Three Days in Southern Alberta

Jackie Gartner of Lloydminster, Alta., shares the amazing scenery, wildlife and historic sites encountered on her brief but awesome adventure

In the summer of 2019, my husband, Carman, and I headed o on a short holiday within our own province. We left on a Sunday, and the day before, I spotted a local sign here in Lloydminster that read, “This Will Be The Best Summer Ever” and indeed it was!

We arrived at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, where we’d be camping, late Sunday afternoon. It was a bit of a drizzly evening but not enough to keep us in. We roamed around the park to view Horseshoe Canyon Viewpoint and Willow Creek Burn—magnificent vistas to say the least!

We always have a destination planned when we start out, but when we act on spur of the moment ideas, it usually turns out well, too—and this trip was no exception.

I did have my heart set on spending a day travelling Highway 13 east into Saskatchewan, but Carman vetoed that idea, something I occasionally allow!

In the morning we visited the Elkwater Lake Marina, which we had all to ourselves—it was so peaceful with the lapping water and cool morning breeze. We then made our way to Reesor Lake, where we watched some pelicans float by before we decided to head west.