Banff 
As spooky season falls upon us, we may be looking for ways to help prepare for Halloween. Within the realm of dark tourism are several ways to do this like haunted houses and ghost tours or creating your own ghost tour. In certain parts of Alberta, you are likely to stumble upon a few highways perfect for an Alberta Ghost Town Road Trip.
When touring ghost towns and abandoned structures it is important to remain respectful: towards the nature, the buildings, and everything that remains in the location. Do not take anything, and don’t leave anything behind!
Mountain Park near Cadomin
There is a scenic route to Jasper south of Highway 16 which is unknown to many, and which brings you through the once-bustling coal towns of Alberta.
When travelling west towards Jasper, there is an exit onto Forestry Trunk Road just beyond Edson.
The road takes you through spectacular foothill landscapes, and to towns such as Coalspar, Mercoal, and Cadomin. Cadomin sits in a large valley beyond the Watson Creek Provincial Recreation Park – a beautiful picnic spot.
Cadomin is inhabited and has a general store among the residences. But beyond Cadomin is Canada’s most elevated cemetery at the former site of Mountain Park.
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The gravestones, white picket fencing, and the remote quiet of the graveyard, all create a spooky effect at the top of the hill.
Town of Frank
Many years ago, in 1903, tragedy struck the mining town of Frank in Southern Alberta. A landslide created by the nearby Turtle Mountain destroyed the town, burying all who lived there. While no buildings remain, 30 million or so cubic feet of rock are scattered across the former townsite.
The Interpretive Centre is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, and allows you to follow a boardwalk trail alongside the rubble. This could easily be considered one of Alberta’s eeriest places to visit. Other pieces of mining history are located along the Crowsnest Pass near Frank, like the Leitch Colliers Provincial Historic Site, the ruins of a coal procession plant, or the Bellevue Underground Mine (closed for the season).
Etzikom
Along Alberta’s southern Highway 61 are a few abandoned townsites and ghost towns, including the historic windmills of Etzikom. Visit Etzikom Museum & Canadian Historic Windmill Interpretive Centre when open. When the museum is closed ( Labour Day to Victoria Day weekend), you can still see these well-preserved windmills as it is outdoors for all to see.
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The streets of the town have as many abandoned buildings as there are inhabited buildings.
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As you travel north of the town on Highway 885, a few roadside cemeteries will pop up in the vast fields.
For a picnic spot, or somewhere to stretch your legs, you can head northeast towards the Red Rock Coulee Natural Area.
Rowley
Rowley has stayed alive due to a few dedicated volunteers and successful fundraisers. From these, the remaining people who live here have been able to keep the historic buildings around Rowley. Many standing buildings, barns, and grain elevators are shuttered, giving it the feeling of an abandoned town.
The fundraisers are held during the summer and welcome all visitors and nearby campers to help support the cause.
October 2023 Pizza Nights will be held on October 28.
You can stroll through Rowley on your way to or from Drumheller and stop at Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park. The Park and viewpoint are excellent for birdwatching as you could spot up to 150 species.
Nearby dining: Drumheller
Bankhead – Banff
As the site of a former coal town in the Rockies, you can expect spooky ghost town vibes and some great and unique views. There are Bankhead interpretive trails around the site with many remnants of the town and coal equipment you can photograph, explore, and just admire as the forest overtakes the structures.
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Bankhead is on the way to Lake Minnewanka as well, home to its own underwater ghost town. Technically the underwater town is a ghost resort (Minnewanka Landing), built on the lake’s shores in 1886 until flooding under 98 feet of water in 1941. Even if you’re not a scuba diver, a visit to the lake’s shores after Bankhead, and envisioning underwater ghosts, are enough creepy vibes for one trip!
Read more about Lake Minnewanka underwater Ghost town
Conquerville
There are several wooden structures still standing to mark the site of the former Conquerville. This helps make a walk through the abandoned town extra creepy, along with the surrounding dying forest. The Mabel-area ghost town is spread out quite far between some of the structures, as this is all former farmland so you can get some great photography in with a lot of exercise.
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You can easily combine this stop with a stop at the Etzikom Windmills and the ghost town of Nemiskam. This also means that the Red Rock Coulee is a short drive away from Conquerville as well. And on a clear day, you may be able to catch the Rockies in the western distance, too.
Nemiskam
The abandoned site of the Nemiskam ghost town is on Highway 61 (The Red Coat Trail) in Forty Mile No.8 County, along with Conquerville and Etzikom.
You can reach the site by turning north at the town’s cemetery on the side of the road (RR103). You’ll notice a group of boarded-off buildings made of wood and brick consumed by wheat stalks and tree branches.
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This is the closest ghost town to Taber and could be a place to stop and stretch your legs if headed to the mountains. The site is large enough for a 20-30 minute walk, depending on how much exploring you’d like to do in Nemiskam.
Old Bezanson Townsite
Bezanson is an operational Hamlet at the moment, but the former site of the town is just 12km southeast of here.
The settlement was a bit of a mistake, as the man who first came here anticipated a rail line to run through his settlement.
It ran through Grande Prairie instead, eventually rendering this area abandoned.
It is now a day-use area and campground run by the County of Grande Prairie and is open until October 15th, 8am to 8pm. Pack a picnic, or meander towards the nearby Smoky River for a fall hike.
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Brûlé
The small hamlet of Brule on the Athabasca River is home to a few residents today, but behind the modern buildings are the remnants of one of Alberta’s many coal towns.
Tour through the forest to find stone steps, the foundations of houses and schools, informational plaques, and a cemetery. Along the road leading into town, you’ll follow the Athabasca River, and come across several great lookouts and viewpoints.
The town is about halfway between Jasper and Hinton with access from Highway 40. An easy, quick, and family-friendly hike nearby is the Brule Lake Trail which begins at the Overlander Mountain Lodge.
Fenn
The unincorporated area of Fenn is directly east of Red Deer, between Big Valley and Stettler.
Highway 56 brings you to a forested part of the prairies where part of the area is private land, so watch for signs that indicate private land.
The abandoned grain elevator can help mark your location.
If you continue south on Highway 56, you can make a stop at the Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park and Horsethief Canyon for more sight-seeing or a picnic.
Rumsey
Located in Alberta’s rolling Aspen Parklands, Rumsey is a short drive from Red Deer and other ghost towns like Fenn and Rowley. It is also opposite the highway from the Rumsey Ecological Reserve where you can hike through the aspens on a few different trails. The town existed due to the railway, as many small towns in Alberta did, and began to see a population decline over the late 20th century. The remains of Rumsey include boarded up houses, stores, and a grain elevator which call to the early 20th century era.
Don’t forget the townsite of Nordegg, Alberta (Brazeau Collieries Mine), site of the Hallowe’en Day mine fire in 1941 that killed 29 miners.