The sun was rising up over the mountains with wispy clouds around the Three Sisters peaks, making it look as if the clouds were strands of their hair blowing in the wind. I stopped in the middle of my run and took a look all around me and realized what my new home in Canmore, Alberta was all about. It’s about mountains. I fucking love mountains. They make me feel small. They make me slow down. They remind me that our lives are miracles. They speak to my soul. They remind me that the world is big and we need to appreciate it. They somehow reach deep into my psyche and whisper to me to stop, breathe, and enjoy life. It’s fitting that Alberta’s tag line is “Remember to Breathe”.
As I continued my run I thought about all of the great things I was going to be able to do for the first time in these mountains – some excited me, and some scared me. But in the matter of a month I would experience these mountains to the fullest; they would be my winter playground. In fact in the span of 2 days I had plans to soar over the top of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and the next day I would find myself deep down crawling inside the Rockies. How often can you do that in a place? It’s a unique opportunity to experience the true range of these mountains – the top and bottom!
Watch me experience the Top & Bottom of the Rockies – Video
As you can tell – the Canadian Rocky Mountains really do offer something for everyone – from the top to the bottom to things in between. During my time in Alberta, I had a love affair with the mountains, waking up every morning and being greeted by them, running amongst them, playing in them during the day, and watching the sun light them up in a soft pink glow at the end of the day.
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These days you can do anything combined with a helicopter – hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, fishing, and you can even have a heli wedding. It allows you to go deeper and more remote, something we are all looking for in travel. The heli tours run year round and give you a different perspective on the Rockies. We did the heli snowshoeing which included lunch complete with special cheesecake to celebrate my birthday that day!
Canmore Cave Tours
Get a darker perspective on the mountains by going inside them. This is ‘wild’ caving – no interior lighting, no handrails, no walkways; a cave in its natural state. You must be ok with small spaces! I did the 6 hour Adventure Tour where we spent 4 hours in the cave (it felt like 1 hr!), including a 60 ft. repel in the dark and the laundry shoot where you had to slither through a long tunnel section. Not for the faint of heart; a true adventure.
Grizzly Paw Brewery
Set among the mountains peaks, this newly built facility highlights the culture of Canmore and great bear. Head to the Grizzly bar pub for beer and food on Main Street.
Canmore Curling Club
The Canmore Curling Club was created for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Orginally it was the athlete’s village during the Olympics and then was transformed to the Rink it is now today. You can just be a spectator and watch league play or you can rent the ice and play yourself. Since we were complete beginners, we received special lessons, and it was a highlight of my activities in Alberta.
Canmore Winter Carnival
The Canmore Winter Carnival is a celebration of the season and a popular community tradition for more than 20 years with events including ice carving, snow sculpting, dog sled racing, family events, and more!
Disclosure: I was a guest of Travel Alberta – however all opinions here are my own.
Sherry Ott is a refugee from corporate IT who is now a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer. She’s a co-founder of Briefcasetobackpack.com, a website offering career break travel inspiration and advice.
Additionally, she runs an around the world travel blog writing about her travel and expat adventures at Ottsworld.com.com.
