This Spring, Summer and Autumn has been a very unusual tourism year. David Thompson Country saw almost no tourism in March and April as restaurants, campgrounds, hotels, trail rides and parks shut down, but then businesses were allowed to start opening up in late May and we were almost instantly overwhelmed with visitors coming to enjoy our wilderness, wildlife and waterways.

With the increase in the number of people we also saw a rise in accidents and rescue calls, and an upsurge in trash and waste being left behind during the summer months. Fortunately, our area is well served by Rocky mountain House Search and Rescue (Rocky SAR) and Clearwater Regional Fire & Rescue Services (CRFRS), and there have been multiple volunteer groups who have cleaned up other peoples’ messes.  We would prefer people plan ahead to stay safe and keep David Thompson Country clean.

Despite the challenges that 2020 has presented, we have seen some amazing pictures this year. Here are 12 of our favorites showing what 2020 was like.

1. Climbing mountains with Girth Hitch Guiding near Nordegg.

2. Riding downhill trails with the Baseline Mountain Biking Club west of Rocky Mountain House.

3. Trailrides with McKenzie’s Trails West near Nordegg.

4.  Relaxing views with Lazy M Lodge near Caroline.

5.  Autumn views of Abraham Lake with Rockies Heli Tours west of Nordegg.

6.  Kayaking the creeks and lakes near Expanse Cottages in Nordegg.

7.  Ahlstrom Air getting some great views around Abraham Lake.

8. David Thompson Corridor Climbing Association organized the David Thompson Corridor Cleanup and picked up a lot of garbage.  Great job to them, and for everyone else we need to do better.

9. Gorgeous views hiking around Abraham Lake.

10.  Autumn view of Crescent Falls near Nordegg.

11. Views from the cabins at Ride The Wind Ranch near Rocky Mountain House.

12. Paddle boarding on Abraham Lake in Autumn.  It is rare to see the lake this calm as it is usually quite windy and choppy.