Snug in Southern Alberta is Medicine Hat. A place to slowly float the waterways, mountain bike the coulees, and mindfully stroll the 190+ kilometre paved trail network. With 330 days of sunshine, Medicine Hat is Canada’s Sunniest City.
Rich in Indigenous history and culture, Medicine Hat inherited its name from the Blackfoot word “Saamis”, which is loosely translated as “medicine man’s hat”. The legend tells of a winter with great famine and hardship for the Blackfoot Nation.
Indigenous peoples found home within the coulee landscape. It provided shelter, water, food, and continues to grow an abundance of sagebrush. For insight about the Indigenous spaces and places in Medicine Hat, including the World’s Tallest Saamis Tepee, Brenda Mercer is a local artist and Indigenous tour guide who passionately shares and invites people to participate in Indigenous culture through Sharing Stories at the Saamis Tepee.
Saratoga Park was also originally a Métis community until the early 2010s. Pat Aaker and her daughter April, who once lived in the community, share stories about their family and neighbours during Walking History on the Saratoga Trail.
The coulee landscape has continued to bring quality of life for locals and visitors. They’ve provided thrilling mountain bike trails, comfortable campsites, and beautiful views while paddling both the South Saskatchewan River and Seven Persons Creek.
And the 190+ kilometre trail system weaves through the coulees, where trail enthusiasts can stroll through a handful of peaceful parks while on the trails.
Past the coulees is surrounding farmland that stretches for miles, allowing local eateries to source beef and more from neighbouring farmers and ranchers. And with a southern sun that keeps on shining, find a bag of locally grown vegetables for under $5. But chances are, if you eat local and there’s vegetables on your plate, they’re sourced from a local greenhouse.
To pair with your farm to fork food is a beverage from one of the three breweries or distillery. And if alcohol isn’t quite your thing, there’s kombucha, sparkling cucumber water (made with fresh greenhouse cucumbers), sparkling hop water (made with Alberta hops) and more.
The coulees also held clay, giving Medicine Hat a hearty ceramics culture since the early 1900s. Medicine Hat’s Historic Clay District distributed ⅓ of all clay in Canada.
And now, Medalta in the Historic Clay District is a non-profit museum, contemporary ceramic arts facility, art gallery, and community hub. It stands not only as a testament to the city’s industrial past but also as a centre for creative expression and community engagement, with human stories hidden in every brick, every piece of machinery and every piece of Medicine Hat-made pottery found today.
When you arrive in Canada's Sunniest City, set up a campsite, settle into a bed and breakfast, or book a hotel package that suits your stay.
Follow the sun to the coulees, and reach out if you’d like a local lens into planning your stay in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.