In short
Calgary sits on the plains, but Banff is an hour and twenty away and Canmore an hour. It is the gateway to the Canadian Rockies and the airport you arrive through.
The Stampede, in July, is the largest rodeo in the world and takes the city over for ten days.
What it really costs
Alberta levies no provincial sales tax: only the five per cent federal tax applies, against twelve to fifteen per cent elsewhere in Canada. It shows on everything.
A car is needed for the parks. The Parks Canada pass comes daily or annual, and the annual one pays for itself in a week.
What nobody tells you
Winter drops below minus thirty, but the chinook — a warm wind coming down off the Rockies — can lift the temperature twenty degrees in a few hours. It is peculiar to this region.
The Stampede doubles or triples accommodation prices in July and is booked a year ahead.
Moraine Lake, in Banff park, is closed to private cars: access is only by booked shuttle or commercial transport.