Photos can’t explain how MASSIVE the operations north of Fort McMurray are. In 1999 Syncrude decommissioned several machines and placed two at the side of the highway in an open-air museum to exhibit these giants and share information about what happens at their open-pit oilsands mining operation.
We’re fans of big things at Alberta Mamas. I’ve seen a lot of them. But walking up to these machines that are as big as my first four-story apartment building? You’ve got to see this!
If you’ve ever driven on the Yellowhead Highway around Wildwood and Entwistle, you’ve no doubt noticed a massive lake along the north side of Highway 16. During a recent road trip we actually saw a sailboat on this lake and I was intrigued so, decided to take the kiddies on a road trip to Chip Lake.
Updated May 2023
There is almost nothing better than a family road trip – except the incredible number of stops you have to take. Turn those pit stops into sightseeing with points of interest like the world’s largest sausage, fishing lure, and teepee, or a real-life UFO landing pad – talk about must-see roadside attractions!
In honour of all things weird, here’s our ultimate list of all things roadside in Alberta. Not all of these “big things” are truly “giant” or “World’s Largest”, but they certainly make great roadside attractions in Alberta.
The giant drive across eastern Alberta started as a curiosity about the many small towns dotted across Alberta that are the home to many of the “worlds largest” structures. Many of these are great stops for when you’re on a road trip but I started to think about creating a day trip with the kids to see as many in a day as we could.
Why would you spend 12 hours on the road to see the world’s biggest perogy, mallard duck or mushrooms? Mostly, because we needed to get out of the house during the last few weeks of the summer! The kids were heading back to school and I thought “one more hurrah” before we got back into a routine, after school activities, and my work schedule got busy.
Updated: August 15, 2023
Is it time to get out of the city? You don’t always have to leave for days to have fun! Day trips can really help when the vacation budget is strained, you have no camping gear or desire to sleep in the forest, you’ve already used up your holiday time at work and also for kids who sleep best in their own beds at the end of the night!
We’ve pulled together a list of day trips that take 2 hours or less of driving to arrive at your destination (and may have thrown in a couple extra special spots that take a bit longer). All times indicated are based on departing from downtown Edmonton, so adjust according to where you live!
Last year we made a list of all the cool roadside attractions while road tripping in Alberta. This year, while you’re adding the world largest Ukrainian sausage to your travel plans (it’s in Mundare, Alberta), let add best place names in Alberta as the reason you need to pull over the car and take a picture. In the future we’ll have to write a discover Alberta road trip itinerary!
Without further ado, some of the best place names in Alberta. Warning, some of these are funny if you have the sense of humour of a 12 year old like me. Also, if you have a name to add to the list, let us know!