Northern Alberta

Welcome to the new and improved second edition of Northern Alberta Backroad Mapbook. We have been hard at work tracking down substantial road and trail updates for the maps as well as adding countless new recreational opportunities in the written section. Indeed if you live or play up north, the Backroad Mapbook will help you get to where you want to go.

As you travel north along the BC/Alberta boundary, the Rocky Mountains begin to change. They are less sharp and jagged, taking on a more rounded appearance. The mountains also begin to shuffle further west, until finally the continental divide spills over into BC near the northern end of Willmore Wilderness Park. While there are still mountains north of here, they are small, never topping 1,500 metres (4,900 feet). As you head farther east, the landscape changes, turning first into northernmost prairie in Canada, and then into boreal forest that dominates the north. Finally, you will find an area of Canadian Shield in the northeastern corner of the province around Lake Athabasca.

The two largest centres are Grande Prairie in the west and Fort McMurray in the east. Grande Prairie sits in the heart of the northern prairies. It is an active city of over 40,000, and growing every year. The city is built on agriculture and logging, but much of its recent growth stems from oil and gas discovery. Fort McMurray, on the other hand, is an economy built on extracting oil and gas, primarily from the oil sands. The population of Fort Mac has boomed to over 70,000 over the last decade, and shows no sign of stopping.

People often head north to find peace and solitude and that is certainly easy to do in Northern Alberta. There are vast stretches of wild country which will allow you to take in the untapped wilderness and watch the wildlife pass you by. Northern Alberta offers a wide range of formalized recreational amenities in their parks and campgrounds as well as wide range of recreation areas for people looking to get away from it all.

Paddlers will love Northern Alberta. Some of Canada’s greatest touring rivers flow through this area. These are big rivers, and trips can last weeks and even months making proper planning that much more essential. People who are interested in exploring trails will find a wide variety of options. The most notable development is the Trans Canada Trail, which follows established trails and historic routes across large tracts of the north. Others simply enjoy cruising backroads and endless miles of cutlines on their ATV or snowmobile.

Anglers and hunters will also find this region an absolute paradise. Not only is Lesser Slave Lake the best place in Alberta to fish for walleye, some of Canada’s best rainbow trout fishing lakes are found in this region. Fort McMurray is Western Canada’s largest outpost for fly-in fishing to fully outfitted lodges or rustic and isolated camps located in a landscape that is guaranteed to take your breath away. Hunters will be astounded with the number and variety of wildlife in this area. It is not uncommon to see several moose, herds of elk, a bear or two and scores of deer when driving around the backroads of the region.

The Backroad Mapbook will help you explore this vast and wonderful section of Alberta. For the armchair traveller, it will help you dream of remote and wild places to visit someday. So sit back and enjoy what we have to offer.