Calgary 
It is officially time to get in the holiday spirit. While there are many great holiday events taking place around Calgary, now may also be the time for some family fun. There are a few different ways to plan a festive day trip from Calgary this month, which can make a perfect day for family, or a date.
Photo credit: Paul Zizka / Travel Alberta
In terms of the holiday and Christmas fun, there are events happening all month in the towns and smaller cities around Calgary, including Banff and the mountains. This means gorgeous holiday light displays, visits with Santa, horse and wagon rides, family photo opportunities, and more.
And with the Rockies right beside Calgary, you can take your pick of several types of outdoor recreation, either paid or free. You can make a day trip out of the many surrounding ski resorts, guided mountain adventures, or free adventures like winter hiking, photography, and cross-country skiing.
Banff
Christmas in Banff is pure magic. And many of the town’s holiday celebrations take place throughout the entire month of December. Banff has several options for outdoor winter recreation, too, with downhill ski resorts, National Park trails, and guided adventures. After all the adventures, walk the town’s main street to find souvenir shops, casual, and fine dining options.
Canada Strong Pass is in effect between December 12, 2025, and January 15, 2026, offering free admission to Banff National Park.
- Make the day trip all about the hill. The distance between Calgary and Banff gives you enough time to spend a whole day at either Sunshine Village or Mt. Norquay.
- Take a walk through the free outdoor light display, In Search of Christmas Spirit, at the Cascade of Time Garden.
- Experience Nightrise, a unique winter activity that merges multimedia, storytelling and nature for a new and inspiring perspective at Banff Gondola.
- Follow the Hot Chocolate Trail, made up of over 20 different businesses that all put their own spin on the classic holiday drink.
- Book a romantic or festive sleigh ride and enjoy views of the town, mountains, and forests.
Sylvan Lake
Take a trip to the lake this holiday season! Sylvan Lake remains a top tourist destination in Alberta throughout the winter months, and it all begins with Christmas. The town is bright with its annual light displays and busy with recreation and holiday shopping. Be sure to stop along Lakeshore Drive for local dining options and cafes with warm drinks.
Visit Sylvan Lake
- Walk through Christmas under the Lights to get a full dose of the holiday spirit, with the scenic view of the lake beside you.
- Don’t forget your skates! The winter weather in Alberta so far is promising for lake skating. Sylvan’s skating area is also beside the light displays, so you can hear the holiday music while you get your exercise.
- You can leave the business of the main town and venture to Jarvis Bay Provincial Park for an afternoon of snowshoeing.
- Book your own private ice fishing hut with Sunsport Recreation. They also offer sauna hut rentals!
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park
If you’re only interested in free winter recreation (Kananaskis Pass required) for your day trip entertainment, then Peter Lougheed Provincial Park can be a one-stop shop. The park is about an hour from Calgary and offers extensive trail networks for a range of activities. The area has received significant snow so far, with most areas over 50cm deep.
- There are over 20 groomed cross-country ski trails now open in Peter Lougheed!
- The remaining trails around the park are mixed-use, allowing hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and fat biking, or all three.
- Pack a winter picnic! If coming from the south, there are local restaurants in Turner Valley and Black Diamond where you can stock up on snacks. If coming from the north, Cochrane offers many food and snack options. Keep in mind that some day-use areas are closed for the winter, but about half stay open.
Sundre
The drive out north to Sundre from Calgary is about 1.5-2 hours alongside the foothills and on the Cowboy Trail. The drive on this stretch of the trail is beautiful while covered with snow and leads you to all the winter fun around town. You can day-trip from Calgary to Sundre for outdoor recreation in the snow, food and drink, Christmas celebrations, or all the above.
- There are about 25km of cross-country skiing and fat biking trails around town, which give you plenty of options for different difficulty levels.
- Visit Mountain’s Edge Cycle & Sled for snowmobile or winter ATV rentals and try riding through the hills around Sundre: the Olds Snowmobile Staging Area will connect you to a variety of trails.
- You’ll have a wide selection of local dining, including family spots, fine dining, international cuisine, pubs, and more.
Drumheller
The Alberta badlands look magical while covered with snow! If you day trip out to Drumheller from Calgary, you can make a few scenic stops along the way and enjoy the winter views before the fun in town. On your way, stop by Horseshoe Canyon for the first major viewpoint. Your next view can be in Drumheller, from the top of the World’s Largest Dinosaur. And once you’re here, there are many holiday celebrations and light displays to check out.
Atlas Coal Mine
- The stargazing around Drumheller can offer spectacular views any time of year. Take a short drive away from town to a spot like Midland Provincial Park.
- Visit the Atlas Coal Mine’s Christmas in the Coulee. The light display will transform the Coal Mine into a bright and festive winter experience.
Nordegg & Abraham Lake
The town of Nordegg sits on the southern side of the enormous Abraham Lake, and both locations are worth a winter drive. The trip will take you along the David Thompson Highway and beside Long Lake. If you are coming from the east, you can watch the white prairies turn to foothills, then the small mountains around Nordegg. There is a small shop and café in town where you can stop before taking off on some outdoor adventures. Lake Abraham is also worth a visit, with several roadside stops, thanks to a beautiful natural phenomenon beneath the ice.
- Book an experience with Nordegg Adventures to see wonders like the frozen Siffleur Falls, Crescent Falls, and the beautiful ice bubbles of Abraham Lake.
- Venture onto the ice bubbles on your own. Be cautious of the ice conditions and stay safe! There are multiple roadside stops along the lake’s shores with picnic areas and washrooms.
- Stay a little bit later if it is a clear day and enjoy the clear night sky for stargazing.
- Take a self-guided hike to Siffleur Falls (staging area in the Kootenay Plains ER)
Bragg Creek
The town of Bragg Creek sits at the foot of the Foothills, and is a short drive from Calgary, especially for those in the west end of the city. The Elbow River flows through the town, enhancing the beautiful scenery you can take in from any direction. It is easy to get out and make the most of the natural beauty of Bragg Creek with several options for adventures: skate in town, ski and snowshoe outside of town, and complete your day trip with the town’s huge selection of local food.
- The areas surrounding Bragg Creek offer extensive trail systems for cross-country skiers, with varying difficulties and lengths. All the trails take you through beautiful and sometimes difficult-to-access forests.
- There is a wonderfully large selection of local food in Bragg Creek
- For something warm and cozy, try Mable & Marie’s or the Bragg Creek Café & Baking Company.
- For a family meal, stop by the Bragg’s Korner Kitchen or Creekers Bistro.
- And for take-out or picnic foods, try Mountain Bistro & Pizzeria, Rani’s Rasoi, or the Bav & Tav.
- Get your recreation and winter views on horseback! Moose Mountain Horseback Adventures offers winter day-rides around their foothills ranch, a short drive south of Bragg Creek.
High River
High River is a nice and quick day trip for most in Calgary. This convenient spot is perfect for some holiday fun with the family, where you can wander the light displays while checking out the local stores. Much of the excitement will happen around George Lane Memorial Park, a central location in town. This gives you historic downtown and the river, all within walking distance of the parking lot.
- The entire town of High River is encouraged to go all out for Light up High River. You can begin a winter walk at George Lane Park, where there are many displays, and continue towards the residential lights.
- Enjoy a peaceful nature walk or a photography walk around areas such as Frank Lake or the Highwood River.
Book a Mountain Adventure
There are many ways to get in some thrills this winter. Plan your day trip around one of the many guided adventures offered between Canmore and Banff for an exciting and memorable day away from the city.
- Ridgeline Guiding Services offers ice climbing courses for locations around the Canmore area for a variety of skill levels.
- Enjoy ice climbing on frozen waterfalls around Banff.
- Mix it up a bit with guided Dogsledding Adventures ,which take you around the Banff and Lake Louise areas.
Pincher Creek
Leave early for a day trip from Calgary to Pincher Creek and make time to enjoy the drive into southwestern Alberta. Your trip will take you through other towns, too, like Okotoks, High River, and Fort MacLeod- all worth a visit. Plan your visit to Pincher Creek around a variety of winter activities.
- Castle Mountain Resort, located 30 minutes from Picher Creek, offers excellent skiing and they are opening ts first high-speed chairlift and access to expansive new terrain.
- There is excellent ice fishing a short drive southwest of town at Beauvais Lake Provincial Park. The park also offers groomed XC ski trails, snowshoe trails, and winter hiking.
- Take in an evening of skating at the fully-lit Castleview Park rink.
Mountain skating or pond hockey
This cold weather can help guarantee one thing for the holidays in southern Alberta: plenty of skating! There are several great options around the city for rinks, but a day trip to the mountains offers incredible views and a relaxing drive to enjoy in the afternoon. Banff National Park is home to a few natural skating areas (bring a shovel to clear your own snow!), many of which are near picnic areas and washrooms. Contact Banff’s Visitor Centre to learn about ice conditions.
- Lake Louise is one of the most gorgeous places to skate in all of Canada. The lake is surrounded by close mountains and retains its bright blueish-green colour while frozen.
- Other Banff skating areas include Two Jack Lake, Lake Minnewanka, or Vermillion Lakes.
- Canmore has a large and open skating pond and is a little bit closer to Calgary than the Banff lakes.
Take the Christmas Trains
Calgarians can consider themselves lucky in that there are two choices nearby for a holiday train ride. You can venture north, or south, for a day trip out to rural Alberta and spend your day celebrating Christmas with an authentic Polar Express Experience. Book your tickets ASAP; these events are booking up quickly.
- Aspen Crossing (near Mossleigh and High River) is the closest railway to Calgary, offering its Polar Express Train Excursion throughout December.
- The Alberta Prairie Railway Polar Express Experience also runs throughout December and will take your day trip north toward Stettler.
Turner Valley and Black Diamond
These two southern Alberta towns are close to each other and often combine their major events or celebrations. Spend a day exploring both Black Diamond and Turner Valley, and you will find holiday shopping opportunities, beautiful winter landscapes, local dining, and beautiful holiday lights.
- Diamond Valley is officially lit for Christmas with displays you can enjoy all month (Government Road, Black Diamond).
- Bundle up for a winter walk, and stop at the local cafes for hot chocolate, coffee, or tea.
- In Turner Valley, stop by either the Chuckwagon Café, the Coyote Moon Cantina, or the Black Sheep Coffee Company.
- Black Diamond’s local cafes include Marv’s Classic Soda Shop or the Westwood.
Skiing & Snowboarding
Banff is a great spot for both sports and now snow tubing. But there are other ski resort areas to check out within day-trip distance from Calgary. These resorts are still in the Rockies but farther south than Banff and Lake Louise.
- Nakiska Ski Area is the closest to Calgary and is located in the Kananaskis Village. The hill offers skiing, snowboarding, lessons, and rentals.
- Castle Mountain Ski Resort is further southwest near Pincher Creek. They offer skiing, snowboarding, cat skiing, and guided mountain tours.
- And south of Pincher Creek, you can ski or snowboard in the Pass Powderkeg Area. They also offer night skiing!
Lethbridge
Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden
If you take a day trip to Lethbridge during the holiday season, you may be able to escape some of the colder weather here in Calgary. While Lethbridge isn’t too much further south than Calgary, they do often receive milder winters, which only makes for more outdoor holiday opportunities. You can explore outdoor holiday lights, downtown shopping and dining, and the special holiday events at Fort Whoop Up.
- The annual Winter Light Festival is on at the local Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden. The outdoor light display makes for a perfect winter walk, and you can enhance the experience more with their Dome Dining experiences.
- Experience winter at Fort Whoop-Up through Blackfoot stories, language, and traditional skills. Enjoy berry soup, pemmican, horse-drawn rides, hand games, Métis jigging, storytelling, tea making, winter counts, and survival activities. Celebrate the resilience, knowledge, and community that have long brought people together on these traditional Blackfoot lands.
