Calgary 
If you haven’t made plans for your long weekend, there is still time. If you want those plans to involve some travel, you have many options for a long weekend trip to Alberta.
Banff Sunshine Resort
One of the biggest things to watch out for in the May Long Weekend is all the openings! May Long is often when outdoor attractions open for the season. This includes attractions in the urban and rural areas of the province, including the Rockies. You can now visit outdoor museums, additional parks, theme parks, or natural areas.
Other ways to fill your time include finding somewhere new to explore by foot, boat, bike, or car. The weather now allows for more exploring, so your long weekend plans can revolve around recreation in Alberta’s prettiest parks.
May Long in the Rockies
You have several options when it comes to ways to explore the Rocky Mountains over the May Long Weekend. You can bike, hike, e-bike, or take long drives to explore the scenery. Plus, these Mountain spots and parks have their own reasons to visit specifically for the long weekend.
- Head out to the Rockies for one final ride on the mountain with Banff’s Sunshine Village and the resort’s big May Long Events. They’re hosting the annual Slushshine Rail Jam, the Watergate Banked Slalom, and the Slush Cup. These events are for spectators and riders!
- Jasper National Park’s top attraction is open for the season! The Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefields are the largest of their kind in the Rocky Mountains, as well as some of the most accessible in the entire world.
- Explore Waterton Lakes National Park on a unique guided adventure. The Alpine Stables can take you on a horseback riding journey to see the southern Rockies for 1-hour, up to a full day and overnight trips. Additionally, Tamarack Outdoors have their spring and summer guided hike bookings open!
Railway Getaways
Alberta Prairie Railway
These railway getaways in Alberta can offer a little bit of everything to help create a memorable family vacation. Each of these railway tourism operators in Alberta have May Long Weekend operations! This can mean train tours, live onboard entertainment, onboard dining, and extra sightseeing.
- Battle River Train Excursions (1-hour SE of Edmonton) are hosting their annual May Long Sip & Ride with the local Detention Brewing.
- Alberta Prairie Railway’s (1-hour E of Red Deer) offer a round-trip train ride to Big Valley with a roast beef dinner, live entertainment, historic site visits, local shops—and a likely encounter with mounted train robbers for added excitement.
- Aspen Crossing is hosting a train ride to an old-time style ranch. Feed some animals, see equipment and tools from the historic days, hear the stories of how it really was, and take in a teaching opportunity all nestled in the gorgeous prairie landscape on May 16.
Explore a Provincial Historic Site
Alberta has a rich history to explore and learn about in every corner of the province. The Provincial Historic Sites represent a variety of different parts of the province’s history and cultures, too. You can learn about natural history, transportation or the energy industry, Indigenous history, and more.
- The Royal Tyrell Museum (Midland Provincial Park, outside of Drumheller) will be open for their summer hours (seven days a week) by May Long Weekend. The Badlands area has many Air BnB/VRBO listings and private campgrounds, plus several hotels.
- The Brooks Aqueduct is an outdoor historic site that you can visit for free; the massive structure is also near several Provincial Parks.
- Dinosaur Provincial Park is a 45-minute drive NE of Brooks. The area has many provincial and private camping options and hotels in Medicine Hat.
- Follow the Crowsnest Highway (15-minutes west of Lundbreck Falls) to visit the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, which has extended summer hours as of May 16, 2024.
FCFS Provincial Park Camping
Many of Alberta’s First-come, first-served campgrounds open as early as the end of April, while many others open during the first three weeks of May. The campground sites are not reservable but still require payment.
- Elbow River Provincial Recreation Area has nearly 100 FCFS sites at the Paddys Flat Campground. The park is on the edge of the Rockies near Bragg Creek.
- Lake McGregor Campground in the Provincial Recreation Area have 100 FCFS sites. The area is southeast of Calgary and is an excellent place for spring birdwatching.
- The Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area can make for a quiet and relaxing long weekend camping trip. The Touchwood Lake Campground will be open as of the long weekend for FCFS camping.
Explore the Open Outdoor City Attractions
Skyline’s Downhill Karting
May Long Weekend in Alberta signals the opening of several different outdoor attractions. These include museums, historical villages, adventure parks, gardens, and other unique outdoor attractions.
- May Long Weekend in Red Deer can be a busy vacation with the city’s great family attractions: try the thrilling rides of the Canyon Ski Coaster or Summer Tubing, or celebrate opening weekend with Fort Normandeau.
- A few of Calgary’s big outdoor attractions will be celebrating their first weekend of the season, including Winsport’s downhill karting and mini golf. And while the Gasoline Alley Museum of the city’s Heritage Park was open all year, May 16th will be the first open day of the season for the park’s Historical Village. More family fun is located on the west edge of the city at Calaway Park, an outdoor theme and thrill ride park set to open May 16th.
- Explore a bit of Edmonton’s history during your visit to the city at Fort Edmonton, the living history museum which opens for the season on May 16th. Other great outdoor attractions will take you on a short drive out of the city: Jurassic Forest in Gibbons and the U of A Botanic Gardens in Devon are both open!
Get Back to Nature at a Reserve or Conservation Site
Alberta’s wild side has a lot to offer hiking opportunities, photo ops, chances to learn, and places to relax or unwind. And at this time of year, the wildlife (especially the birds!) is active while the flowers are in full bloom.
- Spend the holiday Monday exploring the Ellis Bird Farm (RR260, Lacombe) for its first open day of the spring!
- The JJ Collette Natural Area is a short drive off Highway 2 in Lacombe. The area has gorgeous spring trails, and some portions of easier boardwalk trails.
- Explore the truly wild side of Alberta and the Rockies at the Yanmuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary, where you can get up close and personal with the wolf dogs.
- The Alberta Birds of Prey Centre (10 minutes east of Lethbridge) can introduce you to some larger wildlife as well like hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, and more.
Find Alberta’s Hidden Gem Hikes
Credit: Alberta Parks
These Alberta Provincial Parks are worth visiting for hiking and other activities like camping, cycling, or stargazing. The hiking trails around these parks are worth the visit alone, however and show off some unique sides of Alberta’s beauty. There is camping near all of these trails, as well as lodge and hotel options in smaller towns and cities.
- Cypress Hills Provincial Park has an extensive network of hiking and biking trails. You can find several trailheads around the Elkwater townsite, and more remote hiking along Reesor Lake Road.
- Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park on Lac La Biche has enough hiking, birdwatching, and wildlife viewing opportunities to fill your entire long weekend. Camping is booked at the park for the weekend, but there are sites available at Beaver Lake a few minutes away from Sir Winston Churchill.
- Whitney Lakes Provincial Park in Alberta’s east-central area has two longer hiking trails, and close proximity to the Iron Horse Trail.
Save on May Long Hotel Packages in Alberta
A few select hotels in Alberta offer packages all year to enhance your trip, save on your trip, or both. And these hotels below have deals that can help you save specifically for the Victoria Day Long Weekend.
- Take your getaway to Edmonton’s scenic downtown River Valley area and the just-as-pretty Hotel MacDonald. Their Family Getaway Package includes a one-night stay alongside access to several family activities.
- The Sandman Hotel in Red Deer is offering up to 35% off stays with their Make Summer Memories package.
- Calgary’s Clique Hotel has a variety of packages that can help you save on food, shopping, or transportation, plus on your room stays.
Book an Adventurous Tour
These Alberta tours are adventurous and completely underground. Explore caves and mines and get a true sense of what pitch-black-darkness can feel and look like! The tours are guided by experienced professionals who will run through some safety essentials pre-expedition.
- The Bellevue Underground Mine in southwestern Alberta starts offering tours for the May Long Weekend. The guides help you explore the abandoned Bellevue Mine and provide safety equipment.
- Book a tour to explore the caves underneath Canmore. Canmore Cave Tours start up again for Mid-May, with availability for a variety of tour lengths on the long weekend.
Check the Vacation Rentals of Alberta
If you’re in need of last-minute May Long Weekend accommodations in Alberta, then you might have better luck booking with vacation rental companies. These properties can accommodate different numbers of guests and offer a variety of amenities. You’ll find properties in Alberta’s major cities, the smaller towns, and around the rural areas.
