Summer might be ending, but fall in Medicine Hat gives us plenty to look forward to as the leaves change and the weather cools.
On a day or weekend trip to Medicine Hat, you can choose from various activities to make the best of a crisp fall day: these experiences take you to festivals, markets, local vendors and businesses, and the best of Palliser Region’s natural surroundings.
For outdoor recreation, you can stay in the city to enjoy the South Saskatchewan River, large city parks, or river valley trails. And nearby are several other trails, the famous Red Rock Coulee, and the large Cypress Hills Provincial Park. The Park offers fall camping, hiking, fishing, picnic sites, and stargazing.
Fall Hiking
Take a morning, an afternoon, or an evening to explore the natural beauty and the changing fall colours around Medicine Hat and Cypress County- you could get a new set of family photos, wildlife photos, or a few different types of exercise. Some of these paths are suited to bikes or rollerblades, too.
Within the city, you can follow a few different trails along the South Saskatchewan River, with the trails beginning at Medicine Hat’s larger city parks. Or you can explore on foot at Cypress Hills PP, where there are 30 trails!
- Echo Dale: 4.5km or 16km options
- Police Point Park Loop: 3km
- Redcliff River Valley trail: 7.6km
- Strathcona to Redcliff total: 30km
- Cypress Hills Trails
Brooks Corn Maze
You and your family can venture through the Brooks Corn Maze Day and night (Family Flashlight Fridays), and enjoy several other activities offered at the farm. You can pick your way through raspberries and pumpkins, run the human hamster wheel, shoot a round of arrows at the archery range, and pet a few animals. This year’s maze takes the shape of a farm tractor with many ways to get lost.
Brooks Corn Maze: corner of Industrial Rd. and 7 St. East, Brooks
How much: Adults $13, Children (5-12) $7, Children 4 and under FREE
Family pass (2 Adult, 3 Children maximum) $35
When: Mid-August through October
Cozy Fall Food & Drink
As you’re enjoying Medicine Hat, the river valley, Cypress County, and all the fall attractions, take a minute to stop, sip, and eat. Between Medicine Hat and the county’s small towns are bakeries, cafes, and eateries who can warm you up, fill you up, and ensure you have energy for fall fun.
- Indy Coffee Tour
- Redcliff Bakery & Eatery: #8 3 St SE, Redcliff
- McBride’s Bakery: 1791 Dunmore Rd SE
Camping
Fall camping in southern Alberta is one of the prettiest times of year to sleep under the stars, sit by the fire, or hike through the forests. A few campsites around Medicine Hat are open well into the fall season with amenities like washrooms, playgrounds, power/water/sewage, or amply dark sky space for nightly stargazing. Any fishers will be able to take advantage of the few months left they have to cast off.
- Golden Sheaf Park: open until October 15
- Cypress Hills PP: Select Campsites open year-round
Photo-worthy Attractions
Between public art, natural attractions, and a National Historic Site, Medicine Hat has much to offer in the way of a photography tour or walk. All around the city centre are sculptures, statues, and murals to view, as well as the Medelta Clay District with its unique factory architecture, or the famous Red Rock Coulee.
- Saamis Teepee (World’s Tallest Tepee)
- Red Rock Coulee
- Medalta Potteries National Historic Site
- Heritage Wall
- Reflection of a City: Medicine Hat Silhouettes (behind the Family Leisure Centre)
Paintball
Col. Pepper’s Paintball, just south of the city, is a large play area great for older families, friend groups, and events like birthdays or bachelor/bachelorette parties. This unreal course offers a video-game-like (yet outdoors) experience with courses like Empty Town, the Junk Yard, the Fortress, or Barrell Speedball. All along the fields are major obstacles like broken-down busses, shacks and sheds, or all-wood battlefields.
Col. Pepper’s Paintball: 6423 AB-3, Cypress County
Stargazing
Southern Alberta’s skies are a special place when it comes to stargazing, aurora-viewing, and laying back under a clear night sky.
The nearby southern Cypress Hills contain dark sky preserves, where there is no light pollution getting in the way of your views.
You can make a weekend of it with the Provincial Park’s camping options: they offer tent and RV stalls, reservable and first-come, first-served, or cabin and comfort camping options.
Downtown Mural Tour
As you explore Medicine Hat by foot, you can keep your eyes open for the many murals which decorate their city streets and buildings. The murals come from several artists local to southern Alberta and depict colourful scenery, portraits, abstract work, or traditional graffiti styles. Medicine Hat Experience Guide (page 52) provides a map for reference and information on all the amazing artists, and their work. And while there are the main murals featured in the Guide, there may be more for you to find around town, as new murals frequently pop up.
Historic First Street Walking Tours
Experience a guided Walking Tour along Medicine Hat’s Esplanade. The knowledgeable guides of the Arts & Heritage Centre bring you along historic First Street where some of Medicine Hat’s oldest building stand preserved next to large mature trees. Your tour includes a guidebook with much of the history you’ll learn about on your tour, from social, to cultural, and architectural.
Historic First Street Walking Tours: First St. SE, Medicine Hat
Museums
Medicine Hat has kept up with numerous ways of preserving the city’s history with museums, the Esplanade, surrounding museums, and a full list of preserved heritage sites. You’ll learn a great deal about what life was like in the early 1900s in southern Alberta, the earliest days of Medicine Hat. And you can learn through walking tours, museum tours, or by visiting it all!
- Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre: 401 1 St SE, Medicine Hat
- Heritage Sites in Medicine Hat
- Prairie Memories Museum: 55 S. Railway Ave, Irvine
- Redcliff Museum: #2 3 St. NE, Redcliff
Medalta Potteries National Historic Site
The Medelta museum covers 150-acres of land which was home to a bustling clay district and factory. The area represents one of the earliest industries in western Canada to have such significant economic impact and can explored or supported in a variety of ways. You can purchase potters from local artists, visit with them in their studios, and learn more via workshops. The museum offers guided and self-guided touring.
- Medalta Potteries National Historic Site: 713 Medalta Ave SE, Medicine Hat
Local Markets
Whether you’re ready to dive into the fall-themed décor or want to prepare for later Holidays, you can shop all things crafted, handmade, or woodworked at two Medicine Hat Markets. The local Farmers’ Market is every Saturday until October 3rd with farmers, producers, brewers, bakers, food trucks, and a lot more. Later in fall, you can start getting ready for Christmas at the Fall into Christmas Craft Show!
- Medicine Hat Farmers’ Market: until October 7
- Fall into Christmas Craft Show: October 13-15
Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre
Medicine Hat’s cultural centre has a variety of events lined up for Fall for all ages. Some of the events include Dirty Dancing in Concert, Hunter Brothers Burning Down The Barn Tour, Finger Eleven, Bear Grease and more!
Savour the Southeast
The two-week event promotes the region’s gastronomy, featuring dishes made with locally-raised cattle, fresh vegetables, and hand-mixed sauces. Participating venues will showcase the collaborations between various local stakeholders including farmers, ranchers, and breweries, among others, in Medicine Hat, celebrating the rich food culture of the region while emphasizing the year-round efforts of the local community in sustaining the local food story.
When: November 1 to 14