Explore Outdoors
Sundays & Mondays in Medicine Hat
Things to do on a Sunday and Monday in Medicine Hat.
Things to do on a Sunday and Monday in Medicine Hat.
Spend the afternoon with hundreds of butterflies, as well as turtles, birds, and beautiful nature. Experts are around to answer any questions you may have. Go at your own pace and soak in every moment. This place is truly exciting and peaceful.
Pass through and sight-see a handful of Medicine Hat’s City Parks using the Heritage Trail Map. With over 190 kilometres of trails, experiencing the city outdoors brings beautiful views of natural parks and wildlife. Rent a Bird E-Scooter, often found throughout Medicine Hat.
The South Saskatchewan River is a relaxing way to view the coulees and wildlife up close, whereas Seven Persons Creek brings thrill and fast-paced adventure. Whichever experience you’re drawn to most, you can spend the day paddling with rented equipment from Outdoor Xcape Rentals.
Check out the GIANT King Piece
Right behind the World’s Largest Chess Set sits the GIANT King Piece — which is 21-feet-tall and over 4,000 pounds.
Beside the World’s Largest Chess Set is the Medicine Hat Courthouse, a Provincial Historic Resource and a great start to the Downtown Historic Building Tour. Another downtown tour to embark on is the Downtown Mural Tour. Downtown Stories is a City initiative to share the history of spots around the area by the locals. The content can be listened to through audio or read on a device. Outside of downtown, there is the James Marshall Murals Tour and Marina Cole Chainsaw Art Tour.
The World’s Tallest Tepee stands in Medicine Hat, overlooking the Saamis Archaelogical Site — a site that dates back thousands of years and was first used by Indigenous peoples. The Tepee has 10 hand-painted canvas’ by an Indigenous artist, and each tells a story. Those stories are found on plaques just below the paintings. The Saamis Tepee is a tribute to Canada’s native heritage.
Explore Indigenous Spaces & Places
Many spaces in Medicine Hat hold impactful Indigenous history that has shaped the city, including its name. The Miywasin Friendship Centre and partners created a self-guided tour that tells the story of seven historic Indigenous spaces in Medicine Hat. It’s a beautiful way to spend the morning or afternoon exploring and learning.
The golf courses in Medicine Hat are open seven days a week, a few have an eatery for lunch or dinner. The large coulees in the city make for interesting, challenging, and exciting courses. If you’re not looking to stroll from hole to hole, Paradise Valley Golf Course offers the Golfuture Range — a lounge atmosphere where golfers hit the ball into a field and the camera’s collect data on each swing.
Three parks in Medicine Hat have disc golf baskets set up: Kiwanis Central Park, Gilwell Park, and Leinweber Park. Gilwell and Leinweber are close enough that the 9-basket courses can be an 18-basket course, and these two parks are close to a panoramic view of the coulees, Medalta in the Historic Clay District, and, in the distance, South Saskatchewan River. Play competitive games, just for fun, or test your skills.
Three mountain bike destinations live within 45 minutes of each other in Medicine Hat and region, and all offer a drastic change in landscape and scenery. From green forest, to dry desert, and adventurous coulees, you can experience each spot with must-ride mountain bike trails in one weekend in and around Canada’s Sunniest City.
Within a half hour of Medicine Hat is Red Rock Coulee, where some of the largest red rocks in the world are found. The many large red boulders were formed in prehistoric seas and now lay on the prairies lands to endlessly explore. Once you feel you’ve seen them all, you turn a corner and find more.
Another refreshing spot is Elkwater, in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. A forested area with lodgepole pine and aspen trees, a lake, hiking trails, mountain bike trails, a cafe, and a Visitor Centre to help you plan out your day in the rolling hills, located only 45 minutes from Medicine Hat.
Located on the Red Coat Trail is the Etzikom Museum and the Canadian National Historic Windmill Centre. Indoors at the Museum are many hands-on displays in time-period settings, featuring early pioneer life, native artifacts, fossils, petroglyphs, homesteader tools and a historic church.
If you enjoy a good book, and a good search at that, Unlimited Characters has thousands of books waiting for you. The owners know the bookstore like the back of their hand and can help find a specific book if they have it. There is an arcade area with retro games that are free to play. A fun little afternoon or morning venture is here.
Lunch:
Zucchini Blossom Market & Cafe
Lunch or Dinner:
Dessert:
Lunch:
Zucchini Blossom Market & Cafe
Lunch or Dinner:
Ralph’s Texas Bar & Steakhouse
The Clubhouse at Paradise Valley
Dessert:
A quiet place to bird watch.
Ian Langill works in Medicine Hat where there is unkept nature. It’s not groomed. It’s not maintained. It sits in a more natural state, which helps him and many others connect with the outdoors, and all other life living in it.
Police Point Park is where many gather to stroll the paved-trails and learn about the flora and wildlife in the area. Specifically, many birds have chosen the park and Medicine Hat as their habitat or stopping point. With a consistent large number of birds choosing Medicine Hat as their home from spring to spring, ranging from 120 to 140, bird watching or “birding” has become a way for many to slow down in a rushed society.
“It’s such a calming experience,” says Langill, who’s worked with Police Point Park for just over two years. “So many people will do their normal stroll, but with binoculars and cameras. Birding allows you to stop, listen, and take the time to look at everything around you. You become a little closer to nature.”
More comes into focus, growing flowers, dancing branches and leaves, and flying birds from tree to tree. And an urge to endlessly learn inspires a larger understanding of the wildlife and environments surrounding us. Medicine Hat is home to a range of ecosystems, many we don’t usually find in Alberta. A semi-desert climate, with a mix of grassland and prairie ecosystems, and a river valley, a lot of birds have lived in these areas for a long time.
Medicine Hat is also part of a migratory corridor, where birds stop for one or two days, or a whole month, and then continue to fly north.
“We’re in a great spot. Medicine Hat has many natural chokecherry areas. We saw a record number of robins stay this year than in previous years,” says Langill, who’s been birding for over 10 years. “Even 45 minutes from here is Elkwater in Cypress Hills, where there are different ecosystems and a whole bunch of birds can be seen there, too.”
In Southeast Alberta, there are 347 different bird species. Some are rare and some are common, but to have the possibility of seeing a certain species while underneath the sunshine is worthwhile to hold in one hand, while binoculars are in the other.
Recently moving to Medicine Hat, Langill loves to see the sagebrush, pronghorns, and the variety of different wildlife and nature in the area.
“The grasslands are so diverse. My joy is exploring and finding out what everything is. That’s how I got into birding. I like to walk around in nature and hear the sounds, and you become more observant the more curious you are. Everything starts to become more connected,” he says. “There’s always something to be learned, and birding has become a big thing in my life that I do.”
Kin Coulee Park is another spot for prime birding. For those looking to learn with a group, who are newly interested or avid birders, Police Point Park hosts free bird walks. And for those who are curious and have questions, the Nature Centre at Police Point Park is a wonderful resource for information. Specifically for bird counts, the Nature Centre participates in the Spring Bird Count and Christmas Bird Count.
Spotted Towhee
Abundant in Police Point Park as of May 2023
Yellow Warbler
The main warbler that will stay in Medicine Hat through the spring and summer
Lazuli Bunting
Lower numbers, but a very unique looking bird for the area
Brown Thrashers
Only seen in the lower South Eastern Alberta
Grey Catbirds
Has a call that sounds like a cat meowing
Nature Centre at Police Point Park | 403.529.6225
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Mountain bike with Sharp MTB Skills.
In the middle of the prairies, coulees and rolling hills are the perfect playground for any level of mountain biker. In and around Medicine Hat, three mountain biking destinations are found within 45 minutes of each other, and each features an adventurous landscape.
Five-year mountain bike coach Christine Sharp has traveled throughout Canada, teaching avid and beginner mountain bikers’ skills to experience the thrilling sport. And she finds herself in Medicine Hat during the spring and fall, offering courses to anyone interested in seeing the Medicine Hat region from a new point of view.
“Every trail network here has distinctive characteristics,” says Sharp, owner of Sharp MTB Skills. “You can do technical climbing in Redcliff one day, and the next day ride the perfectly built corners in Echo Dale Regional Park. You can really see all the diversity in this amazingly concentrated landscape.”
Sharp likes diversity, because it makes her a better coach, and she feels people get more out of their riding. The avid mountain biker herself would like to grow people’s excitement about biking, and she’s happy to see high interest in her beginner courses. The trails she coaches on were built to challenge those looking to perfect their skills.
“I didn’t pick up my first mountain bike until I was 32, and I want people to know they can learn to mountain bike and progress their skills at any age,” says Sharp. “I love the places mountain biking has taken me. Even in the smallest places, you have these amazing communities that come together to build networks and maintain them.”
The networks in and around Medicine Hat are something special, and Sharp loves the prairies for the river valleys, cactus, and other stunning nature you see along the way. She says Redcliff is unlike anywhere else in the province. Driving 45 minutes to Elkwater brings mountain bikers to a gem, Elkwater, in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. A high elevation with trees, lakes, and roots, alongside manicured flowy trails.
“It’s rare you get all these different trail networks all over the city that highlight so many different aspects of mountain biking. I love showing people the landscape — it's so dramatically different,” says the mountain bike coach. “The quality of trails here are absolutely amazing.”
When she opened registration, the majority of people who registered were not from Medicine Hat. Medicine Hat is a hub in the prairies for mountain biking, because there are no trail networks of the size nearby. Sharp has had people register from Southeast Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana.
Sharp offers her regular weekly, weekend, and introduction to mountain biking courses. If mountain bikers are going on a trip and want to learn a specific skill, Sharp can focus on that for the session. Friends and families are encouraged to learn together.
A free hot air balloon festival in Southern Alberta.
Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival is a free, family-friendly event happening in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Up to 30 balloons will float above the city from May 22-25, 2025!
Please Note: All flights are weather dependant. Follow @RiseUpYXH on Instagram and Facebook for updates and locations for each scheduled take-off, before and during the festival. Balloon rides are sold out for 2025.
6am Flight: Location to be announced prior to flight on social media pages.
6pm Flight: Location to be announced prior to flight on social media pages.
6am Flight: Location to be announced prior to flight on social media pages.
6pm Fight: Location to be announced prior to flight on social media pages.
Dusk (8:30ish) Balloon Glow: Located in Kin Coulee Park, sponsored by CF Industries
6am Flight: Location to be announced prior to flight on social media pages.
6pm Fight: Location to be announced prior to flight on social media pages.
Community Day: Located in Downtown Medicine Hat
Dusk (8:30ish) Balloon Glow: Located in Kin Coulee Park
6am Flight: Location to be announced prior to flight on social media pages.
The greatest outdoor party on dirt.
The greatest outdoor party on dirt is back for its 14th annual year. Quonset Days features a handful of Canadian artists in the span of two days. Friends and families are invited to enjoy live music, food trucks, beer gardens, and classic Quonset Days food, like the “Quonset Dog”. Quonset Days is located just outside of Medicine Hat, and all profits are donated towards ALS Society of Alberta.
“We bring in some of the biggest names in Canadian country music just outside of Medicine Hat, every third weekend in July. We’ve raised over half a million dollars to date for the ALS Society of Alberta. Dust off your cowboy boots and party for a great cause, while surrounded by miles of open farmland. A true Albertan experience.” - Beth Cash, marketing coordinator.
Brett Kissel, George Canyon, and other musicians are set to take the stage on July 19-20, 2024.
Host your next event in Medicine Hat.
Memories are made through world-class entertainment inside the Co-op Place. The facility can be quickly transformed in a short time from an ice surface, to a concert venue, to a bull riding ring.
Learn a new skill, make new friends, or spend time with your family when you GO to the Big Marble Go Centre. The cutting-edge facility is home to a 50-metre multi-use pool, Olympic sized ice rink, and so much more.
Medalta in the Historic Clay District
A National Historic Site that is well-known for its beautiful space. Music festivals, dinners, markets, and weddings have been hosted inside this cultural gem.
Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede
With a handful of rooms, there are a variety of options to host a wide array of events, from cultural to sport, at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede.
Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre
Inside is a 700-seat theatre with acoustics like no other. The beautiful building has a rooftop terrace as well, with scenic views, for outdoor events.
A rockin' September festival in a National Historic Site.
In 2022, A 12-hour, free, family-friendly festival was hosted at Medalta in the Historic Clay District. It featured Canadian legend Bif Naked and all-star rock band TOQUE as the headlining entertainment.
The festivities were non-stop, from local and Canadian musicians, an Indigenous dance group, and a salsa band. Medalta events manager Sara Dell says a series of live entertainment was presented throughout the day for families and friends of all ages.
“I was most excited to see hundreds of people come together after so long apart to enjoy the art and music Medicine Hat offers, and all the other activities and performances we had planned for the day,” says Dell. “This was more than a concert. It was a day for friends and family to enjoy quality time together in our community again.”
The National Historic Site was packed with food trucks, conversations, laughter, experience, and celebrations between community members that span the Southern Alberta region. The Yuill Gallery, Museum, and Shaw Centre were free to the public, and the local market had over 20 artists selling their creations.
“We wanted to create an event that celebrated being together. We wanted people to have a good day that’s affordable, where people have access to a bunch of activities,” says Mike Onieu, executive director, Medalta in the Historic Clay District. “Crockstock was a giant party.”
This event was funded through a Government of Canada grant.
Southern-sourced ingredients in the sunshine.
Neighbouring Medicine Hat is Redcliff, Greenhouse Capital of the Prairies. You’ll find a hub of greenhouses full of fresh lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, salsas, herbs, and so many other nutritious and colourful vegetables. The freshly-grown veggies mix well for a sandwich, salad, or veggie charcuterie board. Visit The Hat's Olive Tap for an oil and balsamic to top off the vegetable dish.
Prairie lands have farmers and ranchers all around. Southern Alberta beef jerky can be found at Homestead Market Inc, along with an entire farmers market featuring Alberta culinary businesses, including pickled carrots, asparagus, and beans, home-made tortilla chips, and other items perfect for a picnic. 7 Rivers Trading Company also carries pickled vegetables that are local to Alberta.
The bakeries in Medicine Hat all bring something unique to the breads they bake, and each is soft, fluffy, and melts in your mouth. You can find loaves from Redcliff Bakery, Country Crumbs Bakery & Cafe, or McBride’s Bakery. House-made bagels from King Bagel are a nice choice. Homestead Market Inc. has a variety of spreads to pair — Yummy Hummy’s hummus dip, Lucky’s Grit Dip, locally-canned jams and jellies, and Sweet Pure Honey.
A refreshing, cold beverage on a warm summer’s day is music to the ears. Find Hell of a Root Beer from Hell’s Basement Brewery, sparkling hop water 'Auggie' from Medicine Hat Brewing Company, sparkling cucumber lime water 'Frest' from Big Marble Farms, or kombucha and water kefir from Your Preference Kombucha.
