Edmonton 
The Yellowhead Highway west of Edmonton is lined with interesting sites, cities, and communities. Many of these are a short drive or hop off the main Yellowhead and along 16A, for further into the parklands on the west end of Edmonton.
Credit: Stony Plain
Each of those communities, towns, or cities offers a place to stay after a long drive on the highway, and helps travellers avoid the business of Edmonton. Plus, each location from Hinton to Edmonton has many reasons why visitors should book multiple nights with their accommodations. If travelling west from Edmonton, Stony Plain is one of the closest and easiest to access places to visit, with several things to do in town or around Parkland County.
Stony Plain has done a great job at preserving the arts and history of the city and offers a few different ways to explore and enjoy those parts of the city. Plus, there will be many events coming up this summer and fall, including local markets and live music, which offer something for all ages. Whether you want to explore the arts, culture, and history, the shops and dining, or the surrounding recreation and scenery of Parkland County, it’s all easy to find in Stony Plain.
Arts, History, & Culture in Stony Plain
The Stony Plain events, during any season, offer tons of ways to explore the local arts and culture or history and heritage. Plus, Stony Plain is home to dozens more attractions, both large and small, that offer a closer look into all sorts of art or history.
- The thriving local arts scene of Stony Plain is on full display around almost every corner. The city provides guided Mural Tours by Horse and Wagon. They also make it easy to create a self-guided art tour of Stony Plain on which you’ll uncover over 40 colourful murals and other forms of art!
- Summers are the best for visiting the Stony Plain & Parkland Pioneer Museum, as the museum is partly an open-air historical village, and a tea house only open for the summer.
- Get the best of both arts and history through Stony Plain’s Red Brick Common, which serves as a museum and public art gallery from the 1925 brick schoolhouse.
- Explore art and nature all in one with the U of A Botanic Garden, a short drive south of Stony Plain. The gardens include indoor and outdoor showcases of various types of environments like the Alpine or Japanese gardens, as well as several incredible pieces of architecture or art.
The Best Hiking & Picnic Areas near Stony Plain
Stony Plain is surrounded by lush greenery, rolling hills, and, as one might guess from a name like Parkland County, several different parks. These areas around the city offer a few different types of recreation, but most notably, excellent hiking trails.
- Constable Chelsey Robinson Day Use Park is the newest park and day use area in Parkland County. Find the new park on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River, south of Stony Plain, where there are several picnic sites with firepits and free firewood.
- Hasse Lake Recreation Area provides many activities from the day-use area, including a 3km looping trail through the surrounding forest. Plus, the picnic sites have firepits with firewood supplied, while other activities include time at the playground or time on the water with a boat.
- Similarly, the Chickakoo Recreation Area has many different picnic sites at the day-use area and along the trails, as well as a playground, washrooms, fire pits, and firewood. The trails at Chickakoo are longer and run from about 2- 4 km but can create longer hikes when the separate trails are combined.
- The nearby Clifford E. Lee Nature Sanctuary doesn’t offer quite as many picnic amenities but does provide some excellent birding and nature photography around the forest or wetlands.
Summer Water Adventures
Parkland County is filled with several lakes, large and small, which offer a wide variety of outdoor activities or summer water adventures.
- Wabamun Lake Provincial Park provides the closest opportunities for summer adventures to Stony Plain. The Provincial Park has a swimming beach, campground, paddle rentals, and short nature trails. Elevate the water adventures with the neighbouring Wabamun Lake Marina and RV Park; they offer rentals for motorized watercraft!
- Have a more thrilling family day trip from Stony Plain with the Pembina River Tubing Co., which offers public river adventures from Entwistle. The company provides public parking for both inflatable rental customers and non-customers, as well as shuttle service. This will also offer a chance to explore the Pembina River Provincial Park, which is also the takeout point for the river float.
- There are many scenic paddling spots around Parkland County’s smaller lakes like Jackfish, Chickakoo or Hasse Lake.
- The Jackfish Lake day use area (payment required during certain times) is a great place to start a variety of water adventures like swimming, paddling, motorized boating, or fishing, while Chickakoo offers three different lakes to paddle.
Stony Plain & Parkland County Events
This small Parkland city is bustling and busy every summer and fall with local events. Find many ways to take in live local music, the foods or food trucks of Stony Plain, arts, culture, history, and several kids’ activities.
- Sit back with the live tunes from Stony Plain’s Summer Sessions concert series (Wednesdays) at the Heritage Park Blueberry Stage.
- Enjoy summer days with Midsummer Thursdays in downtown Stony Plain, a Free Outdoor Movie at Heritage Park, and the recurring Cultural Campfires storytelling event.
- The Edmonton Corn Maze is a must-do event and attraction on the western outskirts of Edmonton, making it relatively close to Stony Plain. Along with a massive corn maze to traverse, the farm grows picturesque fields of sunflowers for late-summer photography, pumpkin u-pick in the fall, kids’ games and farm activities, and several picnic tables (bringing your own food is permitted).
Summer Dining in Stony Plain
The summer adventures, time on the water, or time on the trails, will warrant the need for a meal, or many, while in Stony Plain. Choose between many local eatery options around the city, as well as the freshest options from local markets.
- Start any Saturday from April to December with a stop at the Stony Plain Farmers’ Market, where they offer fresh farm foods, handmade and artisan goods, sweets, and much more. There will be occasional live music featured at the markets, too!
- Plus, the neighbouring city of Spruce Grove is home to two separate summer markets worth a visit: the
- The local cafes are yet another way to start a good day in Stony with options like Blake’s Bakery or Dara’s Luxury Decor & Coffee Bar.
- Plan for a sit-down meal later in the day with family or date-night restaurants around Stony Plain, like Alexander’s Restaurant & Lounge, Twenty Eight Urban Kitchen, Smoke Boys Texas BBQ, Fresh Grill Kitchen, or Maeva’s Family Restaurant.
Where to Stay in Stony Plain
Get all the necessary comfort and amenities from the main and chain hotels which line Highway 16A as it crosses through Stony Plain and Spruce Grove.
- With all the nearby parks comes a few different amping options including the campground at Wabamun Lake Provincial Park, Pembina River Provincial Park, or privately owned campgrounds such as Camp in Class Adults Only RV Park, the Stony Plain Lions RV Park & Campground, Diamond Grove RV Park, or the Mink Lake Campground.
- Parkland County is dotted with dozens of private rental options as well. These accommodation styles range from full homes or apartments to cabins, cottages, acreages, and campsites. Check with sites like Airbnb, VRBO, or Hipcamp for a variety of options.
