Bucking horses, prime beef, big skies, and snowcapped peaks—between the Calgary Stampede and Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, offers travelers the ideal summer vacation.
Tipis at Elbow River Camp.
Photo by Shaun Robinson / courtesy of Calgary Stampede
They don’t call it the Grand Entry for nothing. First come the flag-bearing showriders—lines of young women in shiny red blouses, white cowboy hats, and gleaming smiles, galloping in circles and figure-eights. Then come the First Nations horsemen in traditional face paint and feathers, tear-assing around the dirt arena. The Stampede queen and Indian princess lope out on horseback and take their places. The excitement builds as five dozen rodeo contestants jog towards the middle of the arena. Fighter jets scream overhead. Cannons boom. A collective gasp goes up as four cowboys, suspended from guywires, fly down from the grandstand roof, chaps flapping, to land among their fellow contestants. Flames leap up from the arena dirt in the shape of the CS brand, a C over a lazy S.
Welcome to The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Barrel racing at Calgary Stampede.
Photo by Chris Bolin
Bareback riding.
Photo courtesy of Calgary Stampede
Chuckwagon race.
Photo by Mike Ridewood
Yes, that’s what the Calgary Stampede calls itself, but the tagline is not far off the mark. Every summer for more than a century, herds of rodeo fans and curious travelers have descended on this Alberta city—population 1.3 million, Canada’s fourth largest—for its celebration of the West, Canadian-style. For 10 straight days, 20 of the world’s top professional rodeo athletes in six events—bareback, saddle-bronc, and bull riding; tie-down roping; steer wrestling; and barrel racing—compete in a high-dollar, tournament-style rodeo. Not far from the rodeo arena, representatives from the five nations of Treaty 7, an 1877 agreement between the Canadian government and the region’s indigenous populations, dance and demonstrate cultural traditions amid a circle of two dozen massive tipis at the Elbow River Camp. Add to that livestock shows, midway rides, concerts, and all manner of food and drink—from the best Canadian beef to Instagrammable midway offerings, like the deep-fried, bacon-wrapped Reese’s Cup—and you get Canada’s answer to the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, and the biggest state fair ever, all rolled into one.
Fireworks over the midway.
Photo by Bill Marsh
What makes the annual Calgary Stampede an even more perfect peg on which to hang a summer vacation is its proximity to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary, like Denver a thousand miles to the south, sits on the plains just east of the majestic range. On clear days, snowcapped peaks beckon. That’s what happened to me in 2017, during a brief, work-focused trip to Calgary for the Stampede. I left determined to come back for more Stampede fun and a side trip to explore Banff.
On my second trip to the Calgary Stampede, I spent my first night sampling 200-day dry-aged beef at Modern Steak. The beef was bred from the restaurant’s own award-winning bull. Stopping by my table, Modern Steak owner Stephen Deere explained how he partnered with an Alberta ranch owner on the $80,000 stud with the goal of breeding the finest marbled steak in Canada. I knew that dry-aging draws out meat’s flavor. But 200 days?
“What’s the limit?” I asked Deere.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted, a manic gleam in his eyes. “We’ve never aged anything this long. Let me know what you think.”
Small plates emerged from the kitchen, each with a medallion of meat dry-aged for a different period of time—50, 150, and 200 days. They had also been periodically doused with Jack Daniels, the same way you soak a fruitcake in brandy to keep away germs. All were melt-in-your mouth tender, with tons of flavor, but 150 days seemed to be the sweet spot. Each course came paired with a different whiskey cocktail, and by the end of the night, I felt marinated myself. As Deere explained, “The Calgary Stampede is an excuse to have 10 days of debauchery.”
All that western beef put me in the mood for the rodeo the next day. The cowboy hat and boots I packed helped. I’ve been writing about rodeo cowboys for a couple years now, ever since I partnered with a world champion tie-down roper named Shane Hanchey to develop a media platform—the Cowboy Journal—to give rodeo athletes a voice. I was excited to watch my buddy Shane compete, but you don’t need a personal connection to enjoy the raw energy of rodeo, especially at Canada’s richest competition, the Calgary Stampede. As the Grand Entry makes clear, rodeo brings a lot of show value, including trick riders, clowns, and wisecracking announcers, but there is nothing fake about the competition. Hundreds of professional rodeo cowboys throughout the U.S. and Canada spend the year hauling gear and horses from rodeo to rodeo, with the goal of finishing the season as a top-15 money winner in their event. Those in the top 15 qualify for the National Finals Rodeo, held every December in Las Vegas.
(Want to read more about how Logan Ward got into writing about rodeo cowboys? Click here.)
The midway.
Photo by Ben Dartnell / courtesy of Calgary Stampede
The roughstock events are especially exciting. These include bareback riding, saddle-bronc riding, and bull riding. Cowboys strap themselves onto giant bucking horses and bulls and try to make the eight-second whistle, earning style points along the way. There are gasp-inducing wrecks, like when a bucking horse carrying Utah bareback rider Kaycee Feild leapt into the air, lost its footing, and fell on its side, with Feild underneath. Amazingly, the powerful creature righted himself with Feild still on his back. Neither was injured, but Feild was offered a re-ride, which he accepted with a broad smile as the crowd cheered him on.
The rodeo starts each day at 1:30 p.m. and ends around 4:00, leaving plenty of time for other activities. I spent one day at Calgary’s exceptional zoo, located on a glorious patch of ground in a bend of the Bow River, the sparkling green waterway coursing through Calgary. The current zoo superstars are the pandas—Er Shun, Da Mao, Jia YueYue, and Jia PanPan—which arrived last May, on a five-year loan from the Chinese government. But to me, the highlight was the Canadian Wilds, where a hiking path winds its way through stands of quaking aspens and past bighorn sheep and mountain goats perched on rocky outcroppings. I saw brown bear and black bear, cougars, and grey wolves. My heart rate quickened at the thought that I would soon be exploring the Canadian wilds for real inside Banff National Park.
But before I ventured into the wilderness, where my place in the food chain would dramatically shift, I spent a gluttonous afternoon sampling some of the Stampede’s outrageous food offerings. The midway there is an explosion of color, sounds, and delicious smells, especially if you like fried food. Just as the rodeo cowboys compete to see who’s best, so do the food vendors, vying for best new food offering, among other superlatives.
Photo by Logan Ward
The first new food I sampled was the Big Pickle Tornado, a large dill pickle sliced open, stuffed with a hot dog, topped with cheese and bacon drizzle, and then wrapped in a tortilla and deep fried. Not bad. I chased that with a Bacon Onion Bomb—a meatball wrapped in sliced onion that is wrapped again in bacon and deep fried. Even better. Then I sampled the aforementioned deep-fried, bacon-wrapped Reese’s Cup. The verdict? Surprisingly tasty. I cleansed my palate with a cone of coconut-flavored smoking charcoal ice cream, colored black by coconut husk charcoal. Last year’s new food award winner was deep-fried chicken feet on a stick. As the tour guide showing me around the midway said, “Whether something tastes good or not, people still want to try it.”
My favorite local specialty was the mini doughnuts, which are ubiquitous at the Stampede and usually come in sacks of 10, drizzled in maple icing or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. But I’m not ashamed to admit that, while cowboys were gamely strapping themselves onto the backs of angry bulls, I wasn’t brave enough to try the Prairie Oyster Balls—mini doughnuts topped with bull testicles—even though they came drizzled with blueberry compote and whipped cream. Or maybe because they came drizzled with blueberry compote and whipped cream.
As much as I wanted to fall into an afternoon food coma, I headed back to the rodeo arena for the next big event. The first Calgary Stampede took place in 1912. In 1923, as a way to spice things up, the Stampede organized the first-ever chuckwagon race, an idea borne out of the friendly competition among working cowboys to see which crew could break camp, load up their chuckwagon, and beat the others back to the ranch. “Any time you have dudes and things to get done, they’ll make a sport out of it,” said veteran Stampede volunteer Kirk Moore, explaining the competition’s origins.
The races were exhilarating. Wagon drivers led teams of four horses, most of them retired track thoroughbreds, in tight turns around starting barrels and then once around an oval track. In every heat, there were four wagon teams, each with its own outrider on horseback. During the early decades of the chuckwagon races, once the starting gun sounded, outriders loaded smoking cast-iron cookstoves into the wagons and then jumped on their horses and raced alongside their wagon team. These days, outriders toss lightweight stove replicas (no fire), but they’re still the eyes and ears for the wagon drivers and must cross the finish line within 150 feet of their wagon or take a two-second penalty. The fans went wild, placing side bets on each heat, cheering for the chuckwagon circuit superstars, whose faces appear on trading cards. Watching the races reminded me of one of the great joys of travel—dropping into a place and discovering a subculture of people passionate about a pastime I’d never heard of.
Or, as Stampede volunteer Moore, a Calgary policeman and longtime fan, put it: “The racers are part of the World Professional Chuckwagon Association, which, as the name suggests, draws cowboys from all over Alberta and Saskatchewan.”
Moraine Lake.
Photo by Corey Myke / courtesy of Travel Alberta
As much as I was enjoying myself at the Calgary Stampede, the mountains called to me. I rented a car and headed west on the Trans-Canada Highway. After an hour or so, I stopped in Canmore, a picturesque mountain town, for dinner and a local ale. That far north, the sun doesn’t set until around 10:00 p.m. in July, so I set out on an easy hike to Grassi Lakes Falls two miles from town. I wasn’t sure what to make of the yellow “Warning: Bear in Area” sign posted at the trailhead. I’m a careful guy but, admittedly, a bit of a skeptic thanks to signs like “Warning: Hot!” on a Starbucks to-go cup or “Warning: May Contain Peanuts” on a jar of peanut butter. Besides, I thought, what are the chances that I’ll see a bear this close to town?
You know where this is going. Ten minutes into my evening constitutional, a large black bear lumbered across the trail no more than 50 yards from me. I froze. I’ve never encountered a bear in the wild. I had no bear spray. Mesmerized by the beast’s carefree foraging, the whoosh of blood flooding my ears, I did what most travelers in my shoes would have done—slowly pulled out my iPhone and started videoing.
The bear continued its traverse up and away from the trail, and I continued my hike, my head on a swivel for any ursine companions.
Banff gondola.
Photo courtesy of Pursuit
Once I entered Banff National Park proper, I didn’t see any more bears, maybe because of all the people. During the narrow summer-season window, busloads of tourists come to this UNESCO World Heritage Site to check it off their bucket list.
My first stop in the park was Lake Louise, a turquoise jewel fed by a glacier and ringed by jagged peaks. To escape the selfie-stick-wielding crowds milling about the shore, I took up a perch at the Lakeview Lounge in the century-old Fairmont Chateau and was more than happy to pay 13 bucks for a draft beer and view framed by a giant arched picture window.
In the village of Banff, where all the municipal garbage cans are the bearproof kind, I checked into the Mount Royal Hotel, a rambling collection of interconnected downtown buildings dating to 1908. The 132-room Mount Royal isn’t as grand as the Fairmont Chateau, but it has a rich history and a classy new look as of last summer, thanks to a total renovation after it was gutted by fire in 2016.
Sky Bistro.
Photo courtesy of Pursuit
That evening, I took a sunset soak in the Banff Hot Springs, discovered in 1883 when three railroad workers noticed steam pouring out of a cave on the slopes of what is now known as Sulphur Mountain. Today, the warm, mineral-rich waters flow into a public pool, where you can rent towels and lockers. The hot springs, which inspired the creation of Canada’s first national park, are a Banff must.
Another must is a gondola ride to the 7,500-foot summit of Sulphur Mountain, where the views in all directions are breathtaking. After strolling around the observation deck and snapping pic after pic, I ordered a summer greens salad and Alberta prime rib sandwich at the aptly named Sky Bistro. The restaurant’s newly hired chef, Scott Hergott, slipped out of the kitchen to say hello and explain his back-to-basics approach of serving fresh, lovingly prepared food from Alberta’s farms and ranches. “We’ve already got the view,” he said, gesturing to the floor-to-ceiling windows framing a range of snowcapped crags worthy of a James Bond set. “We just have to give people good food.”
Icefields Parkway.
Photo courtesy of Travel Alberta
Honestly, there are too many Banff musts to detail them all. Visit Moraine Lake, another turquoise beauty, but go early to avoid the sightseeing traffic. Spend a few hours hiking Johnston Canyon. On its way to a pair of waterfalls, the canyon footpath narrows at times into catwalks suspended over crystal-clear plunge pools. Hike Tunnel Mountain; the trailhead is a 15-minute walk from downtown Banff. Drive all or some of the 150-mile Icefields Parkway, Highway 93, one of the world’s most stunning stretches of road.
It was while driving the Icefields Parkway that I finally reached my breaking point. After gazing upon so many alluring lakes, I had to take a dip. I pulled into the observation area beside Bow Lake, slipped into a bathing suit, and made my way to the pebbled shore. Peaks towered over the lake, with glaciers perched on their rocky shoulders. Water as clear as gin and cold as a shaken martini lapped at my toes. I waded in and dove under, surfacing with a muffled shriek, heart pounding as I worked to catch my breath. I won’t go so far as to claim a polar-bear plunge is a must, but why not give it a try? Like watching a chuckwagon race or nearly bumping into a black bear, it makes for a priceless travel memory.
Johnston Canyon.
Photo by Jon Sinclair / courtesy of Travel Alberta
The Key to Happy Trails
Getting There:
At least a half-dozen major airlines, including American, Delta, and United, fly to Calgary (airline code YYC). To enter Canada, U.S. citizens need a valid passport but not a visa.
Where to Stay:
Calgary
Calgary has a range of hotels, from familiar chains to local boutiques, many within walking distance of Stampede Park. There are also several hundred Airbnb listings. There are a half-dozen campgrounds near Calgary. The most convenient is Calgary West Campground (CalgaryCampground.com). It’s inside the city limits and includes 320 sites, including 120 full RV hookups, 120 RV sites with water and electric, and 80 tent sites; shuttle service to the Stampede is CA$15 round-trip.
No matter which option you choose, book as early as possible, since total Stampede attendance tops1.2 million people every year, and many of those are out-of-towners.
Banff National Park
July and August are peak season in Banff, so book early! Visit the Mount Royal at BanffJasperCollection.com/Hotels/Mount-Royal-Hotel
Logistics:
Stampede Park, located just south and east of the city center, is open each day from 11:00 a.m. to midnight. There are a number of surface parking lots (CA$25/day) just north of the park. Or, you can take Calgary’s C-train transit system. For transit information, visit CalgaryTransit.com.
What to Do:
Calgary
The 2019 Calgary Stampede runs for 10 days, July 5-14. Daily park admission is CA$18 for adults, CA$9 for youth (7-12) and seniors, and free for children 6 and under. Tickets for the afternoon rodeo range from around CA$30 to CA$300 and for the evening chuckwagon races and shows, from around CA$50 to CA$140. There are package deals for multiple days. You can experience most of the Stampede’s excitement in two or three days. While in Calgary, explore the shops and eateries of Kensington, a neighborhood known as Calgary’s “village in the city,” and visit the nearby Calgary Zoo (CalgaryZoo.com).
Banff
Located 100 miles west of Calgary, the 2,500-square-mile Banff National Park, Canada’s oldest (est. 1885), is one of the world’s most spectacular destinations. The town of Banff—at 4,537 feet, Canada’s highest town—is a charming home base. Don’t miss the picturesque Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, but arrive early to beat the crowds. Take a relaxing dip in the Upper Hot Springs (HotSprings.ca/Banff-Upper-Hot-Springs). Whether you book a room or stop in for a drink or meal, visit the historic Fairmont Banff Springs hotel (Fairmont.com/Banff-Springs) and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (Fairmont.com/Lake-Louise).
What to Eat:
Calgary is a cow town, so steak lovers get ready. For a mix of tradition and cutting edge, try Modern Steak (ModernSteak.ca). A great vegetarian alternative is The Coup (TheCoup.ca), on 17th Ave. SW, two miles due west of Stampede Park. In Banff, try The Bison (TheBison.ca) for fine dining with a ski-lodgey feel. Don’t miss the Sky Bistro (BanffJasperCollection.com/Dining/Sky-Bistro) atop Sulphur Mountain; the views are unmatched.
This article originally appeared in our June 2019 issue.
