Amy is a professional writer, entrepreneur, parent and experienced outdoor explorer. She has spent most of her adult life chronicling her adventures in the wilderness, finding deep connections to nature and the lands she calls home. Kayaking, hiking, skiing and family camping trips are her go-tos. She shares all her adventures with her young son and offers travel tips for parents wanting to explore nature with their children.
Dinosaur Provincial Park is one of our favourite destinations in the Canadian Badlands. It has some of the province’s most impressive badlands scenery, with flat-topped buttes, mushroom-capped hoodoos, sandstone formations, and giant cottonwood trees; the landscape alone is enough to draw you here. Beyond the landscape, this provincial park has something else...
A visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum is a must-do when visiting Drumheller. It’s usually the main attraction for families visiting the region. Kids love dinosaurs (and big kids do, too)! My family has been a few times over the years, both with toddlers and school-aged kids, and it’s worth the trip every time. As soon as you walk into the main galleries, the...
Tucked away in Alberta’s stark, dramatic badlands, Drumheller is the ultimate prehistoric playground for a family road trip. You’ll find yourself in a surreal landscape of striped canyon walls, towering hoodoos, and the meandering Red Deer River valley. If you have a kid who loves dinosaurs, you’ve got to come here. When you drive into town, you’ll see a...
Did you know there is a free river ferry in the heart of the Canadian Badlands in Alberta? The Bleriot Ferry takes vehicle and foot passengers across the Red Deer River. The ride is short and sweet, but it’s a fun, scenic roadside adventure for kids. My 9-year-old son got a kick out of riding the flat, floating platform and seeing it pull itself across the...
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, located near Trochu, Alberta, is a lesser-known destination in Alberta’s Badlands. The park offers extensive, meandering hiking trails through coulees and grasslands along the Red Deer River Valley. It also protects a unique natural landscape that is rich in Indigenous history and culture. Dry Island Buffalo Jump: What’s in a...
For a taste of everything Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park offers, hike the Matapiiski (Hoodoo) Trail. It takes you through sandstone columns and hoodoos, across grasslands, offering sweeping vistas of the Milk River Valley, coulees and the Sweet Grass Hills (Katoyiss) behind it. It also showcases a few Indigenous rock markings, including the epic Battle Scene. These...
Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park (Áísínai’pi in Blackfoot) is a sacred place, surrounded by mixed grasslands, spectacular hoodoos and winding coulees. Located along Alberta’s southern border and the Milk River, this UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a natural and cultural experience like no other. Called Áísínai’pi by the Blackfoot People...
The Edmonton region is in the heart of aspen parkland, where the prairie meets the northern boreal forest. Mixed forests, open meadows, wetlands, small lakes, and hummocky hills create a scenic and adventurous landscape for outdoor recreation, nature escapes, and camping trips. Whether you live in the area and want an escape from the city, or you’re...
Every parent knows that hiking with kids can be a bit of a crapshoot. You can plan an amazing day outdoors as a family, but it’s always a gamble how they’ll react. Choose a path that’s too long, and you might be carrying them back to the car. Pick a hike that is too boring, and they might never want to go hiking again. Forget to pack snacks? Well, forget about it. No...
Just over an hour southwest of Edmonton, Pigeon Lake is a go-to spot for people looking for an easy escape from the city. The lake is surrounded by sandy beaches, forested campgrounds and quaint lakeside communities. You can camp, boat, fish, hike, and relax by the water without going far from home. Pigeon Lake Provincial Park is one of the most popular places...