I am planning a trip to Alberta - Edmonton and Calgary. I will be wandering around town, probably with a rental car, and will have to get from Edmonton to Calgary at least once.

I am a little bit apprehensive about the winter temperatures - I would prefer to travel soon, but am thinking of delaying the trip as I am worried about driving (and walking ?) at temperatures going down to -20C....

Would be glad to get a little bit of advice about what it's like to get around town and to drive inside of town - also about the drive from Edmonton to Calgary - weather and/or animal hazards.

Thanks

D.

I would be less concerned with the temperature and more concerned about snowfall, and the potential for melting snow and ice.

Being comfortable and knowing how to drive in snow and icy conditions is important - allowing more room for stopping, driving slower (despite what others may be doing), etc). Having winter tires is important (but not required), but I do not know if rental car companies switch tires, I suspect not. All season tires will require greater stopping distances (winter tires too, but all seasons more so)

In the Cities snow is removed on a regular basis, but if you are here during a dump of snow (as is happening now), expect to take longer to get somewhere.

The highways are usually pretty good and very well maintained. You do have too watch out for black ice, particular in certain areas where the highway is exposed to wind (areas between Red Deer and Calgary in particular). It is important to drive for conditions and your comfort level.

As for walking, both cities will be fine, but you should dress for cooler temperatures - toque, scarf, mitts, warm jacket etc. Even though sidewalks will be cleared they can be icy - leather soled shoes are not recommended.

More so in Calgary, you can see temperatures warm up which brings melting snow and ice as it cools.

The weather here can change quickly in both cities.

Despite all that, there are over 3 million people here that live with the temperatures on a daily basis, and it is not bad, sure it would be nice if we had beach weather all year but we don't. We just dress appropriately.

Temperate in Alberta in winter is very low. You should bring lots of winter coats. Enjoy your trip

Temperature is not really an issue expecially on Highway 2 between Edmonton and Calgary.

Snow and wind, however, are.

Yesterday one of the people I work with and I headed out to try to get to a business meeting in Red Deer at 1:30 p.m. (roughly half-way between Edmonton and Calgary) at about 11:30 a.m. in a Toyota Tundra with 4-wheel drive (both of us being genuine Albertans insofar as being born here: we took winter boots, mitts, parkas and toques in the back seating compartment). It was -9C, lightly snowing and a bit of wind.

Just south of Leduc (about 30 k from Edmonton and just south of where YEG is located) we hit two-lane bumper-to-bumper traffic at a dead stop on the highway and then crawled along at rarely higher that 40 kph until the Millet turn-off where there was a sign saying that Red Deer was still 101 k away. It was now 1:00 p.m. and we were going 20 kph so that meant another 5 hours! We turned back at the next overpass and it took us another 1 1/2 hours to get back to downtown Edmonton as we did not want to drive back in the dark under those conditions. At Leduc the two lanes become 3 then 4 and they were bumper-to-bumper all the way in and took almost 30 minutes to reach the Whitemud Freeway exits where traffic finally opened up.

Normally Red Deer is about an hour from Edmonton at 110 kph posted (everyone drives in good conditions about 120-130!).

The issue was the snowed-over icy conditions of the road. We counted at least 25-30 vehicles in the ditch many of which were recent "entrants" with their drivers still behind the wheel.

On the way back we saw a sanding truck heading south on the highway we had just been on behind which was an RCMP cruiser acting like a pace car at a NASCAR event ahead of two solid lands of vehicles that stretched out for at least 2-4 kilometres behind it.

The moral of the story is believe the road condition warnings here and you will be okay.

One further thought is Edmonton and Calgary can have dramatically different weather. Calgary gets Chinooks which are warm winds, Edmonton doesn't get them.

"Winter" in Calgary really doesn't mean much as each day can be very different to the next. To give you an example, this morning was -18, tomorrow is going to be +6. At the extremes, I have seen the temperature rise close to 50C in a hour - and drop back the next hour, simply because a chinook rolled in and the warm air touches the ground at different times and places. You really can't say "winter is Calgary will be like X" It might be anything.

So please come, enjoy your time here, be prepared for cold weather and don't be surprised at the weather - whatever it is. Dress in layers, and make sure you have a coat with a hood and a warm hat /toque that covers your ears. We do get a lot of wind, and if it is cold with a wind it can be bitterly cold.

Things like that are partly why I don't let my fuel tank go under 1/2 in the winter on the highway. If I get stuck somewhere I want sufficient fuel to be able to run the car and keep warm, or turn around and go back to where I started if I have to.

Thanks for the responses - most seemed to focus on the long (sort of) drive between Edmonton and Calgary. What about driving inside the city ?

Renting a car, would I get a car with a block heater as standard ? If I do have a heater, would most hotels have where to plug in ? If I don't have a heater or cannot plug it in, might I get stuck in the morning/at night trying to start the engine ?

Having spoken to a few people (actually spoken as opposed to online :-) a fair few, having visited during the winter, were of the opinion that if at all possible I should postpone my trip. I can't help thinking, though, that so many people live in Alberta (and I assume there is no winter migration) a winter visit would perhaps be occasionally unpleasant but nothing that couldn't be overcome or chalked up as an "experience"...


Thanks

D.

Yes and Yes. Better (read more expensive) hotels often have underground heated parking, espcially in downtown locations. Block heaters are usually standard for cars built for the Canadian market ( not all though). Usually the rental company will include a snowbrush and a short extension cord for the block heater. I don't use a block heater until it gets to about -25C or colder. Modern cars use thinner oil than in years past and with fuel injection they all start a lot better than years ago.

I agree that many YEG/YYC hotels have plug ins. Rental cars, not so sure. With auto car starters, block heaters are now less common.
The key (no pun intended) to winter driving is snow tires. Do not settle for anything else. Four are better than two. Also, I strongly recommend planning your drive in daylight - that time of year its 8 am to 5 pm. Best to see the deer!

For non Canadians, a toque is simply a hat, a chapeau if you will.

Having gone to junior high, high school and one year at U of A, I will say that it's easier to get used to the cold as temperatures go lower as winter approaches.

OTOH, had to go to Fairbanks the week between Xmas and New Year for work while based in SE Texas, and despite a warm front that brought temps up to -20 degrees did OK, so it's doable. And yes, drove, but then again I still remember how to drive in snow / ice

Living in Edmonton for 21 years, the cold is frigid but not unbearable. The air in Edmonton is relatively dry so the cold doesn't chill you to the bone like in more humid places like Toronto. The main arterial roads are plowed immediately after snowfalls, and the bus collector route are plowed within 72 hours so the city is manageable for getting around. I'd recommend getting a vehicle with all wheel drive if possible. It's not mandatory though as the roads are plowed. This is actually the first year I am driving a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Most people drive about the same speed as they do in the summertime. Make sure you allow your vehicle to idle for about 5 minutes after starting to ensure it runs smoothly when its below -10C. Also plugging makes starting up a lot easier if it is possible. Otherwise just use common sense when driving, maintain a safe distance and make sure that you have enough gas so that you aren't stranded (At least a 1/4 tank). There is a lot to do indoors in Edmonton so enjoy.

Translation #2

Cars up north have engine block heaters that are plugged into 120 outlets, otherwise it's possible car won't start when it's 10 or 20 below overnight.

both YEG and YYC have transit systems that work fairly well (the ctrain in YYC and bus system IMO is a bit better than ETS.) In terms of capacity, it is fairly easy to find space on most buses and subways, even during peak hours.
Keep in mind there are no turnstiles on either system (subway), so you insert a ticket into a machine that stamps the date on a transit ticket to pay the fare.
You can buy bus tickets in many places-most petrol stations have them.
This is the best option if parking is limited at the client site (which it has been for me.) but also depends in the location in which you choose to stay at and accessibility to transit.
As for YEG to YYC-the best way is by coach (if you drive, keep in mind any applicable mileage restrictions. Plan for $4/gallon petrol as well.)
As for driving in the winter-I admit I am terrible at it (I have only lived in YVR and have visited AB in the summertime.)
Public transport to and from the airport is more expensive than in the city. Expect 1/2 an hour for YYC to city center and 75 minutes from YEG to city center.

Translation #3

Petrol is British English for gasoline.

Coach is British English for long distance bus.

Who knows, my fellow Canadians may know this, citizens of US of A, not so much

Also Both LRT systems are packed during the peak rush hours. YYC to downtown by transit is closer to 45 mins and YEG can be as little as 60 but 75 is more realistic.