Kelsey’s Trans Canada Trail: Discovering Rural Alberta on the Trail
Written by Kelsey Olsen
There are many incredible journeys on Canada’s national trail, and some of the prettiest sections take you through rural areas — stretches of countryside that pass working farms, small towns, parks and lakes. There’s a special kind of peace to be found in the countryside, and one of my favourite sections of the Trail is in Lacombe County, close to my hometown. I grew up in the small Alberta community of Lacombe, and the section of the Trans Canada Trail that connects Lacombe with Blackfalds and Red Deer is one I cycled many times as a teenager. I’ve long since moved away, but on a sunny autumn afternoon when I was visiting my parents, I invited my mom to join me on a bike ride along the trail. It was a wonderful way to connect with nature and reconnect with each other.
Coming home – revisiting familiar places
Photo credit: Kelsey Olsen
The best part about the Trans Canada Trail is that you can access it from most places in Canada. As we cycled through my hometown to get to the Lacombe County trailhead, we passed the trail I used to walk every day to get to grade school, which is also a section of the Trans Canada Trail. We passed playgrounds I used to enjoy, parks I spent sunny summer afternoons in and the corner store I frequented in high school.
Discovering the science of agriculture
The Lacombe County Trail begins at the Lacombe Research and Development Centre, one of 20 national agriculture research facilities operated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Established in 1907, this agriculture research centre has a long and fascinating history that is shared on interpretive signage at the edge of the trail that passes through the beautiful grounds.
We stopped to read the signs and learned about the Lacombe pig, the first livestock breed developed in Canada, as well as other developments in agricultural science. We also took a small detour off the trail to see the many tree species in the centre’s lovely arboretum and visited the only weed garden in Alberta.
Spending time in the countryside
Photo credit: Kelsey Olsen
Back on our bikes, we continued cycling along the paved trail, lined with mature trees on one side and farm fields on the other. The section of the Lacombe Trail that spans the edge of Lacombe Lake is one of its scenic highlights, and we paused on the boardwalk to read the interpretive signs and watch migratory birds taking off and landing on the lake. Some of the interpretive signage along the Trail in Lacombe County was created by Grade 5 students, who researched and wrote about the local flora and fauna.
Farther along the trail, we stopped for a snack break and enjoyed a brief hike along some of the trails in Kuhnen Park, on the east end of Lacombe Lake. This spot has some of the largest and oldest aspen trees I have ever seen.
My favourite stop on the trail was an unexpected one. As we rode past farmhouses, we saw a bench we couldn’t resist. It sat right in front of a green field where two horses were grazing. We got off our bikes and watched the horses for a while. It was incredibly peaceful.
Blackfalds – where the Trans Canada Trail goes indoors
Photo credit: Kelsey Olsen
After a few stops and side hikes, we finally found ourselves in the town of Blackfalds — at which point we promptly got lost and had to backtrack. My mom and I were talking and laughing as we rode along, and we completely missed the Trans Canada Trail signage that guides cyclists through the town’s residential areas.
Eventually we arrived at the Abbey Centre in Blackfalds, a community centre that is home to the only indoor section of the Trans Canada Trail in Canada. The Trail travels through the second floor of the Abbey Centre and is lined with painted murals, artificial boulders and colourful Trans Canada trail markers and signage. As we walked along this unique indoor section of the Trans Canada Trail, we read signage about how the Trail brings the community together. I couldn’t help thinking that it had certainly done that for my mom and me.
Rediscovering the Trail together
We could have continued riding the Lacombe County Trail all the way to the edge of Red Deer, but we decided to head back home. My mom and I chatted the whole way home, enjoying the fall colours and the peacefulness of being out in nature. As we pedalled, I thought about how this eight-kilometre section of the Trans Canada Trail between Lacombe and Blackfalds not only connects rural communities, it also connects people. I felt grateful for the time my mom and I spent together, and the simplicity of a day spent out enjoying nature. It certainly won’t be my last trip down this familiar path.
Kelsey Olsen is an award-winning travel writer from Cochrane, Alberta. She loves exploring the outdoors, especially hiking in the mountains, and sharing unique travel stories. Follow along on her adventures at www.wanderwoman.ca or on Instagram at @kelseyrolsen.
