"Yeehaaaw!"

Unleash your inner cowboy

If you've ever thought that wearing a broad-brimmed hat and hollering yeehaa and yahoo at a rodeo might be fun, then Alberta's the place to find out. Rodeos are the high point of the annual social calendar in many Albertan towns, but the largest of them all is in Calgary.

The Calgary Stampede runs for 10 days in July when even the town's office workers will dress in cowboy boots, Stetson and bootlace tie and address each other in bastardised cowboy slang. The rodeo is the main focus, but there are all sorts of other country-and-western goings on - blacksmith championships, line dancing competitions and livestock shows - and events are on virtually around the clock, starting with the daily free pancake breakfast.

Paddling Moraine Lake in Banff National Park

Paddlle a canoe

As writer Pierre Berton once mused, "a Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe". Indeed, canoeing is so Canadian that one of the main canoe designs is even called a "Canadian" canoe, so paddling a pretty mountain lake should really be considered an integral part of experiencing the country.

Even though Alberta has far fewer lakes than many of the other Canadian provinces, those it does have are of the most amazing quality and it takes a long time before the feeling of splashing and skimming across these tranquil glassy waters, against a backdrop of craggy peaks, glaciers and evergreens, begins to pale.

Those bent on remote adventurous will find several waterways in Northern Alberta which once opened up the land to the traders and trappers and still offer an amazing way in which to explore the backcountry.

Hiking the backcountry in Alberta

Hike and camp the backcountry

The sense of self-reliance, freedom and adventure of a simple overnight backpacking trip is hard to match. The rewards are not only experiencing peerless scenery first-hand that would otherwise be well out of reach, but also of getting back to nature and dealing with all the practical everyday challenges.

Your camp meal, cooked under the stars and eaten by crackling flames, might be one of the most delicious you'll taste, whatever the ingredients. Just remember to clean up after yourself or a hungry bear might come and do it for you.