fun things to do with kids in canadian rockies canada    
  Travel for Kids
Canada
  | Alberta
     
    Canadian Rockies
Athabasca Falls
The Rocky Mountain area of Canada stretches from Jasper in Alberta into BC and down across the U.S. border.  While not the highest mountains in Canada, the Rockies offer spectacular scenery (the most photographed wilderness in Canada) and adventures of every kind for kids – canoeing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, river rafting, camping, swimming, fishing, dog sledding and skiing.
    Banff National Park
 
Banff
 
Lake Louise
    Jasper National Park
 
Jasper
    Canmore Canmore is the gateway to travels along the Rockies going north from Calgary, it's worth a stop if only for the Grotto Mountain cave tour! You may not want to see your kids rappelling or doing the more thrilling caver experiences, but a half-hour hike through water etched passages into caverns filled with mineral formations is possible for even smaller kids.  Make sure you wear warm casual clothes and good shoes: you'll be outfitted with helmets and lamps
      The road from Canmore to Banff is quite beautiful so give yourself enough time to really enjoy the drive: both the scenery and for "spot the wildlife" games. Although there are bridges built just for wild life to get from one side of the highway to the other, you're likely to see lots of elk and possibly a few bear along the side or even on the road. Pulling over to take pictures is fine but keep in mind that even a smallish bear is stronger than a very big man: keep a respectful distance and use a zoom lens for close-up shots.
family tours canadian rockies

The scenery in Banff and Jasper National Parks will knock your socks off, it's so spectacular, but don't think you need to rough it. Here's a family tour that combine canoeing and lakeside walks with guided wildlife spotting and hikes on the glacier:

    Classic Journeys
Does your family want to bike, hike, rock climb, or go rafting? Camping looks like fun too, but you can also choose to stay in comfortable inns. Book a tour that specializes in multi-sport trips for families, they'll provide everything you'll need for a great trip:
    Backroads
kids books alberta canada
     
Free Horse  
Free Horse (Mustang Mountain # 7)
Sharon Siamon

Teenage Meg has a way with horses, and would like nothing better than to spend her summer at Mustang Mountain, but she's stuck with a pesky ten-year old and her friend Thomas is out in the wilderness, trying to save the wild horses. A super horse story, set in the Canadian Rockies. (Chapter book)

For more adventures of Meg, Becky, and Alison with phantom horses, rodeos, and wild mustangs, check out: Night Horse, Rodeo Horse, Brave Horse.

 

     
Bears
Deborah Hodge

Before you spot a bear up close, find out about the habits of black bears and grizzlies what they eat (honey and fruit, plants and leaves, fish, deer), how fast they can run (up to 30mph), natural predators (none). (Picture book)

 

 
Bears
     
Deer, Moose, Elk & Caribou  

Fun facts about these fascinating animals. A moose is really just the largest deer, elk make lots of squealing and grunting noises, mule deer hop with stiff legs like a rabbit. Also, how to identify moose, mule deer, caribou and elk tracks. (Picture book)

 

     
Eagles
Deborah Hodge, Nancy Gray Ogle

Get out your binoculars to get a better look at the magnificent Bald and Golden Eagles that live in the Canadian Rockies. How eagles fly, what eagles eat (favorite food is rabbits), where eagles nest, how baby eagles protect themselves, and tips for eagle watching. (Picture book)

 

 
Eagles
     
Beavers  
Beavers
Deborah Hodge, Pat Stephens

At dawn or dusk, look for beavers building their stick-and-mud dams and lodges in the streams and ponds in the Canadian Rockies. Read about what beavers eat, how they move through the water, build dams and lodges, and how to spot them. (Picture book)

 

(More children's books on other Alberta pages)
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