Calgary 
Take your summer vacation in Alberta off the beaten path this year.
Credit: Mount Engadine Lodge
These interesting ideas for places to stay in Alberta will give you specific and general ideas on how to plan your summer weekends away from home. Many of these places are available for longer stays, too!
Within the province are unique locations, romantic spots, different ways to camp or glamp, and different ways to add to your vacation. And these unique or cool places to stay around Alberta are available all across the province from north, central, to southern Alberta, to the foothills and Rockies in the west, too.
Resorts with Several Glamping Options
If you’re having a hard time deciding on how to try glamping for the first time, use these accommodation options in Alberta which offer a variety of ways to glamp (camp in luxury).
- Mount Engadine Lodge (Kananaskis): glamping tents, yurts, cabins, lodge rooms
- Elk Island Retreat (Elk Island National Park): yurts, cabins, geodomes, RV sites
- Metis Crossing (Smoky Lake): lodge rooms, skywatching domes, campsites
- Glamping Resorts Ltd. (Castle Provincial Park): geodomes, canvas tents, bunk cabins, lodge rooms, or waterfront cabin
The Most Unique Vacation Rentals in Alberta
When you start searching through websites like Air Bnb, VRBO, or HipCamp, you’ll encounter some incredible places to stay either thanks to their amenities, locations, or the house itself. These are some of the more unique finds for places to stay this summer in Alberta.
- This Air Bnb rental in Three Hills is meant to replicate the Hobbit Burrow from LOTR and does a pretty good job of that. The burrow accommodates up to five people!
- The Wildland Treehouse in Leduc County is just that- a small cabin built into the property’s mature trees. The treehouse is near a ton of hiking trails and wildlife viewing opportunities.
- These adorable tiny homes near Sherwood Park offer a home away from home in the seclusion of nature. The cabin guests also have access to a shared hot tub.
- Stay in southern Alberta’s Tin Bin cabins this summer for a stay within great natural surroundings, and with access to a hot tub.
The Coziest Cabins in Alberta
Even after a hot summer day, having a cozy place to stay can be important: a place to gather around a fire, a comfortable place to sleep, and a place with heat, or A/C. These cozy cabins in Alberta offer a variety of amenities and things to do either on- or off-site.
- Skoki Lodge offers a secluded retreat in Banff National Park’s high alpine, 11 km from Lake Louise Ski Resort, with no electricity or running water. Accessible only by hiking or skiing, this backcountry lodge at 7,100 feet elevation has accommodations for 22 guests in the main lodge and cabins.
- Charmed Resorts are located in the Crowsnest Region of southwestern Alberta and offer cozy cabins all centred on fairy tale themes! Some of the cabins have private hot tubs, too! Look forward to what will hopefully be the grand opening of their central Alberta location in late summer of 2024! This Charmed Resort will be on the north shore of Pigeon Lake.
- The Burrow in Three Hills offers a unique retreat with its earth-bermed cottage and living roof. Accommodating up to 5 guests, this cozy getaway boasts a cedar hot tub, 5 fully-furnished rooms, and private, landscaped surroundings.
- Cold Lake’s Evergreen Birch Lodge & RV Resort offer cozy cabin stays for the summer months and much more like beach fun and swimming, boating, or guided fishing and boating.
- Comfort camping cabins are available from a handful of Provincial Parks over the spring, summer, and fall: Castle PP, Cypress Hills PP, Lesser Slave Lake PP, and Writing-on-Stone PP.
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Campgrounds in Alberta with Several Activities or Amenities
Alberta is filled with a ton of excellent privately owned and locally owned campgrounds. These are run by dedicated business owners and volunteers who are also working to preserve some of the province’s natural areas.
- The Gold Springs Park Campground in Milk River is in a unique location on the river, making it so the river wraps around almost the entire park and campground. There are powered sites, sites without services, and cabins for 3-4 people. Plus, this campground has a ton of activities for families like swimming, a playground, waterslides, horseshoe pits, a concession, paddling, and places nearby for hiking.
- Echo Dale Regional Park near Medicine Hat offers several fun things to do over a camping trip like boating on the South Saskatchewan River, or on the small lake, farm workshops and programming, and a swim lake.
- Shaw’s Point Resort (near High Prairie) is a gorgeous spot for camping on the north shores of Lesser Slave Lake. They have a variety of campground types including serviced, non-serviced, group sites, and a few cabins. Plus, visitors get to enjoy the beauty and recreation offered by the lake, an open-air market, trails, and a waterfront restaurant.
- The Spring Lake Campground (Saddle Hills) offer everything campers need for a quiet or exciting weekend away like a beach, hiking and equestrian trails, and a boat launch on Spring Lake. The park opens and May, but reservations are open now.
Ranch Vacations in Alberta
A ranch vacation means either staying on a working ranch in Alberta or getting to enjoy a few ranching experiences during your stay. These ranches in Alberta offer activities like guided hikes and trail rides, and the beautiful ranch scenery. Accommodations range between each location from cabins to campgrounds.
- Schott’s Lake Cabins (near Sundre) are a newer resort in Alberta. The ranch and resort offer motel stays, ranch cabin stays, and an RV for rent. Plus, visitors can enjoy horseback riding, hiking, and the onsite restaurant/grocery store.
- When you book a summer ranch vacation with the YKnott Ranch in central Alberta, get the option between a bunkhouse room, a She Shed, an outfitter tent, a stargazer tent, or a loft cabin. They also offer trail rides for those 13 and older.
- Sunset Guiding & Outfitting are a ranch resort near Sundre who offers rustic cabin accommodations, short or long trail rides, and a bed and breakfast option. Plus, the resort has its own Sunset Café.
Bed & Breakfasts in Alberta
Bed and breakfasts can be found all across Alberta, and these listed below give you a good idea of not only specific B&Bs, but also destinations in where you could search for even more great places to stay.
- The Rustler’s Lodge is a boutique bed and breakfast near Sundre with year-round availability, and several summer dates open. Choose between king or queen rooms, or triple rooms for families.
- Enjoy a scenic stay at the SpringBreak Flower Farm/B&B this summer. The B&B is located south of the Crowsnest Highway near Bellevue.
- Opt for a romantic experience this summer with Canmore’s Bear & Bison Inn.
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Glamping/Yurt Tent Experiences in Alberta
Stay outdoors with a touch of luxury across Alberta’s stunning landscapes. Choose from wall tents, tipis, trappers’ tents, and themed yurts.
- The 350 Farms (near Bonnyville and Cold Lake) are a glamping resort, working farm, and farm store. With this, guests receive an all-inclusive glamping experience in the canvas tents complete with wine and farm-fresh meals.
- The comfort camping experience at Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park (southwest) include stays in wall tents which sleep up to four people. Wall tent comfort camping is also open for the summer at Dinosaur Provincial Park (southeast)
- Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park (Lac La Biche) has tipi comfort camping options open each summer. 2-person or 4-person tipis are available.
- Stay in trappers’ tents this summer with Sundance by Basecamp, located in Kananaskis.
- oTENTiks are the National Parks System’s comfort camping option and are available at Banff, Elk Island, and Jasper National Parks.
- Find Yurt comfort camping at two of central Alberta’s provincial parks: Miquelon, and Pigeon Lake.
- Bridgeviews in Drumheller offer beautiful glamping opportunities through their yurts, all of which follow different themes! They also offer guest rooms through Air Bnb.
Stay & Play in Alberta this Summer
Add a bit of adventure to your summer getaway with these tour operators who also run cabins or campgrounds! These are summer-only adventures generally available May-September.
- Book with Hunter Valley Adventures this summer for adventures on the Red Deer River. Their trips include rafting, canoeing, and family rafting floats. And after the adventures, they will set up guests in rustic cabins.
- Book the ultimate northern Alberta adventure and summer getaway with Grand Rapids Wilderness Adventure who offer an array of adventure options: boating, fishing, hiking, and helicopter rides! These adventures take place on and around the Athabasca River and town.
- Gone Fish Inn near Alberta Beach is a guiding and accommodation company with fishing adventures available to add on to your cabin stays. The resort has a lakefront area with trees for seclusion, a beach park, and an amenities centre.
Geodome Camping in Alberta
Along with the glamping and camping resorts listed above who offer geodome camping, these locations in Alberta do as well, but offer geodomes almost exclusively as the way to stay.
- GlampGood are in a secluded forest location in central Alberta with geodome camping, small cabins, an outdoor sauna.
- Elevated Escapes in Bragg Creek create the ultimate escape with a riverside geodome, outdoor shower, firepit, and wood stove.
- Refuge Bay Luxury Camping offer the geodome experience, as well as a tiny home camping experience on the shores of a small lake in Lac St. Anne County.
- Burnstick Lake Resort (Caroline) provide campers with a stargazing dome, and nearby lake access. There is a waitlist for the campground!
