There are 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites worldwide, and five are located in the Wild Rose province.
Touring UNESCO sites can be a great opportunity for families to bond and explore Alberta, says Anastasia Martin-Stilwell of Travel Alberta.
WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK
Only a few hours from Calgary is a national park that combines the dramatic rise of the mountains with the flatlands of the prairies -- and, with two distinct landscapes come a wide range of wildlife.
Birds, bears and bighorn sheep are some of the animals visitors can expect to see in the 536-sq.-km. park, while Trappers restaurant -- known for its Saskatoon Berry Pie -- and the Serenity Spa are elegant ways to kick back.
HEAD-SMASHED-IN BUFFALO JUMP
Called estipah-skikikini-kots in Blackfoot, this is the largest, oldest and best-preserved buffalo jump in North America.
For more than 5,000 years, bison were herded over the edge of the 10- to 18-metre-high cliffs by the Blackfoot peoples, and today, the site is preserved with pits, a butchering camp, and a kilometre-wide expanse pocked with the remnants of meat caches and cooking pits.
DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK
A favourite for kids, this badlands destination was once a low-lying coastal plain at the edge of a large and shallow sea. Today, the eastern Alberta attraction is a maze of hoodoos, mesas and coulees, and hoards more than 300 first-quality dinosaur skeletons and other valuable fossils.
"You're awed by the dinosaur fossils that are weathering out of the ground," says Marty Eberth of Travel Alberta. "It really appeals to the 'explorer' in all of us -- and for those who want to take it to the next level, you can join a dinosaur dig for a day."
Or, she adds, families can simply visit the renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum to see the dinos that once called this area home.
BANFF AND JASPER NATIONAL PARKS
Two of Alberta's most popular tourist destinations, Banff and Jasper National Parks, are built around hot springs and railways that wind through the mountains. The birthplaces of Alberta's national park systems, Banff and Jasper are as steeped in history as they are breathtaking and rustic.
"Alberta's UNESCO sites are incredible attractions and destinations for all travellers to visit," Martin-Stilwell says.
WOOD BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK
Canada's largest national park is nearly 45,000 sq. km. in size, and houses boreal forests, sedge meadows and rivers, along with the largest free-roaming herd of bison in the world.
Located in northern Alberta, the park offers plenty of forest to explore and wildlife to see -- perfect for the outdoor lover's getaway.
NICOLE.MCLAWS@SUNMEDIA.CA
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