Alberta's Healthy Outdoor Lifestyle

Parks:

Apart from all the local parks where families can avail of various facilities Alberta also boasts some amazing National and Provincial Parks. Jasper and Banff National parks are popular tourist attractions known for their glaciers, ice field, forests and alpine landscape. Wildlfie in these parks include elf, caribou, moose and bears. Other major parks include Dinasour Provincial Park which is an UNESCO World Heritage site, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, which is located on the prairie grassland of Southern Alberta, and has a special spiritual significance for the Blackfoot people who travelled the great Plains for generations.

Residents of Calgary and Edmonton have easy access to Banff and Jasper National Parks respectively, while Edmonton residents also have the North Saskatchewan River valley which features 27,934 acres of parkland and includes 60km of bicycle paths and 400km of trails.

Calgary has a choice of two major natural parks - FishCreek Provincial Park protects 2800 acres of natural woodland and includes a lake with a beach as well as biking and hiking trails, while Nose Hill Park comprises 2700 acres and is a spectacular facility.

Recreational Activities:

Alberta has 600 lakes, 245 rivers and about 78,000km² of parks. Alberta’s network of recreation and protected areas has something for everyone, irrespective of the season. The major cities of Calgary and Edmonton offer numerous sport and recreational opportunities. Both cities have professional teams in football and hockey. Each city has world class sporting facilities - Calgary has previously hosted the Winter Olympics while Edmonton has hosted the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the 2001 World Athletic Championships.

Healthy Living:

Healthy living and exercise are strongly encouraged in Alberta with children having 0.5 - 1 hour of organised exercise every day at school. Children are encouraged to participate in sports at school and to join teams and to use community recreation centres such as swimming pools and arenas for ice-skating or hockey. The Alberta Government strongly encourages children’s fitness and gives parents a Tax Credit to help pay for their activities.