Road map Hinton and Edson city surrounding area (Alberta, Canada)

Athabasca River Valley      

Excellent hunting, fishing, spelunking, and horseback riding  adventures abound in this little-known corner of the Rockies, where the  Athabasca River slashes southwest through the foothills of the  mountains. Once driven by the coal-fired railroad, this area is now  prime getaway country. Explore the ghost towns of the former Coal Branch  region in the east or journey up one of the most spectacular and least  traveled roads in Alberta, Highway 40, or Big Horn Highway, which skirts  huge pristine tracts of Willmore Wilderness Park and Jasper National  Park.      

Cadomin/Coal Branch Historic Area [E6-D7]      

Now a ghost town, Cadomin used to be Coal Branch, one of a  line of mining towns-Mercoal, Coalspur, Robb, Erith, and McLeod  River-linked by coal-burning locomotives. An hour-long hike to Cadomin  Cave reveals caves with 3 km of narrow passages.      

Grande Cache [A1] Its name recalling the time trappers cached  their furs here before trading them in Edmonton in the spring, Grande  Cache became a community in the late 1960s, when coal, natural gas, and  forest reserves jump-started the economy. Horseback riding, hunting, and  fishing are popular outdoor activities here, the bull trout capital of  Alberta. As a gateway to both Willmore Wilderness Park and William A.  Switzer Provincial Park, hiking, biking, and paddling are also big. A  road leads west off Hwy 40 into Rock Lake Provincial Recreation Area,  where horse facilities and campgrounds make it a good staging area for  riders and hikers heading into the mountains.      

Hinton [C5] Skirted by ample forests, lakes and trout streams,  Hinton is a prime base for anglers, hunters, paddlers, and hikers who  come to explore the scenic wonders of the Athabasca River valley and the  eastern slopes of the Rockies. The Natural Resources Interpretive Park  focusses on the past, present, and future of forestry and mining  industries. Coal mine tours to working mines lend insight into open-pit  coal mining.      

Miette Нот Springs [D5] Sixty kilometers east of Jasper,  outdoor pools offer a soak in the hottest (the 54°C waters are cooled to  40°C first) hot springs in the Rockies. The strong sulfur aroma of the  springs comes from hydrogen sulfide in the water reacting to the oxygen.  A trail south of the springs takes hikers from Montane Valley to the  summit in a quick and steep 2 km.  

Mount Robson      

Mount Robson Provincial Park [D1-E2]      

Mount Robson (3,954 m), the highest point in the Canadian  Rockies, is magnificent on a clear day as the peak's front face provides  the backdrop to the park's visitor center. The center has canoe trip  info, interpretive wildlife displays, and scopes to scan for mountain  goats. The two- to five-day, 22 km Berg Lake Trail brings registered  hikers past more than 15 glaciers and numerous waterfalls to Berg Lake,  at the base of the mountain. The park is also one of the best places to  see moose, especially in the marshes and lakes along Hwy 16 between  Whitney and Moose lakes.      

William A. Switzer Provincial Park [B5-C5]      

Five lakes connected by Jarvis Creek and surrounded by  foothills thick with lodgepole pine, spruce, and aspen make up this  park. Blue Lake Adventure Lodge is well-known for its outdoor courses.  It also rents canoes, kayaks, camping and fishing gear to those who want  to experience the abundant streams.

ATTRACTIONS      

CADOMIN      

Ghost Town Cadomin Cave      

COALSPUR

Ghost Town Coalspur Forestry Provincial Recreation Area

GRANDE CACHE

Grande Cache Tourism and Interpretive Centre Sulphur Gates Horseback Rides

HINTON

Natural Resources Interpretive Park Alberta Forest Service      

Museum Cardinal River Coals Obed Mountain Coal Mines Weldwood Nursery Hi-Atha Sawmill      

MOUNT ROBSON PROVINCIAL PARK

Berg Lake Trail Rearguard Falls Magnificent Overland Falls Arctomys Cave