacular Rocky Mountains. There is this undeniable rustic charm in this trail that leaves you thrilled. The 355 mile stretch of trail has the best views of lakes and prairies. The rolling grasslands will keep you mesmerized all the way. Adventure lovers can go swimming and fishing along the way or even visit the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site. This takes you back to the era of cowboys and ranchers. Going back to a different time in history is a great experience to cherish. Also, do not miss the Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It pays tribute to the buffalo culture of the people living in the plains. This is one of those road trips which will interest you at every step.

Icefields Parkway

This is a drive along Highway 93 from Lake Louise to Jasper. The stretch of 144 miles has the best Canadian scenery you can ever experience. Wildlife lovers can be surprised by the beautiful scene of black bears moving or bighorn sheep running along the road. As the name suggests, the trail has got six glaciers that are fed by the Columbia Icefield. If you truly wish to see the Athabasca glacier in the best way, take the Glacier Explorer bus ride once. The other spots to visit are the Maligne Canyon and the two beautiful lakes- the Peyto Lake and the Bow Lake.

The Canadian Badlands

This is one of the most exciting trails to take for road trips. The Badlands trail takes you along Highway 1 from Calgary to the Dinosaur Provincial Park. This Park is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can take a look at the preserved fossils of dinosaurs. Paleontology lovers can also visit the Royal Tyrell Museum to witness the most significant collection. People can also go along the Highways 837 and 838 loops of the road known as the Dinosaur Trail and stop at the Midland Park, which hosts this Royal Tyrell Museum. This is a trail where the Jurassic Park adventures meet the cowboy culture. You can find yourself amidst the typical Wild West landscape where hills, the ranches, and the spectacular hoodoos and rock formations near the Grand Canyon will leave you delighted.

Boomtown Trail

One of the most beautiful road trips to Alberta includes the Boomtown Trail from Calgary to Edmonton. This is one of the lesser taken trails but can prove to be quite interesting. You need to avoid the Trans-Canada highway and the major routes to enjoy the real scenery. The backwaters and the Buffalo Lake take you down the most tranquil lands you could find. You can stop by the lake to admire or paddle for some time.

Bow Valley Parkway

This is a shorter trail from Banff to Lake Louise, but this drive through Highway 1A has excellent beauty in store for you. The hill town of Banff is breath-taking in its beauty. Lake Louise too provides a picture of utmost serenity. The road that moves along the Bow River makes you slow down and admire the dreamy scenery. The Castle Mountain looks amazing from the different angles that you can see from this trail.