The Grande Prairie area: The perfect place to explore northern Alberta on your road bike this summer
It’s finally that season again – time to hit the open road. This summer, there is no better place to celebrate the wind in your face and the pavement rushing beneath your two wheels than the fresh air and beautiful landscapes of Northern Alberta. Grande Prairie and its surrounding areas have a lot to offer the road biker who’s looking to explore some incredible vistas that satisfy the two needs that summer awakens in us: excitement, and calm, peaceful sightseeing.
The city of Grande Prairie is a thriving metropolitan hub in Alberta’s far north. If you decide to rest here for a few days, here’s a lot to take in, regardless of your interests. For the culture vultures, there’s the Grand Prairie Art Gallery. “It’s one of the biggest in Alberta. It really is top tier,” Louise Cote describes, who works with Grand Prairie Tourism Association. Open seven days a week and with free admission, you might want to stop by the massive gallery on 103rd Ave. For the foodies or artisan appreciators, the Grande Prairie Farmer’s market, held in a large traditional red and white barn on the corner of 101st Ave and 101st St, has a great selection of locally produced meats, vegetables, preservatives and crafts.
When you’re done with the city and ready to get back on the bike to hit the road to soak in some of Alberta’s most beautiful landscapes, you have a few amazing route options. Head west on Highway 43, an incredible scenic route, and you’ll head straight through the wild Badlands. This untouched landscape is not only breath-taking, but rare: “It’s some of the last 0.1% of uncultivated land in this entire area,” explains Cote. “It truly is beautiful to see.”
Heading through the Badlands leads you into the region’s National Park system, with many great sights to take in there. Be sure to stop and check out Saskatoon Mountain Viewpoint by taking a right-hand turn off Highway 43 right before the town of Wembley. A well-maintained paved road will take you all the way up, where you can park the bike and walk around. A little bench is installed for you to relax your body and soak in the views. Cote describes a little Aboriginal burial ground they have kept there: “It’s all fully restored, which is great. It’s so interesting to see. And the views are just exceptional.” From there, keep heading west, and you’ll come to the quaint and pretty town of Beaverlodge, where, if you need some laughs, you can take your photo with their 17 foot tall beaver statue.
On the flip side, if you’re feeling called even farther North, head onto Highway 2 from Grande Prairie, which will take you northward towards Dunvegan. Here, Highway 2 crosses the mighty Peace River on Alberta’s longest suspension bridge. There’s a full little community on the banks of the river at Dunvegan, and an enormous garden, all surrounded by what Cote describes as, “a beautiful, rolling landscape. It really is an ideal place to relax.”
If you continue heading up Highway 2, you’ll come to Grimshaw, the little community where the MacKenzie Highway starts up towards the Northwest Territories – another wild, beautiful area to take in, much of it still untouched.
Whichever direction you decide to head, the Grande Prairie area has a lot to offer those travelling by road bike. With stunning views, vast expanses of wild and gorgeous landscape, and even spots to take in local culture around town, your next adventure this summer should take you and your wheels to the exquisite north of Alberta.
