Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie is a city of over 63,000 people (2016) in Northern Alberta. It is in the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country.

Not to be confused with Grand Prairie, a town in Texas.

Understand

Grande Prairie was named for the large prairie which lies to the north, east, and west of it. In the 18th century, the prairie was occupied by bands of the Dane-zaa (Beaver) peoples, who began trading with the North West Company at Dunvegan in the early 19th century. In 1880, a Hudson's Bay Company post called La Grande Prairie was established 15 miles (24 km) northwest of the present city.

In the late 19th century, the prairie was settled by Cree and Iroquois from around Jasper and Lac Ste. Anne. When 17 townships were surveyed for homesteading in 1909, a land rush soon followed, with many settlers arriving over the Edson Trail. The trail from Edson to Grande Prairie was opened in 1911 as a means for settlers to reach the Grande Prairie area. It was nothing more than a tract of clear cut bush and forest, and thus was a very difficult route for many settlers, especially during wet weather. Because of this, large scale settlement came late compared to other major farming regions further south in Canada. By 1912, the town included a bank, hotel, post office, and land office, making it a district metropolis.

It was not until the arrival of the railway in 1916 that farmland quickly expanded as waves of settlers came into the Peace region. This drove up Grande Prairie's population past 1,000.

Settlement continued unabated even into the 1930s during the Dust Bowl era because the Peace Region was able to escape the severe drought conditions that plagued the Canadian Prairies further south at the time.

During the Second World War, the US and Canadian military establish Grande Prairie as a part of the Northwest Staging Route for the construction of the Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek to Alaska. Grande Prairie was a major stopover point for military aircraft during the war.

In the late 1950s, its population grew further as oil and natural gas exploration was underway in the Peace Region, especially since the first major discovery of oil further south in Leduc near Edmonton in 1947 and the construction of a large pulp mill in the early 1970s.

The construction and paving of Highway 43 in 1956 cut down on the travel time by road significantly, further enhancing Grande Prairie's accessibility and economic status. The town was incorporated as a city in 1958. At that time, its population was approximately 7,600.

The opening of the Procter & Gamble kraft pulp mill in 1972 and the discovery of the Elmworth deep basin gas field spurred an economic boom. Grande Prairie's population went from just over 12,000 in the early 1970s to over 24,000 by the time the oil boom went bust in 1981.

Grande Prairie has a diversified economy. Major industries include oil and gas, agriculture, forestry, and food services.

Climate

Grande Prairie has a northern continental climate typical of northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia, classified as humid continental. Winters are generally very cold with some mild spells. Summers are often fairly cool to pleasantly warm in the daytime, but nights can be cool despite the long summer days typical for its latitude. Hot days over 30 °C (86 °F) are rare, occurring on average only two to three days a year, which is not unexpected this far north. Winter conditions can vary tremendously from year to year. Winters have been known to be mild enough to produce "brown Christmas" conditions, where little or no snow may fall until after Christmas due to unusually mild early winter conditions.

Get in

By plane

• 🌍 Grande Prairie Airport (YQU  ^IATA). Daily flights to Grande Prairie Airport are available from Calgary and Edmonton on Air Canada Express and on WestJet Encore. Grande Prairie's regional airport is 5½ km northwest of the city. There is no bus connection: it can only be reached by taxi.  

By car

It is at the intersection of Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) and Highway 40 (the Bighorn Highway), approximately 456 km (283 mi) northwest of Edmonton.

By bus

Red Arrow and Northern Express offer service to Edmonton.

Get around

The city is most easily managed by rental car.

Grande Prairie Transit offers a small bus network that serves most parts of the municipality. The bus system consists of five routes. These routes run on a 30 minute basis during peak hours and hourly the remainder of the day. There is reduced service on weekends and statutory holidays. Fares are $2 for adults, and $1.50 for children, students and seniors (Jan 2018).

The city offers the non-profit, independent Disabled Transportation Society (DTS), which has specialized transport services for individuals with disabilities.

See

Skyline of Grande Prairie viewed from the northeast

• 🌍 Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, 9301 112 Ave, Wembley (15 minutes west of Grande Prairie), ☎ [phone]. Sept 1-May 31: Tu-Su 10AM-6PM; June 1-Aug 31: Sa-M 10AM-6PM, Tu-F 10AM-8PM. Many exhibits, a National Geographic Theatre, classrooms, a Paleontology Lab, a gift shop and a restaurant. The museum is named after Philip J. Currie, from the University of Alberta, who has contributed to the understanding of the link between dinosaurs and birds. Adult $14, seniors (65+) and veterans $11, students (with ID) and children (5-17) $7, children under 5 free, family (2 adults and up to 4 children) $40. (updated Jan 2018)
• Dunvegan. Alberta's largest suspension bridge overlooks this historic park, 96 km north of Grande Prairie on Hwy 2. 
• Muskoseepi Park. In the core of the city, surrounding the Bear Creek Reservoir, Muskoseepi Park offers 1100 acres of parkland, walking trails, manicured fields, and group use facilities,. 
• 🌍 Grande Prairie Regional College, 10726-106 Avenue, toll-free: [phone]. Grande Prairie Campus is in a beautiful brick building designed by Douglas J. Cardinal without corners inside or out. Nice walking trail behind the college circles the Bear Creek Reservoir and connects to a 7-km paved biking trail that follows Bear Creek to the Southeast. free.  

Do

• Live music can be found in several downtown bars and intermittently at all-ages locations such as Tito's Restaurant and the GP Curling Club.
• Summer-long music festivals: Grande Prairie has a wide range of local music genres including country, Reggae, Metal, folk, and rock.
• Cultural venues include Revolution Place (a concert hall and hockey rink — the local AJHL team, the Grande Prairie Storm, plays there), the Grande Prairie Museum, the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, and Second Street Theatre.
• Professional musical theatre: "Broadway Live Broadway".
• The Reel Shorts Film Festival is a five-day international festival of short films in Grande Prairie that takes place at Grande Prairie Live Theatre's Second Street Theatre in early May.

Buy

• Prairie Mall. As the largest mall in the Peace region, the Prairie Mall is home to over 80 stores, restaurants, and other services. The mall is anchored by Mark's Work Wearhouse, and Shoppers Drug Mart, and also is home to Coles, RW&Co, Le Chateau, Sterling Shoes, HMV, M-Five, Aeropostale, Children's Place, Bootlegger, Ricki's, Landmark Cinemas, David's Tea, and Moxie's Class Grill. 
• Downtown, 100 Avenue Westbound. As a growing municipality Grande Prairie has managed to fight back the big box store pull with a unique, active downtown district. This area is home to 500 stores and services, and is seen by citizens as the heart of the community. 100 Ave is lined with many independent retailers, such as Soular, Victoria's Attic, Dark Flavour Board Shop, and Fashionista. In addition downtown is home to urban decor stores, countless restaurants, and several lounges. 

Eat

• The Office, 11633 100th Street (in the Pomeroy Hotel), ☎ [phone]. Daily 6AM-10PM. Upscale, modern cuisine. Vegetarian and vegan options. (updated Jan 2018)
• Mr Mikes Steakhouse Casual, 10214 116 Ave, ☎ [phone]. Daily 11AM-11PM. Vegetarian-friendly steakhouse. Burgers, too. (updated Jan 2018)
• Browns Socialhouse, 11509 Westgate Dr (in the Westgate Plaza), ☎ [phone]. M-F 11AM-midnight, Sa Su 10AM-midnight. Pub fare such as burgers & pizza, plus weekend brunch. (updated Jan 2018)
• Soto Teppanyaki and Fusion Sushi, 106-10210 111 Street. 11AM-10PM. Half of the restaurant is teppanyaki style, complete with the cooking performances, and the other half is more standard sushi restaurant. Lots of options for those who don't care for sushi as well. $$$. (updated Jul 2015)

Drink

• Maddhatters, 105085-100 Ave. Opened in 2001, Maddhatters affords Grande Prairie with a little diversity in its nightclub scene. Serving as a lounge and as a club, Maddhatters has continuously been atop the night scene in Grande Prairie. 

Sleep

• 🌍 Pomeroy Inn & Suites, 11710 102 Street, ☎ [phone]. Hypno opulence beds, deluxe continental breakfast, indoor pool with water slide, fitness center, meeting facility, kitchenette suites, extended stay, pet friendly From $109. (updated Jan 2018)
• Sandman Hotel Grande Prairie, 9805 - 100th Street, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Downtown Grande Prairie hotel with on-site Denny’s, Shark Club Sports Bar & Grill and Bar One Urban Lounge, indoor pool, whirlpool, fitness facilities, business centre and high speed Internet access. (updated Jan 2018)
• Silver Crest Lodge, 11902 100 St. It's cheap, but not much more. From $65. (updated Jan 2018)
• Redwood Inn & Suites, 8117-99 Street, Clairmont (10 min north of downtown Grande Prairie), ☎ [phone]. 92 rooms with complimentary shuttle service, fitness area, salt-water swimming pool, waterslide, whirpool, and business centre. from $150. (updated Jan 2018)

Connect

Go next

Routes through Grande Prairie

Dawson Creek ← becomes ←	W  E/SE	→ Valleyview → Edmonton
END ←	S  N/E	→ Grimshaw → Peace River
Hinton ← Grande Cache ←	S  N	→ END