Miquelon Lake Provincial Park - a successful kids getaway!

Our trip this week, was closer to home. A quick 45 minute drive to the Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, south east of Edmonton.

With the Alberta summer finally setting in, the campsite was full by Friday morning! Luckily we had friends drive out and grab us a site first thing. Note to oneself: the campgrounds that are closer to the city fill up very quickly when the weather is forecast to be good. Make sure you book in advance!

Miquelon Lake Provincial Park campsite offers large gravel, tree-lined sites, a new washroom facility and a couple of 'outhouse' buildings. There is a general store and liquor store within walking distance.

Nearby there is an excellent area for the kids, with play park and beach and picnic tables. The water is typical Alberta lake water, but the kids don't seem to notice and happily splash around and make mud pies!

This is a good choice for a quick get away destination for city dwellers, that don't want to travel to far.

A few facts about Miquelon Lake Provincial Park:

• The park is 1299 hectares in size
• Is part of the Cookin Lake Moraine or 'Beaver Hills"
• Is dominated by trembling aspen, balsam poplar and white spruce forests
• More than 200 bird species visit the area annually
• Has a 10-kilometre interconnecting trail system (with more trails planned for the near future)

For further information go to http://www.albertaparks.ca/

Family time in Jasper

This weekend we decided to take the kids on their first trip to one of our favourite places in Alberta, Jasper.

Our previous family trips have usually been camping or staying at hostels, so staying in a hotel was an experience in itself! Our 7 year old was so impressed that there was a TV in the room (!) and our 4 year old was delighted to be able to sit on the balcony and watch the elk that appeared in the grounds late afternoon.

We had a great family room at the Best Western Jasper Inn & Suites, with a loft bedroom, separate bedroom and kitchenette; definately a good family option.

Saturday brought sunny, windy weather and a great day for a river raft tour on the Athabasca River. This trip, aboard a 25 foot raft is fantastic for families! It's more than safe enough to take young children along, as the rapids that you encounter are relatively small and harmless; yet are still large enough to throw some water into the raft! (Ponchos are provided if required). Our 7 year old son was in fits of laughter through most of the trip!

On Sunday morning we took the Jasper Tramway 'flight' up Whistler's Mountain (named after the whistling marmots that roam the traverse).

The flight is fast and extremely safe and the views from the top of Whistler's Mountain are completely out of this world!

As an added plus, there is a restaurant on top of the mountain offering a reasonably priced menu with a fairly good selection. We opted for the 2 egg breakfast and it was prompt and tasty.

Our weekend ended with strolls around the Jasper townsite and ice cream! This family trip to Jasper was a definate success, with the raft trip being voted as the favourite!

To book a family package to Jasper contact Urban Insight at 1-888 756-2035 or customize your own trip at http://www.urbaninsight.ca/

Many thanks to Best Western Jasper Inn & Suites, Jasper Raft Tours and Jasper Tramway for their assistance.

Le Tour de l'Alberta

Departing from Morinville on 26 July, 700+ riders are expected to participate in one of four rides. Urban Insight will be assisting riders, family and guests with booking their travel arrangements.

Le Tour de l’Alberta was created in 1994 by the Edmonton Bicycle & Touring Club as a club ride for members to celebrate the Tour de France, the cycling and our strong French Heritage.
Now, open to anyone, this year’s tour proves to be bigger and better with the addition of a new 3km kids ride to promote family activity and the sport of cycling to young Canadians.

Departing from Morinville on 26 July, 700+ riders are expected to participate in one of the rides (choose from 20km, 50km, 100km, and 160km), which will be supported by friends and family from Alberta and neighbouring provinces.

Le Tour de l’Alberta is also delighted to appoint Urban Insight as their official Travel Partner for the 2009 ride. Urban Insight will be assisting riders, family and guests with booking their travel arrangements.

To join the ride or find out more information, check out http://www.tourdalberta.ca/
To book travel arrangements for the ride, contact Urban Insight http://www.urbaninsight.ca/ / 1-888 756-2035

Discovering Drumheller

I just spent a wonderful May long weekend discovering the delights and sights of Drumheller and was pleasantly surprised with the destination.

Having only driven through the area before, I was aware of the stunning scenery nearby and the charming townsite tucked away in the Badlands. I was not though, aware of how much fun this place is!

We took the traditional May long option of camping and stayed at the busy River Grove campground which had a great location close to downtown and made the most of our 2 days and great weather in town.

With 5 children aged between 4-14 and 4 active adults, we didn't run out of things to keep us amused and our sightseeing included:

Atlas Coal Mine Museum (great tour for adults and kids)

The Hoodoos (see image)

The Rosedale Suspension Bridge

The World's Largest Dinosaur

The Royal Tyrrell Museum

There were plenty more sites that we wanted to take in, but unfortunately time got the better of us! (The Passion Play, Reptile World, Badlands Go-Kart Park, Last Chance Saloon in Wayne to name but a few!)

All in all, a great family destination for kids of all ages!

Contact Urban Insight for packages to Drumheller this summer!

sales@urbaninsight.ca / 1-888-756-2035 http://www.urbaninsight.ca/

Welcome!

Welcome to the official blog page for Urban Insight Travel!

We are an Alberta specialist inbound travel company and plan to spread the word about how truly spectacular this province really is.

Please check back on a regular basis and see more about our HOT DEALS and further information about Albertan activities, events, attractions and more!