There is a lot to see in Alberta: forests, lakes, rivers, mountains, desert, badlands, sand dunes, and all the cityscapes.
So why not see as much as you can at once and explore Alberta by air this summer! You can find unique air and aviation tours across Alberta such as hot air balloon rides, paraglide/paramotor lessons, discovery flights and lessons, helicopter tours, or Heli-hiking and fishing.
You can choose from several different locations and attractions to fly over like the Bow and North Saskatchewan, the Rocky Mountains, the boreal forest, or the Red Deer River Valley and the Drumheller Badlands. You can also book flights which take you over Calgary or Edmonton, giving you unbeatable skyline views. And if you want more than a flight tour out of your experience, several companies offer enhanced aviation experiences in which you’re flown to remote locations for hiking, fishing, or picnics.
1. Hot Air Balloons & Unique Flight Tours
Air-ristocrat Balloon Rides
Take a slow cruise over central Alberta with Air-istocrat Balloons! These hot air balloon rides allow you to see the prairies from a unique perspective as you fly over rivers, forests, valleys, plains, farmland, and more. Details
When: year-round but weather dependent
Where: Central Alberta, contact via 403-302-7167
How much: $150 per person
Sundance Balloons
When it comes to sightseeing with Sundance Balloons and their hot air balloon rides, you’ll need to decide what part of Alberta you’d like to fly over: north, central, or south. Sundance operates tours out of Grande Prairie, Edmonton, and Calgary. It can be something you plan for where you live, or while on a trip to another part of Alberta. This may also be a perfect way to get someone to say “I do!” Sundance also operate out of Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Details
When: spring-fall
Where: Canada-wide tours, Grande Prairie, Edmonton, and Calgary, AB
How much: $225-$350 per person
Air Adventure Flight School
While you sightsee from the air, you may as well learn to fly as well! Air Adventure School can teach you how to fly a variety of exciting aircraft like and Ultra-Lite Trike, a Paramotor, and a powered parachute, as well as how to paraglide.
When: spring-fall
Where: Highway AB-624, Drayton Valley
How much: $45 & up
2. Flight Tours in Alberta
Synergy Aviation – Helicopter & Flight Tours!
Your next adventure around Edmonton can take place way up above the city with a Synergy Aviation Tour. Their flight experiences take guests over downtown Edmonton, or on photo flights to specific locations around the capital region. The Heli experiences are a bit more adventurous and include a North Saskatchewan River Tour, Heli-fishing, Heli-picnics, or the option to build your own tour. Details
When: year-round
Where: Synergy Flight Training Inc. Building 38 Villeneuve Airport (West Entrance), Sturgeon County
How much: $200-$1000
McMurray Aviation
Northern Alberta is home to a huge expanse of boreal forests and the province’s (and Saskatchewan’s) most unique feature, the Athabasca Sand Dunes Both areas are remote and not easily accessible by car, but McMurray Aviation can help you tour either area by air so you can see it all!
Their trips can also tour the urban areas of Fort McMurray or can take you over the Whitemud Falls.
They also fly to remote fishing lodges in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
When: year-round
Where: 531 Snow Eagle Drive, Fort McMurray
How much: $320-$3675
Super T Aviation
The charter sightseeing flights offered by Super T Aviation will give you sweeping views of several Southern Alberta locations. You can fly over Dinosaur Provincial Park, Cypress Hills and Red Rock Coulee, or Medicine Hat and the South Saskatchewan River. Details
When: year-round
Where: #11 – 1 Airport Drive SW, Medicine Hat
How much: $280-$700
Quick Way Air Inc.
You can book the Quick Way Air tours for up to three people and view some of Southern Alberta’s biggest gems from way up above. These tours allow you to see attractions like Dinosaur Provincial Park, the Bow and Red Deer Rivers, Lake Newell, and the Brooks Aqueduct, but all in one shot! See the Bow, but a hundred or so kilometers of it all in one view, for example. Details
When: year-round
Where: 194020 Range Rd 145, Brooks
How much: $225-$250
Absolute Aviation
The Discovery Flights from Absolute Aviation are a true aviation experience with the chance to pilot the plane yourself! You and up to two other people can also just sit back in the cockpit of their Cessna 172 and take in the epic views of central Alberta. Details
When: May-September
Where: Wetaskiwin Regional Airport
How much: $190-$525
Namao Flying Club
The Namao Flying Club can treat you and one other person to city views that are hard to beat. Their Discovery Flights can tour over Edmonton or a nearby rural area of your choice. You can level up your experience with an Aerobatic Discovery Flight where the pilot introduces you to loops and rolls! Details
When: year-round
Where: Hangar #13 Villeneuve Airport #25 27018 AB-633, Sturgeon County
How much: $312-$365
3. Helicopter Tours in Alberta
Rockies Heli Canada
Explore untouched parts of Rocky Mountain wilderness this summer with the Rockies Heli packages. The tour company can bring you over glaciers, valleys, mountain peaks, and the North Saskatchewan River, on your way to an epic hike. The tours can take 1.5 hours to four hours. Details
When: June-November
Where: Blue sign 372029 At the junction of Cline River and Hwy 11, Clearwater County
How much: $279-$663
Mountain View Helicopters
Do you want urban, lake, mountain, river, waterfall, or mountain peaks on your helicopter tour? Mountain View Helicopters can take you flying over any of the above with twelve different experiences. Tour atop Calgary, Lake Minnewanka, the Bow River, Kananaskis Country, or the highest mountain peaks west of Calgary. Details
When: year-round
Where: 402 Otter Bay at Springbank Airport
How much: $1200-$1760
Remote Helicopters LTD.
Remote Helicopters offer tours around three different Alberta locations including the Rockies, Edmonton, and the impressively large Lesser Slave Lake. And with these tours, you won’t just be seeing mountains, buildings, or the big lake- these areas also offer sweeping river valley views, boreal forest extending north, and the foothills between Parkland County and Jasper. Details
When: July-November
Where: #5 27018 SH 633, Sturgeon County
How much: $199-$649
Alpine Helicopters
The flight tours from Alpine Helicopters include both sightseeing and adventure tours, as well as heli-wedding packages! You can cruise over Canmore and Stoney Nakoda, or book one of their White Mountain heli-hiking adventures. Details
When: heli-hiking June-September
Where: 91 Bow Valley Trail & 888 Nakoda Way
How much: starting at $2300
LR Helicopters
What can’t you do and see with LR Helicopters! This southern Alberta and Rocky Mountain heli-tour operator offers a huge variety of trips and experiences which let you see Calgary, Bragg Creek, Elbow Falls, glaciers, or mountain peaks. You can also pick from combination tours of different locations, heli-biking, heli-hiking, heli-fishing, or their Picnic on a Peak Package. Details
When: year-round
Where: 135 MacLaurin Drive, Springbank Airport, Calgary
How much: $1,968.75–$5,512.50
Phoenix Heli-Flight
The Wood Buffalo Region offers an array of pretty northern Alberta landscapes like the sand dunes, the dense boreal forest, and deep river valleys. Phoenix can help you see it all from their heli-tours which can cover the Clearwater River Valley, Fort McMurray, Suncor Base Plant, or Whitemud Falls. Details
When: year-round
Where: 1001 Saline Creek Pkwy, Fort McMurray
How much: $739-$3351