Invest in Alberta's Northern Rockies

Gateway to Alberta’s wild

The Northern Rockies is an untamed playground—the raw, unspoiled side of Alberta's adventure frontier.

Soaring summits, sprawling prairie parklands, dense forests, and ancient fossil beds make up one of the province's most geographically diverse regions—and Alberta’s wild side. The town of Hinton sits just outside world-famous Jasper National Park, while Grande Cache provides the setting for one of the world’s toughest ultramarathons.

Visitors can travel through rugged landscapes and across eons, enjoying world-class paleontological sites and a world-renowned dinosaur museum, charming mountain towns, endless hiking, biking and snowmobiling trails, river rafting adventures, local rodeos, and some of Canada's best wildlife viewing opportunities.

The Northern Rockies embraces all the spectacular diversity of the Rocky Mountain, Foothills, Boreal, and Parkland regions, presenting an exciting breakthrough opportunity to become Canada’s next great outdoor adventure destination.

At a glance

Location: Northwest Alberta
Key communities: Grande Prairie, Hinton, Grande Cache
Getting here: 483 km (300 mi) drive from Edmonton International Airport, 686 km (426 mi) from Banff via Icefields Parkway
Projected visitor spend: $453M by 2035
Market catchment: Within a three-hour drive, approximately 1.2M residents have a median disposable household income of $114K
Unique development opportunity: The region next to Jasper National Park—the world’s largest accessible Dark Sky Preserve—is ripe for development, offering investors an advantageous opportunity

Location

Where the Northern Rockies is situated

The Northern Rockies is accessible primarily via major highways, including the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) and Highway 93, facilitating travel to and within the region. The Grande Prairie Airport serves as a significant gateway for visitors, offering flights that connect the region to larger urban centers.

Northern Lights Eco Lodge Potential Market Size: 8.9M

High Adrenaline Adventures Potential Market Size: 1.2M

Luxury Rail Journeys Potential Market Size: 3.2M

Whitewater Rafting on Sulphur River in Grande Cache.

Enjoying the view from the Jasper-Hinton Airport Helicopter.

Two people sitting at the bar with a beverage.

Main attractions

What’s bringing visitors to the Northern Rockies?

Jasper National Park

The Canadian Rockies’ largest national park welcomes more than four million travellers annually, offering downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skating, mountain biking, camping, fishing, and hiking. Covering over 11,000 sq km (4,250 sq mi), the park is the world’s second-largest Dark Sky Preserve and hosts the Jasper Dark Sky Festival each October.

Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum

Overlooking the Pipestone Creek bonebed, this internationally renowned museum is an important destination for paleontological research and a major draw for dinosaur enthusiasts. This world-class research facility is in Wembley—24 km (15 mi) west of Grande Prairie. The permanent collection focuses on the Pipestone Creek Bonebed, and includes select significant findings from other archaeological sites.

Marmot Basin

Jasper National Park’s ski resort offers 3,000 vertical feet of superb skiing and snowboarding on 1,720 acres of varied terrain. An average of 450 cm (177 inches) of natural snow blankets the mountain annually, allowing skiing from November to early May. Visitors can explore a wide variety of runs, from novice to expert, sprawled across four mountain faces boasting an abundance of dry, light, fluffy powder.

Get inspired

Hinton Bike Park

With pump tracks, dirt jumps, wood features and more across 37 acres of terrain, the Hinton Bike Park has been drawing in biking fans from far and wide for years. The park, centrally located in Hinton near established bike trails, is free for all users. They also offer group rides and paid lessons for all ages and skills.

Canadian Death Race

For decades, extreme athletes have travelled to Grande Cache to cheat death in one of the world's toughest ultramarathons. The 118 km (73 mi) course begins and ends on a 4200-foot plateau, passes over three mountain summits, and includes 17,000 feet of elevation change.

Wild Blue Yonder Rafting

This well-loved local business leads rafting adventures through the renowned Sulphur Gates: a confluence of two rivers flanked by towering cliffs. This spectacular natural wonder is surrounded by wild mountain wilderness far from the crowds—only a 10 minute drive from Grande Cache.

The Woods Experience

The Woods Experience, nestled in Alberta's boreal forest, is 90 minutes west of Edmonton. This Mètis family-owned Indigenous Tourism Alberta destination offers cabin and Tipi stays, a spa, trading post and classroom space. They offer courses, workshops, and land-based teachings, often featuring elders and instructors sharing their skills and knowledge.

Folding Mountain Brewing

Located just 10 minutes west of Hinton, Folding Mountain Brewing sits on the edge of Jasper National Park with a commanding view of the glorious Rocky Mountains. With 12 house-made beers on tap, they offer a brew for everyone.

Wild Mountain Music Festival

Held at Entrance Ranch near Hinton, Wild Mountain Music Festival takes place every third weekend of July in view of the stunning Rocky Mountains. This family-friendly celebration features a variety of genres—ranging from roots and folk to rock, country, blues, jazz, Latin, Celtic, and global music. The festival offers on-site camping for a full weekend experience.

Grande Prairie Stompede

Held at the end of May since 1978, this community tradition features professional rodeo competitions and multiple chuckwagon races—including those sanctioned by the World Professional Chuckwagon Association. Alongside the main events, the Stompede includes a midway, live music performances, and an arts and culture expo.

Unlock opportunities

Discover your next great investment with our expert-led team.

Contact us to learn more about Travel Alberta’s efforts to grow tourism in the region, and to access third-party opportunity assessments and bespoke insights.