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Cultural drive · Alberta
Cowboy Trail (Highway 22)
The foothills highway where the Rockies meet the ranchlands of the Old West.
Overview
Highway 22 — the Cowboy Trail — runs 640 km along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountain Foothills, from Waterton Lakes National Park at the US border to Mayerthorpe northwest of Edmonton. It is the working Alberta of ranches, rodeos, and the Rockies filling every westward-facing windshield.
The route strings together the great cattle towns of southern Alberta — Pincher Creek, Longview (of Ian Tyson fame), Turner Valley, Black Diamond, and Cochrane, home to Canada's oldest working ranch. The Highwood River and the Kananaskis foothills lie just west; the endless prairie rolls east.
The southern anchor is Waterton, a rare place where mountain and prairie meet abruptly. The northern half of the trail passes through the Bighorn back-country and Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site, ending in the Athabasca headwaters. Rodeos in Longview, ice-cream at MacKay's in Cochrane, and steaks at Longview Jerky are the essential food stops.
Distance
640 km
Waterton → Mayerthorpe
Suggested days
5
4 without Waterton overnight
Historic sites
3
Bar U, Rocky Mountain House, Head-Smashed-In (detour)
Best month
July
Stampede + rodeo season
The route
From start to finish
An approximate path through 7 key waypoints along the drive.
Driving times
Leg by leg
640 km across 5 legs. Times exclude stops, ferries, and weather contingencies.
| # | From → To | Distance | Driving time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Waterton → Pincher Creek | 50 km | 0h 45m | Prairie–mountain transition |
| 02 | Pincher Creek → Longview | 180 km | 2h 15m | Bar U Ranch NHS |
| 03 | Longview → Cochrane | 110 km | 1h 30m | Turner Valley oilfield |
| 04 | Cochrane → Rocky Mountain House | 175 km | 2h 15m | Water Valley, Sundre |
| 05 | Rocky Mountain House → Mayerthorpe | 125 km | 1h 40m | Nordegg / Bighorn back-country |
| Total | 640 km | 8h+ | Drive time only |
Day by day
The itinerary
A suggested route designed to balance driving time with the stops that matter.
Waterton Lakes
Set base at the historic Prince of Wales Hotel; boat to the Goat Haunt, hike Bear's Hump for sunset over Waterton townsite.
Waterton to Longview
Drive north via Pincher Creek and the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site; overnight in Longview at the Twin Cities Motel or a foothills B&B.
Longview to Cochrane
Explore Turner Valley (Canada's first commercial oil field), stop at Sheep River Provincial Park, and end at MacKay's Ice Cream in Cochrane.
Cochrane to Rocky Mountain House
Drive through Water Valley and Sundre, tour Rocky Mountain House NHS (the fur-trade fort), and overnight in town.
Rocky Mountain House to Mayerthorpe
Finish the trail through Nordegg and the Bighorn back-country, ending at Mayerthorpe or looping east to Edmonton.
When to drive
Month by month
Best window: May – October. Plan around shoulder months for fewer crowds at the cost of variable weather.
Budget
Three ways to drive it
Smart
$190–$300/ day
- Drive days
- 5
- Lodging
- Provincial parks, small-town motels
- Food
- Diners, Longview jerky
- Experiences
- Bar U tour + Sheep River hike
Mid
$340–$540/ day
- Drive days
- 5
- Lodging
- Prince of Wales Waterton, Bearberry Meadows
- Food
- Twin Cities Longview, Rouge Calgary detour
- Experiences
- Waterton boat tour + horseback ride
Premium
$800+/ day
- Drive days
- 6–7
- Lodging
- Prince of Wales heritage suite, guest ranch overnight
- Food
- Chef's ranch dinner
- Experiences
- Guest ranch working cattle drive + heli-tour
Editorial picks
Where to stop, sleep, and eat
Stop
Bar U Ranch National Historic Site
Longview
Working 1882 ranch preserved by Parks Canada — daily demonstrations by real cowboys.
Lodging
Prince of Wales Hotel
Waterton
1927 mountain-lodge hotel on a bluff over Upper Waterton Lake — one of the great views in Canada.
Operator
Homeplace Ranch
Priddis
Small guest ranch with proper trail rides in the foothills and family-style meals.
Eat
Longview Jerky Shop
Longview
Legendary jerky and Alberta smokehouse — the required Highway 22 stop.
Signature stops
Don't miss
Waterton Lakes National Park
Bar U Ranch NHS
Sheep River foothills
Rocky Mountain House NHS
Before you go
The prep checklist.
Practical things to lock in before you leave the driveway.
- Combine with Calgary Stampede in early July for the full cowboy experience.
- Waterton reservations essential for summer — the town is tiny.
- Watch for cattle on the road, especially at dawn and dusk.
- Weather changes fast on the foothills — always pack a warm layer.
- Detour to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump UNESCO site (west of Fort Macleod, 45 min from Pincher Creek).
Where this road leads
Related destinations
Good to know
Frequently
asked.
Practical answers from travellers who have driven this route.
- How does the Cowboy Trail compare to the Icefields Parkway?
- Very different: Icefields is inside the Rockies, cinematic and busy; the Cowboy Trail parallels the range from the foothills, quieter, and passes through working ranch country. The best trips combine them.
- Can I see a real rodeo?
- Yes — the Bar U Ranch hosts frequent working-ranch demonstrations, and small-town rodeos run through summer (High River, Pincher Creek). The Calgary Stampede in July is a 90-minute detour east.
- Is Waterton worth a detour?
- Absolutely — it is Canada's smallest Rocky Mountain park and one of the most underrated. Two full days is the minimum for the boat tour, Red Rock Canyon, and a proper hike.
Planning the bigger trip?
Read our full guide to Canadian road-trip itineraries.
Along this route
Parks, camps, and cities on the drive
Every place below is within a comfortable side-trip of the route waypoints — surfaced automatically from our national-park, provincial-park, campground, and city datasets.
Nearby national parks
Nearby provincial parks
Nearby campgrounds
Travel styles
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Nearby events & festivals
Events along the Cowboy Trail (Highway 22) route — worth timing your trip around.
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