Medicine Hat is a half-day to a full day for a casual visitor: the riverside parks, the Medalta clay district, and the Saamis Tepee on the city's edge are the obvious stops. Add the Esplanade arts centre and a walk through the historic downtown and you have a comfortable day. The dramatic landscape — Cypress Hills to the south, badlands and coulees on every side — is where the real reward lies, and that is best taken in by car.