Population: 3,117

Fort Macleod is located at the junction with Highway 2 South and Highway 3 on the East Access Route in Alberta, Canada.

Visitor Information

Visitor Information Services provided at the Fort Museum. Fort Macleod has lodging, campgrounds, restaurants, fast-food, shopping facilities, laundromats, car wash and gas/diesel stations. Fort Macleod Golf & Country Club is western Canada’s oldest golf course; it was established in 1890. Fort Macleod also has a fenced water park, as well as an indoor swimming pool with climbing wall, lazy river and water slide.

Attractions

Annual events include the Wilderness Walk/Run (May), Fort Macleod Chiropractic Triathlon (July), South Country Fair (July), and Santa Claus Parade (November). Other events include The Royals farm-league baseball club games, rodeos and other equestrian shows. Every Thursday evening in summer, “Market on Main” features local vendors and food trucks. For a monthly event calendar visit https://fortmacleod.com/play-here/tourism.

Blue Trail

South of town, the Blue Trail observation trails allow people to view wind farms. West of town, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO site has an interpretive center to see how the first nations people harvested meat to support their families and tribe.

Historic Main Street

The town’s Historic Main Street is one of only 2 provincially designated historic areas in Alberta and it boasts the highest concentration of Edwardian architecture in a single block in the province. The town has hosted several film and TV productions, including Afterlife (released in November 2021), Let Him Go, Ghostbusters 3, Fargo S2, Interstellar, Brokeback Mountain and Passchendaele. The historic Empress Theatre on Historic Main Street is the oldest continuously operating theater west of Winnipeg, complete with a resident ghost fondly referred to as “Ed.” The Empress offers films, community theater and live music year-round.

Fort Museum

The Fort Museum of the North West Mounted Police, a replica of the original Fort, features the history of the North West Mounted Police, local First Nations’ cultures and early pioneers. The original fort, named for Colonel J.F. Macleod, was built in 1874 and was the first outpost of the North West Mounted Police (later the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) in western Canada. The 30-acre North West Mounted Police 1884 Barracks Provincial Historic Site—to the west of the Fort Museum—preserves 3 reconstructed buildings housing period displays and artifacts.

During July and August, the museum features a local re-creation of the official RCMP Musical Ride: Youth in NWMP uniforms execute drills on horseback in a colorful display.

The original 1884 North West Mounted Police 1884 Barracks Provincial Historic Site is at an additional site to the west of the Fort Museum. The 30-acre site preserves 3 reconstructed buildings housing period displays and artifacts.

The museum is open 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Monday–Friday in May and June; 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Wednesday–Sunday in July and August; and 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Wednesday–Sunday in September. Closed October to May. Admission charged. For more information visit https://nwmpmuseum.com.