Alberta Road Trip Guide: 7 Things You Need To Know

We soon discovered our lack of preparation for a few important factors. So before you take that jaw-dropping, gorgeous road trip around Alberta, make sure you read our essential road trip guide.

1. Time Zone Change

Between British Columbia to Alberta there is a 1-hour time zone difference. We did not realise this before we started. And instead of arriving at our hotel at 8pm, it was abruptly 9pm, with the kids eating dinner at 10pm. Whoops!

2. National Park Pass

As we drove into Jasper at 8pm we were stopped at the entry gate and asked if we had a park pass. No, we didn’t.

If you are driving straight through to say, Edmonton and not making any stops, then you will not need a pass. However if you plan on stopping at a scenic lookout to snap a picture or grab a bite to eat in town or stay overnight – you will. 

You do not need a separate pass for each park. The pass you buy in Jasper is the same pass you can use in Banff, so consider your schedule. The pass will allow you to visit Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke, Glacier, Waterton Lakes and Elk Island national parks. So if you plan on staying in any of those areas for more than 7 days, buy the annual pass for the same price. This pass is valid in over 100 Canadian national parks for a period of 12 months.

If you are not purchasing an annual pass, your day pass will be valid until 4pm the next day, regardless of what time you purchased it. Passes are checked regularly at gates and by rangers so please make sure you display it clearly on your front windshield.

If you decide to stay longer you can take your current pass to a Parks Canada office and upgrade it to the annual park pass (within 30 days of original receipt date).

Per day park pass:

Adult: CA$9.80

Child (6 – 16): CA$4.90

Family (of up to 7 people in one car): CA$19.60

Annual Discovery Park pass:

Adult: CA$67.70

Child: CA$33.30

Family: CA$136.40

You can buy at the gates (using cash or credit card) or buy one online in advance.

3. Watch Fuel

Alberta is a huge province and as such the Icefields Parkway alone is over 230 kilometres (143 miles) long with no gas stations. There are small signs just after the last gas station informing you of this, in case you forget.

So make sure you have a full tank before heading out for the day exploring.

No gas stations out here

4. Fuel Is Cheaper

On the topic of fuel, wait to top up until you reach Alberta, because they don’t have provincial tax on gasoline and diesel. While in Kelowna, BC we purchased fuel for CA$1.22 per litre. In Edmonton, AB it was as low as CA$0.93 per litre! Saving over 23%!

5. Go Off-Peak

Over 100,000 vehicles, per month, drive along the Icefields Parkway during summer so avoid the crowds and go off-peak.

Not only will you face less traffic and cheaper resort prices, but also the scenery is insanely gorgeous. We visited during mid-to-late October, greeted by a whimsical smattering of clean white snow on the ground. And the mountains looked like chocolate sauce on vanilla ice cream, but reversed. Yum!

6. Winter Tyres

If you are taking a road trip during off-peak seasons then watch out for the winter tyre rules. A helpful Facebook follower alerted this to us, and we were reminded by several highway signs. 

Winter tyres or all-season tires are compulsory from 1^st October to 31^st March. Thankfully a little “M+S” symbol on the tyre side wall confirmed we were already equipped with all-season tyres. But we carried around winter chains in the back of the car, just in case we met sub-zero temperatures.

Don’t get caught without them. 

Thank goodness we had all-season tyres to avoid elk on the road…

…and this grizzly bear too

7. Watch Out For Closures

Finally if you are going off-peak watch out for road closures. Quite a number of smaller roads are barred off from October. And not just the oh-let’s-drive-this-road-anyway kind of closure (which is, of course, what we had planned to do). No, these roads are blocked with heavy concrete barriers and no wiggle room around the sides.

Oh, how I wanted to visit Lake Moraine. But we didn’t feel like a 12 km hike in the snow to get there once we realised the only access road was completely blocked off.

Relevant signs will have a red “close” label stuck across them if they have been shut to avoid wasting your time, or you can check it out online. 

The Bottom Line

We hope these 7 tips help with your preparation for your ultimate Alberta road trip. But the most important tip of all is to warm up your jaw muscles because you’re going to find yourself picking it off the ground quite regularly.

I am completely certain that your road trip will leave you inspired, mesmerised, dumbfounded, and filled with long breathless sighs... the good kind, that is.