We begin your adventure leaving the City of Calgary, travelling south down Highway 2. A quick twenty minutes along the road is the village of Aldersyde, where you turn in and take Hwy 7 west, and find yourself leisurely traversing rolling prairies.
Just past the access road to the Town of Okotoks, you'll find the first stop on the journey – the Big Rock of Okotoks – a glacial erratic whose presence is in stark contrast to the surrounding fields.
Carrying on down Highway 7, still headed west, you'll notice the Rockies looming ever closer as you make your approach to historic Black Diamond and Turner Valley. The latter is famous for being the town to harbour the first oil fields in Alberta, while the former made it's mark by the sizeable coal mine that was operated there.
From Black Diamond, you will want to head south down Hwy 22. The further you travel along this road, the deeper you get into true ranching country. Watching the countryside, it’s easy to imagine the camps of cowboys, smoke curling up from their campfires as they bedded down for the night out on the open range. In fact, this land is still mostly rangeland to this day.
Near the turnoff for Nanton, if your schedule allows, you will find a beautiful respite, the Chain Lakes Provincial Recreation Area where you can stretch your legs, enjoy a picnic lunch and perhaps a walk, while marvelling at the pristine blue waters.
On down Hwy 22 is the cut-off for Willow Valley Road. Spectacular views of the nearby mountains and quaint scenery hint at the frontier days, and are yours for the viewing. The pioneer schoolhouse is just a bonus. The back roads of Willow Valley, Rock Chapel and Burmis take you to Hwy 3, the southern stretch of the trip.
Along Highway 3, thrill at the spectacular Lundbreck Falls, gas up the car and grab a bite to eat at Pincher Creek, and view the 52 windmills on the hill, placed there as an experiment in power generation..
Turning north onto Hwy 2, the last leg of your journey takes you alongside the sprawling prairie land. A stop in Claresholm offers a place to stop for a swim (the local pool offers services for those who come unprepared, from the affordable purchase of bathing suits and earplugs to the rental of towels) or a couple of historic museums to peruse, including the Appaloosa Museum, the only one in Canada dedicated to a specific breed of horse.
The town of Nanton has built a museum around the Lancaster Bomber, a World War II relic. The Nanton Lancaster Society and Air Museum is a tribute to those associated with bomber command during WWII.
Your last stop on the trek is the Town of High River.An oasis of trees and modern facilities can be found in George Lane Park, in the core of High River’s downtown district. The old train station now boasts a pioneer museum, and a walk through town will pique your interest with murals painted on the side of buildings depicting the rich history of the town.
This auto tour can certainly fill a day. Depending on how many towns you wish to stop at, and how many pictures you wish to take, you may want to consider an overnight stay at any one of the friendly accommodations along the route, or at one of the welcoming campgrounds that dot the landscape throughout Southern Alberta.
