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A fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings that lined Main Street in 1906, which resulted in everything being rebuilt with brick and sandstone.

In 1982, the province designated Main Street as part of the first “Provincial Historic Area.” 

You can now walk down Main Street using the app On This Spot to see how the town has changed around these buildings. 

Just outside of Fort Macleod is the world-renowned Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre. It is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site that preserves and interprets over 6,000 years of Plains Buffalo culture. 

You can explore the vast landscapes and exhibits at your leisure, or partake in diverse programs to learn about the cultural significance of this cliff to the Plains People.

For more information, visit their site here.

Image courtesy of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.

Are you a history lover? Then The Fort Museum of the North West Mounted Police and First Nations Interpretive Centre is a must see!

Enjoy an inspiring and authentic afternoon experiencing and discovering the history of the North West Mounted Police, Indigenous People, and settlers.

You can find The Fort's hours, information, and events here.

Image courtesy of the Fort Museum.

Fort Macleod is home to the Oldman River Valley Wilderness Park, and the Oldman River Provincial Recreation Area. 

The Oldman is renowned for fly fishing, but is also a playground for non-motorized watercraft, such as kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards, and is a comfortable speed for a relaxing float in a tube. If you come late in the summer, keep an eye out for the low spots!⁣
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If you don’t want to take a dip in the Oldman, there are paths on either side of the river to explore. Have your camera ready, as the valley is a conservation area that is home to deer, moose, beavers, river otters, and more. ⁣

As most of Main Street has been preserved, it has become a well known filming location for television & movies.

The most recognizable movies have been Brokeback Mountain, Interstellar, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Let Him Go.  

It's not just Main Street that has been utilized, numerous buildings throughout Fort Macleod and the MD of Willow Creek have been featured in Emmy and Oscar winning productions.

Interstellar pictured above - photo courtesy of Andrea David.

Another Provincial Historic site Fort Macleod houses is the 1884 NWMP Barracks. 

Enjoy a self guided tour of the area with On This Spot. You can see our site here, or download the app on the App Store or Google Play.

Image courtesy of the On This Spot.

On the borders of Alberta, BC, and Montana you will find a small mountain town that is both a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, and part of the world's first International Peace Park. 

Just 100kms from Fort Macleod, this town makes for a beautiful day trip packed with adventures like hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, horse back riding, and golf. There is also ample opportunity for wildlife and wild flower spotting. 

Speaking of spotting, Waterton is a Designated Dark Sky Zone, and the Milky Way can be seen on clear evenings. 

You can also see the oldest exposed sedimentary rock in the Canadian Rockies, dating back 1200-1500 million years ago!

Discover more here.

Full of cultural and spiritual significance, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, or Áísínai'pi as it’s known in Blackfoot, is a notable UNESCO World Heritage Site. The landscape is marked by unique geological formations called hoodoos, which are large sandstone structures formed 85 million years ago that have been eroded by the elements over time. 

There is evidence of steady habitation over thousands of years by Blackfoot Peoples through the numerous rock paintings and carvings found in the park. In fact, Writing-on-Stone is home to the largest collection of First Nation rock art in the Plains of North America.

For more information and to book a campsite or guided tour, visit the provincial site here. 

Arguably the easiest waterfall to get to in southern Alberta, Lundbreck Falls is a sight to behold!

Only 45 minutes outside Fort Macleod, visitors can watch the rushing Crowsnest River plunge 39 feet into a deep pool. Watch up top from the observation platform or walk down into the limestone gorge for a closer look. 

Upriver, the fishing is plentiful so plan to bring your fishing pole or just escape to this little slice of nature and enjoy the view! Take some time to walk around the area and pack a picnic to enjoy at one of the picnic tables. 

This spot is managed by Alberta Parks.

A slice of exquisite nature encompassing more than 105,000 hectares, Castle Provincial Park (and Castle Wildland Provincial Park) contains some of the most stunning landscapes found in Alberta. With mountain peaks, rolling foothills, rich forests, and meadows, the views and wildlife spotting opportunities here are abundant. 

Enjoy activities such as horseback riding, hiking on hundreds of kilometers of trails, geocaching, power boating, comfort camping, and much more! Even snowfall makes this park a destination to explore with fat biking, ice fishing, winter camping, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. 

The possibilities for adventure are truly endless. Find out more on the Alberta Parks website.