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Standing on Top of Canada’s Deadliest Landslide at Frank Slide, Alberta

By Matthew G. Bailey 1 Comment

frank slide alberta

Today, Frank is a very small town in Southern Alberta, but back in the early 1900s, people thought it was going to be the next Pittsburgh. Due to its rich mining industry, people were coming from all over the place in hopes of creating a better life. Then, in 1903, the mountain tumbled down with 82 million tonnes of limestone rock covering up more than three square kilometres of the valley below, claiming more than 90 lives in the process. It was a devastating morning that changed the town of Frank forever.

More than 100 years later, Frank Slide is a “bucket list” attraction, teaching people Frank Slide facts while providing dramatic views of the landslide itself. For me, it was mesmerizing to be standing on the rubble that once crowned the top of Turtle Mountain. We started off with the free “Drive Through the Slide” tour, which is basically a self-driving tour through the original road that was covered up by the landslide. Along the way, we stopped the vehicle to read the info-signs provided by the interpretive centre. At one point, we were standing in the closest place that didn’t get struck by the landslide. It’s truly hard to believe that I could have been standing here back in 1903 and had the landslide go whizzing right by me. Can you imagine that? Our next stop was where they found some skeletons in one of the houses that got demolished. In fact, there are skeletons still underneath the rock. There was just no way to find them all. [Read more…] about Standing on Top of Canada’s Deadliest Landslide at Frank Slide, Alberta

Biking Crowsnest Pass, Alberta | The 23-km Community Trail

By Matthew G. Bailey 1 Comment

Frank Slide Alberta

Whether you choose to walk, hike, or bike, the 23-km Crowsnest Pass Community Trail is a great way to experience the scenic area and the five small communities that make up the municipality.

We ended up renting e-bikes as it was something we had never tried before. These bikes turn even the most grueling long-distance ride into a breeze. We started off by paying a visit to the famous Burmis Tree, which has stood in the area for roughly 450 years. We then offloaded our bikes and started our adventure off with a stop at the Bellevue Mine Tour. This tour takes visitors underground into one of the mines that gave this area its start. Although the mine is truly massive, only the first 300-metres is safe to explore. It’s a cool experience to be able to go underground and see the tough conditions men had to face many decades ago. Although miners have died here, the biggest mining disaster in Canadian history is located close by in the town of Hillcrest. This area has been struck by many tragedies, with one of the most famous being Frank Slide. [Read more…] about Biking Crowsnest Pass, Alberta | The 23-km Community Trail

One-Day Itinerary: Three Ways to Experience Pincher Creek Alberta

By Matthew G. Bailey Leave a Comment

things to do in pincher creek alberta

Located right next to beautiful Highway 3, not too far from Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek often gets left out of a traveller’s itinerary. That’s just what happens when you’re so close to a major tourist attraction. People tend to just stop for gas and keep ongoing. This time, however, we decided to stay and uncover some of the hidden gems that make Pincher Creek a cool destination to visit. [Read more…] about One-Day Itinerary: Three Ways to Experience Pincher Creek Alberta

What Makes Canada Special?

By Matthew G. Bailey Leave a Comment

What makes Canada special?

From May 15th – October 11th, my wife and I, along with filmmaker Justin Brunelle, traveled the whole of Canada, coast to coast to coast, to find out what makes Canada special. We experienced so many of the best things to do in Canada but we also interviewed people from all backgrounds to ask them what they think makes Canada such a great country.

We interviewed a wide variety of people, including celebrity astronaut Chris Hadfield, interpreters from Parks Canada, museum curators, tour guides, and even Syrian refugees. We heard many different answers to our question and it was so inspiring and heartwarming to hear the love that everyone had for their country, whether they had been here for generations or had just arrived.

It was an incredible trip, to say the least, and we actually experienced all of the things that people said they loved about Canada. They talked about their love for immigration and we heard the stories of many refugees. They talked about their love for the people and we met so many friendly and welcoming people from each province and territory. They talked about their love for the diversity of the country and we met with dozens of different cultures along the way. And of course, they all mentioned the nature and the landscapes and how vast Canada really is. This we really experienced, as we drove all the way from Newfoundland to Tuktoyuktuk and beyond. [Read more…] about What Makes Canada Special?

Calgary’s National Music Centre Offers Backstage Pass Tour

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Studio Bell Calgary
Looking up at Studio Bell, Calgary, Alberta.

Since opening its doors in 2016, the National Music Centre’s Studio Bell has been one of Calgary’s hottest attractions. Housed in one of the cities most stunning buildings, the NMC brings musical education to the masses, including Canada’s Music Hall of Fame, interactive educational programming, artist incubation, and over 2,000 rare instruments and artifacts such as the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio and one of Elton John’s pianos.

For those who want more, the National Music Centre also offers the Backstage Pass Tour, an incredible way to experience the studios where musicians record, a variety of musical instruments from this century and many before it, and even an up close and personal look at the Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Studio, a unique setup that was used by some of the worlds most famous bands and Canadian musicians, including Dire Straits, Deep Purple, Bob Marley, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, and Iron Maiden. [Read more…] about Calgary’s National Music Centre Offers Backstage Pass Tour

7 Tips For Driving the Dempster Highway to the Arctic

By Matthew G. Bailey 34 Comments

Last updated: April 2nd, 2020

One of the most epic road trips in all of Canada is the Dempster Highway, a 700-km dirt road stretching from Dawson, Yukon to Inuvik, NWT. The highway takes you from one territory to another, passing the Arctic Circle and all sorts of magnificent scenery, and finally linking up to the Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk-Highway, which takes you all the way to the Arctic Ocean.

During our 150-day road trip across Canada, this was one of our most epic experiences. After all, how often can you say you drove past the Arctic Circle? The landscapes are so incredible and because we went in the fall, we were greeted by an array of beautiful colours, ranging from dark reds to golden yellows. It was truly a road trip we’ll never forget and a trip that many people wish to take. After all, this is one of the best things to do in Canada.

As mentioned in the beginning, however, the Dempster Highway is a 700-km dirt road with very little services offered along the way. In fact, there’s only one and it’s in a place called Eagle Plains, which is located around the 400-km mark. Due to the highway’s isolation and rough surface, you must do some planning before you go. We read all sorts of blogs and info sites before embarking on our journey and quite frankly, many of them scared the shit out of us. Now that we’ve been on the Dempster Highway ourselves, I can say that some of them exaggerated quite a bit, but probably for good reason – to really make sure people prepare before making such a long-isolated journey. [Read more…] about 7 Tips For Driving the Dempster Highway to the Arctic

Travel Hacking in Canada

By Matthew G. Bailey 1 Comment

First Class Emirates Travel Hacking
Sitting aboard Emirates First Class from India to Dubai

As many of you know, we travel around Canada quite a bit, exploring the best things to do from coast to coast to coast. However, we also travel around the world as much as we can and have visited six continents, 38 countries, and over 250 cities over the last seven years. In fact, it’s our love for world travel that also led to our love for exploring Canada, as travelling around the world made us appreciate the incredible scenery, attractions, and culture of our home country.

For me, it all started with a solo trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia way back in 2009. Then, in 2012, I had the opportunity to do an exchange semester at a university in Malaysia. So, Karla and I travelled to Southeast Asia for an entire year, visiting Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, the Philippines, and China. Our passion for travel multiplied and we just didn’t want to stop. At the same time, we didn’t have the money to pay for a lot of trips, so I started learning about something called travel hacking, which inevitably led to the creation of CanadianFreeFlyers.com.

[Read more…] about Travel Hacking in Canada

Campfires Under the Northern Lights in Whitehorse, Yukon

By Matthew G. Bailey 2 Comments

photographing the milky way

For anyone visiting Canada’s north, witnessing the aurora borealis (or the northern lights as they are also known) is almost always high on their bucket list. After all, who can look at photographs of green, pink, and purple ribbons of light dancing across the sky and not want to book a northern lights holiday? Having grown up in Fort.McMurray, Alberta, I saw them all the time, but once I moved down South, I didn’t see them for many, many years. So, when I was up in Whitehorse, Yukon, it was on my bucket list to see them as well.

Since we wanted to experience the options that tourists have when visiting the area, we contacted Northern Tales and asked about their northern lights vacation packages. Located right in the Best Western hotel in Whitehorse, they’re conveniently located for anyone visiting the area. In fact, accommodation at the Best Western is included in some of their packages. We ended up trying out their Basic Aurora Borealis package, which basically consists of a few nights at the Best Western combined with late-night viewings outside the city. [Read more…] about Campfires Under the Northern Lights in Whitehorse, Yukon

Tips For Your Next Winter Ski Vacation

By Matthew G. Bailey Leave a Comment

ski lake louise
If you’re a regular reader of Must Do Canada, you’ve probably noticed that we love skiing. For anyone living in Canada, finding something to do in the winter should be a priority, otherwise, it’s going to be long, cold, and boring four to six months. For us, we love many things, but our favorite winter activity is hitting the slopes, especially those around Banff National Park. Not only is skiing very fun, it’s also a great way to get out and enjoy nature.

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Fat-Tire Biking in a Winter Wonderland

By Matthew G. Bailey Leave a Comment

Best things to do in the winter

As much as I love biking in the summer months, I’ve never considered doing it in the winter. Not only is it cold but I always thought that it would be super difficult, what with all the snow and ice and slush. Well, that’s not the case with fat-tire biking! The first time I saw fat-tire bikes was at Burning Man as people used them to push through the sand. I thought they looked really cool but didn’t see the practicality outside of biking on a sandy beach. Then, winter came to Canada and suddenly I saw this new sport come to life. I noticed people posting photos of them fat-tire biking on snowy trails and thought it looked like a great way to get outdoors during the colder months. Then we went to Panorama, BC for a weekend and finally had the opportunity to try them out ourselves. [Read more…] about Fat-Tire Biking in a Winter Wonderland