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Modern adventure, living heritage

Southern Rockies: spectacular and storied landscapes

Vast prairies meet towering peaks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Southern Rockies. Here, guided tours in spectacular settings can be celebrated with a hearty meal and a craft beer. It’s where visitors can stay in unique accommodations with mountain views, tour working farms and ranches, go hiking or horseback riding, and soak up a buzzing arts scene. This historic region welcomes travellers to explore Alberta’s rich history and scenery.

The Southern Rockies is growing into a premier destination for year-round outdoor adventures. Travellers are drawn to the authenticity and energy of its towns and incredible views. With strategic investment in all-season resorts, restaurants, and luxurious year-round accommodations, this region’s communities can thrive and see well-paying tourism jobs and an improving quality of life for all.

Explore the zone’s key projects

At a glance

Location: Southwest Alberta
Key communities: Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek
Projected visitor spend: $601M by 2035*
GDP: $438M by 2035*
Jobs: 2,955 by 2035*

*With investment

Waterton Lakes National Park tourism
South Canadian Rockies
Crowsnest Pass Tourism

A graphic map shows the location of the Southern Rockies within Alberta. It's a relatively small region in the far southwest corner of the province

Resident sentiment toward tourism is high

86% of Southern Rockies residents say that tourism is important to their local community.

Discover resident perspectives
Demand drivers

High demand for key activities

Highly engaged international travellers are already planning trips to Alberta. However, the Southern Rockies need more four-season experiences, unique luxury accommodations, and culturally driven tourism to fully meet that demand. These additions can anchor year-round itineraries and drive sustained tourism growth.

A family plays cards together inside their storybook-themed cottage at Charmed Resorts.
Boutique Accommodation Potential Market Size: 1.5M
Guests ride horses through Alberta’s Foothills with mountains in the distance.
Outdoor Adventure Potential Market Size: 1.2M
A farmer cares for his cows at sunrise.
Culture and Heritage Potential Market Size: 1.6M

Developing Alberta Tourism

Key Projects

Travel Alberta helps local tourism grow by funding projects that welcome visitors throughout the year. We focus on building four-season accommodations and experiences to help our communities thrive.

Cozy interior of a grain silo cabin, with spiral stairs to a loft, plus ranch-inspired kitchen and living area.

Saddle Hill Ranch Cabins, MD of Pincher Creek

Conversion of grain silos into year-round boutique accommodations run by a local ranching family. Visitors can fish along the banks of the Castle River or enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh ride in winter.

Two storybook-inspired cottages are covered in snow at Charmed Resorts in Alberta.

Charmed Resorts, Crowsnest Pass

Whimsical storybook-themed cottages that draw travellers of all ages. Guests can unwind in private wood-fired hot tubs with views of the surrounding mountains and starry night skies all year long.

Snowmobilers ride through a snowy forest with majestic mountains in the background.

Crowsnest Adventures, Crowsnest Pass

Indigenous-guided off-highway vehicle tours and storytelling experiences. Riders will cross rugged terrain, visiting hidden waterfalls, ghost towns and more while hearing powerful stories from their guide.

Two women sit around a firepit outside a grain silo hotel room at Twin Butte Silos.

Twin Butte Silos

Boutique hotel-style stays in converted grain bins on a working cattle ranch near Waterton Lakes National Park. Visitors can relax in beautiful suites surrounded by stunning landscapes.

A sky filled with stars above the mountains and the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton.

Dark Sky Discovery Days, Waterton Lakes National Park

An inaugural three-day celebration that brings stargazing, science, and storytelling together under awe-inspiring night skies. This festival offers a rare chance to see the Milky Way from a nationally protected Dark Sky Preserve, inviting visitors to explore the Southern Rockies during shoulder season.

Diner cheers their beer samples on a patio at Pass Beer in the Crowsnest Pass.

Highway 3 Ale Trail

Craft beer meets stunning prairie landscapes on this innovative traveller itinerary, showcasing the true taste of place across Alberta’s agricultural heartland.

Why develop tourism

Investing in tourism helps make communities a better place to live, work, and visit.

Learn more

More revenues

Communities with strong visitor economies earn more municipal revenues per capita, which can be reinvested in the services and amenities that residents love.

Lower taxes

Residents pay lower residential property taxes in areas with strong visitor economies.

More jobs

More visitors create a steady customer base for local businesses, creating great jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Discover more about the Southern Rockies TDZ

This 2023 report informs and identifies specific actions Travel Alberta, the Government of Alberta and the TDZ communities should take to support the design of a comprehensive Destination Development Plan.

Download the discovery report (PDF)

Media highlights

Aerial view of Twin Butte Silos with mountains in the background.

Why some farmers are turning old grain bins into guest houses

Some Alberta ranchers hope that branching into tourism will help shore up their family farms to last another generation — though the accommodations might seem a little quirky.

Read the article
A patron picks up a beer from her flight of beers in Oldman River Brewing’s tasting room.

'A taste of southern Alberta': Breweries champion local beer with Hwy 3 Ale Trail

Eight breweries across southern Alberta have joined forces to promote brewing in the region through the Highway 3 Ale Trail tourism initiative.

Read more about the collaboration
Two people relax in a barrel sauna with a view outside.

'Busiest April ever': Claresholm-area ranch and wellness retreat seeing more visitors due to expansion

A $250,000 repayable investment from Prairies Economic Development Canada allowed Chimney Rock Ranch Wellness Retreat to expand.

Read more about the impact
Sun setting in the prairies at Oldman Dam Provincial Recreation Area near Pincher Creek.

Forget the cowboy clichés: In southern Alberta, I immersed myself in a quieter version of ranch life

“I’ve had more than a few wellness treatments in my time, but none has ever come with a soundtrack of cows mooing around me from every direction…”

Read the article
Learn more about the area

Dark sky discovery: Exploring the infinite potential of winter tourism experiences in Alberta

Alberta is ripe with natural adventures that you can incorporate into your offerings. That's exactly what the Robinson brothers did.

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Learn more about the area

Three rural operators who are setting the stage for community growth

As more travellers seek the charm of emerging regions with unforgettable experiences, an increasing number of communities are opening their doors to tourism.

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Learn more about the area

Five exciting tourism projects coming to Alberta in 2025

Discover how bold ideas and local passion are transforming Alberta’s tourism landscape with four exciting new experiences launching across the province this year.

Read more

Connect with our Destination & Commercial Development Manager

Learn how Travel Alberta can support your success in the Southern Rockies.

Yvonne Chau

Yvonne Chau

Southern Rockies & Historic Plains