Grande Prairie is the largest city in northwestern Alberta, a regional hub of about 65,000 people set in the Peace Country — a broad, rolling agricultural landscape that feels far removed from the Rocky Mountain scenery most visitors associate with the province. The economy runs on oil and gas, forestry, and farming, and the city has a practical, working character.
For travellers, Grande Prairie is primarily a stopover on the way to the Alaska Highway or the northern wilderness, but it earns a day of its own. Muskoseepi Park threads green through the centre of town, with the Grande Prairie Museum and its pioneer heritage village at its heart. The big draw, though, is the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in nearby Wembley, built around the extraordinary Pipestone Creek bonebed — one of the richest pachyrhinosaurus fossil sites in the world. West of town, Saskatoon Island Provincial Park is a reliable place to see nesting trumpeter swans. In winter, the Northern Lights are frequently visible from the outskirts of town.