Find romance this winter in Alberta with several different getaway ideas.
These romantic winter vacations in Alberta are perfect for Valentine’s Day, the adjacent weekends, or the Family Day Long weekend. And, if you can take the getaway during the week, you’re likely to save on hotel prices. These ideas do include more than hotel stays, however, as Alberta has options for winter camping, glamping, and other unique ways to stay overnight.
Camping at Geodesic Domes
Experience a romantic getaway in geodomes, offering cozy, warm interiors with 360-degree views of the outdoors, including the night sky, fire pits, fireplaces, and even Wi-Fi for comfort and connection.
- Refuge Bay’s state-of-the-art geodesic dome, with its vast bay window and skylight, offers stunning views and star-gazing opportunities, complete with a private wood-fired sauna and outdoor cooking facilities.
- Glamp Good offers unique geodomes, Tamarack and Aspen, for sky-gazing stays, complete with indoor fireplaces and private fire pits. Enjoy their new Nordic sauna, luxurious off-grid showers, and solar-powered glamping on 160 acres of pristine nature, near tranquil lakes and beaches.
- Métis Crossing offers a romantic getaway in their luxury Sky Watching Domes, with transparent ceilings for stargazing, mirroring the guiding practices of Métis ancestors. These domes feature modern comforts like heated floors, air conditioning, and a kitchenette, perfect for a night under the stars.
A Fairmont Vacation
Alberta is home to a handful of luxurious Fairmont hotels. These hotels offer a unique and elevated experience in historic or iconic buildings and locations.
- The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in Banff National Park is right beside the beautiful lake. Inside the hotel, enjoy spa services, an indoor pool, and the hotel’s 2024 Bed and Breakfast package for some extra romance.
- The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper National Park currently offers a special package for the Jasper Beer & Spirits Festival, February 9-11. The festival makes for a great date night, but the hotel is romantic any time during the snowy winter months.
- Downtown Calgary’s Fairmont Palliser has a year-round Grand Romance Package for a one-night stay. The Palliser is in the heart of the city and near the site for Calgary’s Chinook Blast, or the Olympic Plaza skating rink.
- And in downtown Edmonton is the riverside Hotel MacDonald with the same year-round Grand Romance Package. The MacDonald is near riverside skating rinks, the Ice District, and several dining spots.
Winter Comfort Camping in Alberta’s Parks
Alberta’s two winter comfort camping options are located quite a way from one another with one option in the southeast park of Cypress Hills, and another in the northeast park of Sir Winston Churchill.
- Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park offers lakeside cabin camping during the winter, and a host of outdoor activities. The scenic park is on Lac La Biche and only a 5-minute drive from the town. Activities to enjoy together include wildlife viewing, hiking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing.
- Cypress Hills Provincial Park has winter activities abound to enjoy while staying in their winter cabins. These include downhill skiing, romantic walks through Elkwater or the Cypress Hills, ice skating, or stargazing.
Date Night Packages in the Cities
Alberta’s largest cities all have a host of winter fun to offer, with each location leaning into the Winter City spirit. Plus, each of these hotels offer a way to save or make the most of a romantic getaway in the city.
- West Edmonton Mall’s Fantasyland Hotel put on two different romance promotions for winter 2024. They have a Marry Me Proposal Package, and a Memorable Moments Package, both of which include a meal at the hotel’s L2 Grill.
- Red Deer’s Heritage Ranch offer their annual overnight date package with the help of the West Lake Grill and Red Deer Resort & Casino. The date begins with a private carriage ride around the ranch, dinner at the Grill, and is followed by dessert and return transportation to the hotel and casino.
- Le Germain Calgary has two separate romance packages to help with your winter getaway in the city. The Romantic Package includes a one-night stay, prosecco, chocolates, and rose petals on your bed. The Spa Couple Package includes a one-night stay and a 60-minute couple’s massage. Both packages include a flexible checkout time.
Explore Kananaskis
There are a few reasons which make the Kananaskis area perfect for a romantic winter getaway. The spa is one of the most notable romantic activities in the area. However, once you get out into the natural areas, there is much more to explore, and many other adventures to try together.
- The Kananaskis Nordic Spa offers a luxurious a world-class winter experience. The outdoor area is equipped with five outdoor pools, saunas, and firepits with chairs. Massages are also available to add on to your experience.
- The Kananaskis Village is filled with hotel options, dining options, and a few different trailheads. The area, especially in the evening around sunset, has many romantic activity options, including a simple walk along the trails.
- Plan for a bigger adventure together: drive down the area’s main and very scenic highways, plan a winter picnic, rent snowshoes, or spend a day at the Nakiska Ski Resort!
Plan a Ski or Snowboard Trip Together
No matter where you are in Alberta, there is likely to be a ski hill within a 3-hour drive. This is true not just for the Rockies but also for Alberta’s many steep hills and river valleys. A ski trip in Alberta can take your romantic weekend to many other places besides the mountains.
- If you prefer a mountain getaway for skiing and snowboarding, there are plenty of options with nearby or adjacent hotels. These include Marmot Basin (Jasper), Sunshine (Banff), Lake Lousie (Banff), Nakiska (Kananaskis), Mt. Norquay (Banff), and Castle Ski Resort (SW of Pincher Creek).
- Scale back the cost of the trip with a ski getaway in central Alberta’s many hills, like Canyon Ski Resort in Red Deer or the four within Edmonton’s city limits on the North Sask. River valley.
- Northern Alberta is home to many different ski resorts as well. In the east are Vista Ridge (Fort McMurray), Long Lake Ski Hill, and Kinosoo Ridge (Cold Lake). In the west are Misery Mountain (Grimshaw), Fairview (Grand Prairie), Little Smoky (High Prairie), and Nitehawk Adventure Park (Grand Prairie).
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Find a Romantic Log Cabin
The quintessential romantic winter experience: cozying up to a fire in a private log cabin under the blanket of snow! Luckily, you can conveniently come across the experience in many ways: through private vacation rental sites or resorts and hotels. Plus, this experience can be found almost anywhere in Alberta.
- Escape to the northern Rockies of Jasper National Park to take advantage of these adorable cabins for your next romantic winter vacation. The Miette Mountain Cabins have accommodations for two and a variety of different cabins from which to choose. The property also offers a number of shared hot tubs for hotel guests.
- Add a bit of adventure to your log cabin getaway with Banff’s Skoki Lodge which is also a National Historic Site. You may also hike into the lodge! It is a 10km trail, but visitors are greeted by lodge staff upon arrival with warm drinks and hearty snacks.
- Mount Engadine Lodge in the Evan-Thomas Provincial Recreation Area offers couples a number of ways to stay and enjoy the romantic setting. These accommodations are available year-round and include lodge rooms, cabins, glamping tents, and yurts. They also have a romance package available as an add-on all year round.
Winter Camping with a Tent or RV
There are a large number of winter campgrounds open in Alberta this year (over 80, in fact!). Many of those are backcountry campgrounds with hiking required to access the site. However, there are a large number of front country winter campgrounds still in places that have a lot of winter activities for couples to enjoy.
- Miquelon Lake Provincial Park is an excellent destination for any couple or couples seeking peace and quiet on their romantic getaway. Camping here can include snowshoeing, hiking, wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing, and some of the province’s best stargazing.
- There are a large number of activities at Crimson Lake Provincial Park to keep couples busy all day or weekend. These include skating, hiking, sightseeing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Or bring along the fat tire bikes to explore the trail connecting both lakes in the park.
- William A. Switzer Provincial Park offers just as many activities as the parks listed above, but with one notable difference: this Provincial Park is located beside Jasper National Park. So, couples can choose between enjoying the recreation around the park, or within the National Park.
- Take your couple’s getaway to Dinosaur Provincial Park this winter for peace and quiet, hiking opportunities, and amazing stargazing opportunities.
Spend time Somewhere New
A great way to plan a trip for any time of year in Alberta is to pick a town or small city which you’ve never visited before and take in all the local businesses have to offer. This includes tourism, local dining, local shopping, and any outdoor recreation the area has to offer.
- Sylvan Lake has many things to offer each winter between the lake itself, the town, and the nearby Provincial Park. Within the town and at the lake, spend time skating on the natural ice or enjoying the lit-up park. Much of Sylvan’s local dining and shopping are on or beside Lakeshore Drive and the rink. Further from town is the Jarvis Bay Provincial Park, where you can explore on foot or by snowshoe. They host a couple of winter festivals, too, like The Big Jig, the Ice Dragon Boat Festival, and the March Meltdown.
- A visit to Grand Prairie can offer a variety of winter adventures! Take this unique opportunity to try out dogsledding at Evergreen Park or see hundreds of bird species at the nearby Saskatoon Island PP. Additionally, the city will host the annual Grande North Winter Festival in January. For recreation available any time this winter in Grand Prairie, visit Muskoseepi Park. The park boasts trails for skiing and snowshoeing, a skating rink, and a toboggan hill. They also offer snowshoe rentals.
- The central Alberta town of Sundre is on the Red Deer River at the western edge of the prairies. To the east, flat farmland. And to the west, rolling foothills that lead to the Rockies. For winter recreation, enjoy activities like snowshoeing or cross-country skiing together along the scenic snowy banks of the river. And if you can plan for it, head to Sundre for their annual Winterfest and Mountain Survivalist Competition, held February 18-19, 2024.
- The city of Lethbridge in Southern Alberta is home to the perfect festival to make for a romantic setting on Valentine’s Day, or around the holiday. The city’s Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden will host their Winter Light Festival until February 24, 2024. And outside of the gardens are many other ways to spend a romantic weekend in Lethbridge. Explore the riverside trails, the Helen Schuler Nature Centre, and downtown Lethbridge. From January 24-February 4, the downtown businesses will participate in Hot Beverage Week, with each drink up for voting. The city boasts a number of places to enjoy indoor live entertainment, too.
Visit the Rockies but Save on Accommodations
If you are travelling by car (and you are confident about winter driving), there are simple ways to save on a romantic trip to the Rocky Mountains. While Jasper and Banff are both incredibly romantic destinations, the hotel prices may deter couples. Luckily, there is a simple solution: stay elsewhere!
- Enjoy all that Banff has to offer during the day: downhill skiing, guided tours, frozen waterfalls, the townsite, Lake Lousie, pond skating, and more. But save on your hotel costs by staying in Canmore or west Calgary instead; this can save you up to $200 off per night.
- Take advantage of Jasper’s serene and romantic winter setting without the worry of your hotel or accommodation budget: stay in Hinton! Hinton is about an hour from the park gates. So, if you start your adventures in the morning, you’ll still have all day to explore the park and town.
Book a Romantic Vacation Rental
Between Air BnB and VRBO, there are a huge variety of different winter accommodations available in Alberta. Many are located in the major cities, while many will bring your getaway to a much more romantic location.
- These cozy Old Town Cabins are on the shores of Lesser Slave Lake with access to Wi-Fi, direct lake access, and many outdoor activities to enjoy nearby.
- This modern Ma-Me-O beach cabin has all the amenities of home but all the peace and quiet of a lakeside lot. The cabin has a full kitchen and entertainment system, a sunroom, lake access, and a private deck with a barbecue.
- This Cozy Cabin for 2 near Strathmore makes for a beautiful, scenic, and romantic ranch retreat. Plus, guests can enjoy access to an outdoor hot tub, shared between the property’s two cabins.
- Explore the Gull Lake area this winter with a romantic stay at this Parkland Beach Guest House, complete with an outdoor hot tub.