Calgary Road Trip

Alberta Wildlife Circle Route

Scenery & Wildlife Day Trips in Alberta Canada

Calgary Road Trip - If you are looking for a scenic road trip that will only take approximately 5 hours out of Calgary, l highly recommend this circle route. You'll travel through Cochrane, Exshaw, Canmore, and Kananaskis with stunning scenery of the Rocky Mountains, lots of Wildlife to see, and the opportunity to stop in Canmore for a coffee refill or bite to eat. I do recommend you top up your gas tank and refill your coffees in Canmore as there won't be another chance until you're back in Calgary!

*Tip - Head out EARLY in the morning for the best chance to see Wildlife. We left Calgary at 6 am and saw lots of animals along the way.

5hr Road Trip from Calgary and back

Calgary Road Trip - Wild Horses

Alberta's Wild Horses

Just outside the Town of Cochrane, Alberta on Highway 1A you may encounter some of Alberta's Wild Horses. These beautiful free-roaming horses sometimes are on the roadway and along the side of the road so use caution in the area and be sure to stop in a safe spot if you want to get some photos.

There are about 900 Wild Horses roaming free in Alberta and they can be found around Cochrane, Sundre, and Nordegg.

The Wild Horses of Alberta Society is located about 15 minutes west of Sundre, Alberta. Their mission is to ensure the provision of all aspects of the conservation and humane treatment of free-roaming Horses in Alberta.

Beautiful Wild Horses of Alberta

Exshaw, Alberta - Bighorn Sheep

Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep

Exshaw's Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

During your Calgary road trip you will come across Exshaw, Alberta. It is a tiny Hamlet 15 km east of Canmore in the Bow River Valley. While traveling through the area keep your eyes on the rock faces to see some of Exshaw's most interesting residents, the talented rock climbing Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep.

These guys are the biggest Sheep in North America and a large ram (male) can weigh over 136 kgs (300lbs) and stand 42" at the shoulder. Rams have huge horns that are tightly curled to the face. Ewes, (females) weigh between 57 kgs (125lbs) to 68 kg (150lbs) and have smaller horns. They are well camouflaged on the rock faces so go slow and see how many you can spot. I could spend hours watching their antics and incredible rock climbing abilities.

Canmore, Alberta

View of Canmore, Alberta

Perfect View Point and Photo Opportunity

Once in Canmore take Main Street to the Three Sisters Parkway and up Highway 742. As you near the top, on the left-hand side will be a pull-off area where you can stop and take gorgeous photos of Canmore and the Three Sisters Mountains.

Breathtakingly beautiful, this is one of my favorite spots for selfies and family photos.

Spray Lakes, Alberta

Continue your Calgary road trip along Highway 742 to the Spray Lakes Reservoir which is a beautiful place to stop for a picnic. There are several day-use areas and we spent a couple of hours here exploring and making plans for future hikes on the nearby Spray Valley Trails.

Pack a picnic lunch and relax while taking in the stunning views. The reservoir was empty in this photo to accommodate the snow melting on the mountain tops to control flooding. Beautiful empty or full.

When you can pull yourself away from these breathtaking views, continue to follow Highway 742 to the junction at Highway 40. Turn right (if you have more time) and check out Peter Lougheed Provincial Park just a few km down the road. Turn left at the junction with Highway 40 and you'll pass the Village of Kananaskis and continue on for a lovely scenic drive to the #1 Trans Canada Highway back to Calgary.