Bears & Cougars: The Mountains and Foothills are bear country and home to the cougar - a large mountain cat. Understanding wildlife and how they interact with people is key to remaining safe. Bear Smart information is available on the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development website (http://http://srd.alberta...), which also recommends walking in groups of 3 or more, sealing food and removing all trash from any site you visit.
Wild Horses travel in herds dominated by a single male who can become aggressive when feeling threatened. It is advised to view these noble creatures from a distance.
Moose are very large wild animals who can cause injury by charging. They are common throughout the region and can be seen on the roadways and even walking down the center of towns or in parks.
Driving and Wildlife Deer and Moose frequently cross roads and highways, presenting dangers to drivers. If you see wildlife from any distance, near or on a road way, slow down and be prepared to stop suddenly. They are most difficult to spot at night.
Temperatures in summer range from 18C to 32C with strong sunlight. Winter temperatures range from 0C to -40C. Very low humidity makes it possible even pleasant to insulate yourself from the winter cold with multiple layers of warm clothing.
Hospitals are located in Sundre, Didsbury and Olds.
towns, villages and hamlets
Sundre (http://www.sundre.com) is a resort town along the Red Deer River, established by cowboys, rangers and a Norwegian postman. In the summer its small population of 2500 is joined by a constant stream of campers, hikers, "just-out-of-college" back-packers, cowboys, golfers, art lovers and international tourists. Its commercial center is the 2nd largest in the region and it is just possible that there are more stores, coffee shops and services than residents.
Village of Cremona (http://www.village.cremon...) In spite of its size, pop 463, you simply can't miss the Village; the highway speed limit abruptly changes from 100km/h to 30km/h going downhill with very little warning. It has a single main street, 5 or 6 shops, a gas station and THREE hotels.
Olds (http://www.olds.ca) is the largest town and the main commercial center. The Olds Uptowne & East Village are undergoing historical renovations to revert the buildings back to their original 1900's appearances. The Olds College is a living laboratory for agriculture and animal husbandry. It houses botanical gardens featuring unique prairie and parkland flora. The Town also has a new cutting edge business & technology center 1 of only 2 in western Canada, a new performing arts theatre and massive health & wellness facility.
Didsbury (http://www.didsbury.ca), the 2nd largest town in the region, is on a plateau peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the wide Rosebud River Valley a seasonal stream. It's quaint, brick main street has many artisan shops and galleries. Each winter, Didsbury hosts a mushers competition - a 2 day dogsled race through the valley.
Carstairs (http://www.town.carstairs...) is a smaller town backing onto Alberta wetlands and a waterfowl preserve. It is surrounded with lush green hills housing horse ranches and commercial cowboy supply stores. Carstairs is home to the annual Mountain View Music Fest - a three day, town-wide music fest best described as "Woodstock with family values".
Bowden (http://www.town.bowden.ab.ca), the smallest town in the Prairies to Peaks Region was once a bustling boomtown, headed for city status until it's main commercial center was completely gutted by fires in the early 1900's. Today the town sits just off of highway 2 and preserves it's past with a multi-building museum that, among other things, features displays on key women in pioneer history and musical instruments of the early 1900's.
HAMLETS (http://www.mountainviewco...) are small service and commercial centers in rural areas.
Hamlets in the Foothills
James River is a traditional pioneer-style general store. The James River Ranger Station from early 1900's was moved to Bearberry and opened as museum, artisan shop and gallery. Bearberry Community Hall has campgrounds and can be rented for group events. Bergen is set off the highway with directional signage to "Beautiful Downtown Bergen". This "downtown" is a single building acting as a general store, ice-cream shop, post-office, museum and library. Bergen is home of the Bergen Rocks International Sculpture Symposium. Water Valley looks and feels like the wild-west from a century ago with wood-fronted shops, a saloon and roadhouse. Water Valley is well known for its summer "high end" camping and golfing and holds an annual Celtic Music and Poetry festival.
Hamlets in the Parklands & Prairies
There are three hamlets with commercial centers geared towards area visitors. Neopolis, on the east side of highway 2, has a museum with the largest private collection of Budweiser memorabilia in the world. Westward Ho is a valley hamlet east of Olds and along the Little Red Deer River. A general store serves it's year-round campground and recreational area. Eagle Hill, set on a plateau towering over the coulees below was a viewing spot for eagles. Today it houses a small co-op that carries everything from bandaids and jelly beans to fertilizer and tractor parts.
talk
English is the main language of communication throughout the region. Printed materials in French are available at registry offices, post offices and government offices. In the town of Olds it is also quite common to hear Tagalog spoken on the streets, in restaurants and local businesses.