Travel To Calgary
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
Alberta's largest city, Calgary can be found in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The first city in Canada to host the Winter Olympics – and featuring a typically cold and snowy winter climate – it is now a well-known ski and winter activity haven. The city's best-known attraction is the Calgary Stampede; a large annual outdoor rodeo. Calgary is also home to a beautiful natural landscape, exemplified in Banff National Park – Canada's first national park. In this video, we continues our travel series with a look at Calgary, Alberta Canada.
Calgary is the largest city in the Canadian prairie province of Alberta, and is slightly more populous than the provincial capital Edmonton. Calgary’s population is well over one million, which makes it the third largest municipality by population in Canada.
Calgary keeps much of its traditional culture, with saloons, western bars, and of course, the Calgary Stampede. Being billed as the greatest outdoor show on earth, the Calgary Stampede is one of Canada’s largest annual events. Held for ten days in July, the Stampede is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo. The event features concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon races, First Nations exhibitions, and pancake breakfasts around the city. Opening day of the Stampede includes the Stampede Parade, which is normally attended by roughly 350 thousand people.
Calgary was the first Canadian city to host the winter Olympics in 1988. Since then, and because of its location in relation to the Rocky Mountains, Calgary is a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts. Being located so near to the Rockies, Calgary and its surrounding areas also serve as a major haven for ski fans. Sunshine Village is located in Banff National Park, and is a major North American ski resort. It is also known for having Canada’s best snow, and is located across the Alberta-British Columbia border. Cross-country skiers will also find trails in the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest national park, and is found 80 miles west of Calgary, in the Canadian Rockies. The 2,564 square miles of park include ice fields, thick forests, mountainous scenery and glaciers.
The Columbia Icefields, which are also located in the Rockies, draw tourists to see an impressive and active glacier, although in recent years it has been receding. Visitors can travel in a special bus, called a Snocoach, to tour the icefields. These buses are equipped to ride on the ice and snow of the glacier.
With the rodeo fun in the summer, and skiing excitement in the winter, Calgary is the place to be year-round.
