We had not considered this corner of Canada until I watched a webinar about Saskatchewan, Land of the Living Skies given by Wanderlust Magazine and found myself unexpectedly sold on it. The family were less convinced. Their response was “so it is badlands or prairies, no trees, just rock or grass, how interesting can that be?”
Fair question. Here is the full answer, along with the exact route we drove, the drive time between every stop, what it cost and what we would change.
Two weeks is enough for a Calgary to Calgary loop through the Alberta Badlands and southern Saskatchewan, covering roughly 1,700km and about 20 hours of driving. Fly into Calgary, head east and south through Cypress Hills and Grasslands National Park, north through Moose Jaw, Regina and Saskatoon, then west to Drumheller before returning to Calgary. Three weeks would be better. Ten days would mean cutting two stops.
The route covers two different landscapes that sit side by side.
The Alberta Badlands are in eastern Alberta, along the Red Deer River. The rock itself is Late Cretaceous, laid down around 75 million years ago when this was a warm coastal plain and the dinosaurs were living in it. The landscape you actually see is far younger. It was cut about 13,000 years ago, when the ice sheets retreated and torrents of meltwater carved through the soft sedimentary layers, exposing the striped canyon walls and the fossils inside them.
The Canadian Prairies begin in Alberta and run east across southern Saskatchewan into Manitoba. Flat is the wrong word for it. It rolls, it changes colour through the day, and the sheer scale of the horizon is the thing that stays with you.
This itinerary covers eastern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan. It does not go near the Rockies. Almost everyone who visits western Canada goes to Banff and Jasper. Very few come here, and the locals we met were openly curious about why we had.
You can run the loop in either direction. Fly into Calgary and head east, or fly into Regina or Saskatoon and head west. We flew into Calgary, which worked well because it puts the two big driving days at the start and end rather than in the middle.
This is exactly what we did, with nights at each stop.
| Stop | Nights | Why go | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| StopStrathmore, Alberta | Nights1 | Why goRodeo at the Strathmore Stampede, 40 minutes from Calgary airport | Full guideStrathmore Stampede guide → |
| StopCypress Hills, Alberta and Saskatchewan | Nights2 | Why goRanch stay, horse riding, Fort Walsh, the highest land between the Rockies and Labrador | Full guideCypress Hills ranch stay → |
| StopGrasslands National Park, Saskatchewan | Nights3 | Why goBison, prairie dogs, dark skies, the emptiest and best part of the trip | Full guideGrasslands National Park → |
| StopMoose Jaw, Saskatchewan | Nights1 | Why goProhibition tunnels, murals, Mac the Moose | Full guideMoose Jaw guide → |
| StopRegina, Saskatchewan | Nights2 | Why goRCMP Heritage Centre, Scotty the T. rex, Wascana Park | Full guideRegina guide → |
| StopSaskatoon, Saskatchewan | Nights3 | Why goWanuskewin, the river, the best food of the trip | Full guideSaskatoon guide → |
| StopDrumheller, Alberta | Nights2 | Why goRoyal Tyrrell Museum, hoodoos, Horseshoe Canyon | Full guideDrumheller guide → |
Add two pit stops that are worth building into the driving days rather than treating as detours. Maple Creek and Fort Walsh sit neatly on the leg between Cypress Hills and Grasslands. Little Manitou Lake, where the salt content lets you float, breaks up the Regina to Saskatoon drive.
We would keep it. Starting at the Stampede on day one, straight off a flight, sounds punishing and turned out to be the best possible way to beat jet lag. Ending at Drumheller means the dinosaurs land after you have already seen the Grasslands, which makes the fossils feel like part of the landscape rather than a museum trip.
The single most useful thing we can give you. All times are approximate and assume the direct route unless stated.
| Leg | Approximate drive |
|---|---|
| Calgary Airport to Strathmore | 40 minutes |
| Strathmore to Medicine Hat | 2 hours 20 |
| Medicine Hat to Elkwater, Cypress Hills | 45 minutes |
| Elkwater to Historic Reesor Ranch | 40 minutes |
| Reesor Ranch to Val Marie, direct | Just over 3 hours |
| Reesor Ranch to Val Marie, via Fort Walsh and Maple Creek | About 4 hours |
| Maple Creek to Val Marie | 2 hours 20 |
| Val Marie to Moose Jaw, via Swift Current | 3 hours |
| Moose Jaw to Regina | 45 minutes |
| Regina to Saskatoon, direct | 2 hours 40 |
| Regina to Saskatoon, via Little Manitou Lake | 3 hours 15 |
| Saskatoon to Drumheller | 5 hours |
| Drumheller to Calgary | 1 hour 30 |
Two things to know about those numbers. The Saskatoon to Drumheller leg is the long one and it is the least interesting stretch of the whole route, mostly grain silos and straight roads. Build in a supermarket stop, because you will want one. And the Reesor Ranch to Val Marie leg is worth doing the slow way via Fort Walsh, even though it costs you an hour.
Two weeks is the working minimum for this route. That is what we had, because of work, and it meant compromises.
Three weeks would be better. It would let you add Dinosaur Provincial Park, the East Block of Grasslands National Park, and a night or two in Calgary. Even then, Saskatchewan is enormous and you would still be ignoring the entire northern half of the province, which is a completely different landscape of forest and lakes.
Ten days is possible if you cut two stops. Drop Regina and shorten Grasslands to two nights, or drop Strathmore and start straight for Cypress Hills. We would not cut Grasslands. It was the family’s favourite and it needs the time.
On avoiding duplication, which is worth thinking about before you build your own version. We deliberately picked:
One dinosaur destination: Drumheller, which meant missing Dinosaur Provincial Park.
One ranch stay: The Historic Reesor Ranch, which meant missing La Reata Ranch.
One badlands stop: Drumheller again, which meant skipping the East Block of Grasslands.
Each of those pairs covers similar ground. Doing both of any pair would have cost us a day somewhere better spent.
We travelled with two children aged seventeen and over and it worked well. It would suit empty nesters particularly, and anyone who likes walking. With younger children, be realistic about driving. The distances between stops are long and there is not much in between.
July and August are the reliable months, and that is when we went. Hot, sunny, long evenings. The shoulder months on either side are worth considering if you want fewer people, though some seasonal attractions and tours will not be running.
A few things worth knowing about the season:
The Stampede is a fixed window: The Strathmore Stampede runs over four days at the very start of August. If you want it, the whole itinerary has to be built around those dates.
Wildfire smoke is a real possibility: We had smoke haze in the sky on two stretches, in the Badlands and leaving Saskatoon, blowing in from fires a long way off. It creates an eerie light and it is worth checking conditions before you set out.
Outside summer, prepare properly: Heavy rain, snow and ice are all in play from autumn onwards, and some of the gravel roads become impassable.
The dark sky season matters: Grasslands is a Dark Sky Preserve, and short summer nights mean you are waiting until very late for full darkness.
The main airlines are Air Canada, Air Transat, British Airways and WestJet. Most route through Toronto or Vancouver, with an internal connection onward. A direct flight into Calgary is the simplest option if one is available to you.
We took a longer way round. Because we collect British Airways Avios and hold Amex companion vouchers, and there were no direct BA or Oneworld flights to Calgary when we booked, we flew Heathrow to Dallas Fort Worth with BA and picked up an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Calgary. The vouchers meant four of us flew for the price of two. It worked out cheaper overall despite the detour, and the connection on the way home gave us a few hours to get out of the airport and see Dallas.
Not for everyone, but worth checking if you hold airline points. Fares and routes change constantly, so price it yourself rather than assuming ours still applies.
Book ahead: Prebook so a car is waiting. This is not a route where you want to be negotiating on arrival.
Watch one way fees: If you fly into one city and out of another, the hire company will usually charge extra. A circular route back to Calgary avoids this and is one reason we chose it.
You do not need a 4WD: The gravel sections are fine in a normal car in dry conditions. What you do need is something big enough to be comfortable, because you will be in it for 20 hours.
We hired Avis on a full UK driving licence. Check with your own company what they require, including whether they want an International Driving Permit.
Canada is not a cheap destination and it was more expensive than we expected relative to Europe. The specific things that pushed our costs up:
Taxes added at checkout: Hotel prices frequently rise at the point of paying, sometimes noticeably. Budget above the headline rate.
Eating out adds up fast: Restaurant prices are high. Portions are generous enough that sharing dishes is a legitimate strategy rather than a mean one.
National park admission: You pay to enter the national parks. We did not begrudge it, since the money maintains them, and every visitor centre we went into was staffed by people who could not have been more helpful.
Self catering saves real money: We booked self catering for the Grasslands leg and stocked up at Maple Creek on the way. It cut costs and it was the right call in a place with almost no restaurants anyway.
Prices change, so we have deliberately not quoted figures that would be out of date by the time you read this. Check current rates directly.
As a British citizen visiting Canada for a two-week holiday, you need a valid passport and an eTA (electronic travel authorisation). Apply online; most approvals arrive within minutes to a few hours, though some take longer.
Your passport must be valid for the full length of your stay in Canada (no extra buffer is required by Canadian rules). If you transit another country, check that country’s requirements separately—many enforce six months of remaining validity. For a Dallas connection this means confirming US rules (and any airline policies), not just Canada’s.
Entry requirements can change. Always check the current rules for your nationality before booking.
Check the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advice for Canada (or the equivalent body where you live) and sign up for email alerts before you travel.
Take the best cover you can afford and confirm it includes the activities you are actually planning. Horse riding and ATV driving appear on this itinerary; both are commonly excluded by default.
Roads in Alberta and Saskatchewan are generally well maintained and quiet once you settle into the prairie distances. Points specific to these provinces:
Gravel and dirt roads: Sections around Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park (shared by Alberta and Saskatchewan) are fair-weather only and can become impassable when wet. Check conditions with locals or park staff before setting out.
Wildlife at dawn and dusk: This is the main hazard. Coyotes, deer and other animals are common; collisions are a real risk.
Connectivity gaps: Mobile coverage is patchy, especially near Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. Carry a printed map - our sat nav dropped into valet mode once we lost 4G range.
Fire risk: In a dry summer, high fire-risk warnings are issued across Alberta and Saskatchewan. Take them seriously.
Bugs: Expect constant windscreen cleaning on rural routes. Manual car washes help.
Tornadoes: A genuine (if still relatively uncommon) risk across the Prairies, including Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta. We saw none..
No special vaccinations or formal requirements applied. Insect repellent is useful (we barely needed it outside the grasslands). In Grasslands National Park, prairie rattlesnakes and ticks are present; follow the precautions in the Grasslands guide (long trousers, over-the-ankle footwear, DEET, tick checks, etc.).
Your cowboy boots and hat, if you own them. We are only half joking, because this is the one trip where they will not look ridiculous.
Beyond that, the dress code across the whole two weeks was as casual as it gets. Jeans, shorts, t-shirts and a sweatshirt for the evenings.
In closing
The thing we did not expect was how much the landscape got under our skin. There is a quality to the endless horizons of the prairies that is hard to put into words and does not photograph well. It works as a counterpoint to the strangeness of the badlands, and the two together give the trip a shape that a fortnight in the Rockies would not.
The history is another surprise - between Wanuskewin, which has been a gathering place for over 6,400 years, Fort Walsh, the buffalo jumps and the tipi rings scattered across the Grasslands, this route is layered with First Nations and Métis history in a way we had not anticipated and were not prepared for.
And the people. Everywhere we stopped, locals were curious about why we had chosen this route rather than the Rockies, and that curiosity turned into hospitality every single time. We would go back for that alone.
If you are short on time or would rather not drive the Badlands leg, there are full day guided tours running out of Calgary to Drumheller that cover the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the Hoodoos and Horseshoe Canyon in a day, with hotel pickup included. Not a substitute for the road trip, but a sensible option if you are basing yourself in Calgary or want one day off the wheel..
So, how interesting can badlands and prairies be? Very, as it turns out. The family came round.
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