"Okatok" is the Blackfoot word for "Big Rock," which is the first stop on our tour. A huge glacial erratic, weighing 16,500 tonnes and measuring about 41x18x9 meters, the Big Rock of Okotoks makes a stunning contrast to the gently rolling fields surrounding it. And it is exactly as it appears - a stranger in a strange land.

The rock originated in the Jasper area of the Rocky Mountains over 10,000 years ago and traveled to the region on the strength of the glaciers, being deposited where it now stands when the glaciers melted. Over the centuries, its mystique was recognized by the First Nations people, who left gifts at the base of the formation for the Great Spirit Napi.