There’s so much to see and do in Alberta—like, sooooo much!
While we often hear a lot about the usual Canadian Rocky Mountain suspects—Banff, Canmore, Jasper, Waterton, and these are truly incredible places to play in the province, absolutely—I also try to inspire visits to some lesser-travelled spots in Alberta, including the topic of this blog guide—the Mighty Peace Region—located in the northwest region of the province, about a 5 and a half-hour drive from Edmonton.
Last summer I worked with Mighty Peace Tourism to experience and share some summer adventure ideas for your visit up north, and had so much fun that I was happy to drive back up to the area for some winter adventure this season that I’m sharing in this guide!
(#MightyPeace_Partner)
The Mighty Peace Region is made up of more than a dozen towns, counties, villages, hamlets and municipal districts, set in and around the stunning Peace River Valley. During winter, you’ll be surrounded by prairie fields of white snow paired with big blue Alberta skies as far as the eye can see, long stretches of snow-dusted forest and branches with beautiful hoar frost, plus the Peace River that the region gets its name from.
If you’re lucky, your trip will coincide with some Northern Lights activity—this area gets more Aurora Borealis than you’d see in the Edmonton area due to lower light pollution! (more on that below). Along with its beauty, the region is also home to some of the kindest people you could meet in Alberta—truly! What struck me most on both of my recent trips up to the Mighty Peace Region was just how friendly every single person I met was. So incredibly kind!
The Mighty Peace region in northwest Alberta should be on your new-to-you Explore Alberta exploration list! If you’re a local reading this, maybe it will encourage you to try something new in your backyard too.
And if you plan to explore the Mighty Peace Region during winter like I did this January 2025, I’ve got a few winter activity ideas for you to try! Get my exploration suggestions below—and pair that with my tips from my summer trip to make the most of your Mighty Peace plans!
You’ll also want to read through the blog to get to the GIVEAWAY! Enter for a chance to win a $100 gift card to Northern Dough Bakery in Grimshaw, what I’m calling the best bakery in northern Alberta, located right in the Mighty Peace Region.
During my summer trip I brought my baby, for this winter trip, I did as just a girls getaway with my friend Shereen, who didn’t have a ton of winter sport / activity experience until our winter activities in the Mighty Peace Region! We made some memories we’ll never forget up here.
If you need even more ideas, check out Mighty Peace Tourism’s comprehensive website!
Explore Alberta – Winter in the Mighty Peace Region – Things to Do + Where to Eat
EXPERIENCES AT A GLANCE:
(listed in alphabetical order by section)
This is where we visited and what we did during the winter trip, but I’ve also weaved in more recommendations in each section from my summer visit too if it’s applicable during wintertime, as well as included popular annual winter festivals you should plan your visit around!
- Food / Drinks
- Hines Creek General Store (Hines Creek)
- Kita North (Peace River)
- Northern Dough Bakery (Grimshaw)
- Peace River Brewing Co. (Peace River)
- Pizza Haven (Fairview)
- Attractions / Experiences
- Ice Skating at SubZero Skateway (Peace River)
- Scenic Viewpoints (12 Foot Davis Gravesite / Sagitawa Lookout)
- Skiing/Snowboarding at Whispering Pines Ski Hill (Worsley)
- Snowmobiling with Peace Valley Snow Riders (Canfor Hines Creek Trail)
- Tobogganing (Fairview) / Tubing (Fahler)
- Winter Festivals
- Alberta Pond Hockey Championships (every March)
- Carnaval de St. Isidore (every February)
- Christmas Parades and Light-ups (every November & December)
- Accommodations
- Chateau Nova (Peace River)
- Dunvegan Inn & Suites (Fairview)
- Rendez-Vous RV Park (Peace River)
- The Wild Rose Guest House (Peace River)
Winter Things to Do in the Mighty Peace Region
Activities listed in Alphabetical Order
Skate photos by: Paul Lavoie @paullavoieimages
Ice Skating at SubZero Skateway (Peace River)
Location: 9706 98 St, Peace River | Website | Facebook
There’s lots of great outdoor rinks and ice surfaces around the region and you can find some cute ones right in town too—like the twinkly SubZero Skateway NEW to Peace River as of January 2025. The project was led by volunteers from the Peace River Rotaract, the goal to add a beautiful skateway adorned with twinkly lights to an existing park (the Normand Boucher Community Arboretum).
The family-friendly space was meant to provide an alternative skating space away from the hustle and bustle of traditional hockey rinks. The skateway’s cuteness rivals that of any big city skating area! It’s super picturesque and cozy, and there are walking trails too if you don’t have your skates.
I love that this was a volunteer-led project! Something I continually saw in the Mighty Peace Region was folks who grew up in the area wanting to invest in and make the area an even better place to live, work and play today. And they’re doing it! Through initiatives like this.
The SubZero Skateway is expected to operate annually December through March as a FREE experience for locals and visitors who want a leisurely, scenic skate. When we visited, they were just putting finishing touches on the ice surface but all the beautiful twinkly lights were lit! Super cute. And now it’s in full swing! I can see this being a wonderful winter destination for folks in the region (and those coming up to visit the region!) A site for a future Peace River winter festival perhaps? You’ll have to come up for it!
Thanks to Peace River photographer Paul Lavoie for taking us to this lovely spot for a skate and cute photos!
Scenic Viewpoints (Peace River) * and if you’re lucky, Chasing Aurora Borealis in the Mighty Peace Region!
Locations: 12 Foot Davis Gravesite, Sagitawa Lookout, see more Aurora Borealis locations here
I mentioned Peace River photographer Paul Lavoie in the previous write-up about ice skating because we met up with him as part of our Mighty Peace Tourism itinerary. Initially we had planned to chase Aurora Borealis Northern Lights with Paul, who specializes in Aurora Borealis photography, but the weather was unfortunately too overcast when we arrived. Instead Paul took us to the SubZero Skateway for a skate and cute photos and to a few scenic lookouts for some stunning views and photos of Peace River too!
Although not an official “Photo Tour”—my friend Shereen and I really encouraged Paul to consider offering Mighty Peace Region tours in a more official capacity. You can say you heard it here first! Reach out to Paul on Instagram before you plan your visit to see if you can book him for a tour! He grew up in the region and is raising his family in town. He’s done a lot of tourism work and really just knows the area inside and out. Plus as a talented photographer, not only will he take you to the best looking spots in town but he’ll also be able to take the best photos of you!
As mentioned, Paul is no stranger to Northern Lights photography. His stuff is stunning! And although something like that can’t be guaranteed due to weather conditions (we were fully prepared to chase the lights that night though!), Paul is such a talented, passionate photographer and Peace River resident, and a wealth of knowledge for the region full of fun facts, I know you’d have so much fun exploring with Paul like we did Aurora Borealis sightings or not.
Even with our stop at the Sagitawa Lookout—while we had been to the official lookout back in the summer (really beautiful then too!), Paul actually took us to a turnoff a little lower than the official lookout which he prefers for his pictures. At the 12 Foot Davis Gravesite, we trekked through a bit of snow to get a lower view from the main vantage point that most people wouldn’t have. Consider those insider photo location tips you’d get hanging out with Paul!
When I asked Paul about how he came to be a photographer in Peace River, he shared that he was born and raised in the region but went and travelled the world as soon as he was old enough. He said he started seeing the beauty of the Peace Region after experiencing many other places around the world. Nowhere was quite like home, especially with the Northern Lights!
Skiing/Snowboarding at Whispering Pines Ski Hill (Worsley)
Locations: 88 9 W6 Sec. 5, Worsley, Clear Hills County, AB | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Your winter adventure in northwest Alberta should really be ski/snowboard-focused—with six ski hills in the area, the Mighty Peace Region is home to the most concentrated number of ski hills in all of Alberta! You could do a whole ski-snowboard circuit! Don’t have your own gear? There’s rentals! Not sure how to do it? There’s lessons!
Although Peace River has a pretty convenient ski hill right in town (Misery Mountain Ski Area), during our winter visit, we hit the slopes a couple hours drive away at Whispering Pines Ski hill in Worsley, Alberta (our goal was to really explore the whole Mighty Peace Region!)
“Northern Alberta’s Best Kept Secret,” Whispering Pines Ski Hill has been operating since 1984, featuring 100% natural snow on 17 beautiful and diverse groomed runs for all skill levels. Boasting scenic views and the potential to spot some wildlife (deer, moose, fox) crossing the coniferous tree-bordered runs, there’s a chair lift, conveyor lift, and T-bar, plus the Whispering Hills chalet gives super cozy wooden log cabin vibes. You can grab a bite to eat here in between your runs as well and the locals often fuel up on housemade cinnamon buns!
We had a private snowboarding lesson booked with Jessica who was super knowledgeable, patient and kind. She was also totally up for the Instagrammable snowboard photoshoots I was hoping to do on the hill lol. As you can see, it really turned out! And I don’t think it would have happened without her awesome energy and enthusiasm. We were both so happy for our time with Jessica.
This snowboarding experience in the Mighty Peace Region was actually really meaningful for me as it was the first time I’d gotten on a snowboard in over a decade. I grew up snowboarding with my brothers and always really enjoyed my time ‘shredding the gnar’ as the pros say (lol). I was never really good but good enough to get myself around, up and down the slopes. Mike my husband and I went a few times over our 16 years together (but not in the last decade as mentioned). I tried skiing for the first time as an adult a few years ago and failed miserably (had an incident that sprained a ligament in my knee) and I haven’t really fully recovered, so I was actually worried and wondering whether I could snowboard again. As our son gets older, we really want to be a family with snowboarding memories, and this stint at Whispering Pines Ski Hill really gave me renewed love of the sport and the confidence to make sure that can happen!
For my friend Shereen, snowboarding at Whispering Pines Ski Hill was her favourite winter experience of the trip. It was just a whole lot of fun! And the weather couldn’t have been better.
I also mentioned the kindness of people in Peace River. Here’s one of those examples! We had a minor rental car issue on our way out after our snowboard lesson and were so grateful the staff at Whispering Pines were able to help us out. We won’t forget that!
Snowmobiling with Peace Valley Snow Riders
(Canfor Hines Creek Trail)
Locations: Start in Hines Creek, Alberta | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Did you know: there are more than 200 km across four groomed snowmobiling trails around the Peace River region, thanks to the Peace Valley Snow Riders club (a member of Alberta Snowmobile Association). The club promotes responsible snowmobiling in the area and are working to form a trail network on both the east and west side of the Peace River.
If you’re planning a trip up north, bring your own equipment and get a day pass and maps to enjoy the trails yourself, or reach out to Peace Valley Snow Riders to see if they can do an unforgettable, exhilarating guided experience for you (like we did!)
We had a really great time gliding around the Hines Creek area (Canfor Hines Creek Trail) with our Peace Valley Snow Rider guides Réjean, Ernie, Justin and Jamey (of Scanalta Power Sales in Hines Creek). I really would describe the experience as exhilarating, thrilling, and a little heart stopping! So fun.
I had ridden a snowmobile just once before mainly as a passenger, but ended up driving this snowmobile for quite a distance on this tour (thanks to Réjean for the encouragement!)
The experience started at Scanalta Power Sales in Hines Creek (where you can also go to purchase your snowmobile or get it fixed up). From there we headed over to the Hines Creek General Store to pick up some really delicious pepperoni and beef jerky made right in-store (more on that below). Then we headed out onto the groomed Canfor Hines Creek Trail! The ride included a scenic sunset stop where we enjoyed those Hines Creek General Store treats and some other snacks that the crew packed for us (so thoughtful!)
Similar to how we are encouraging photographer Paul Lavoie to make his Northern Lights or general Mighty Peace Region Photography Tours official, we found ourselves raving to our Peace Valley Snow Rider guides about how they should formalize these tours because it was so much fun! Especially for visitors who aren’t coming with their own equipment.
As mentioned, kindness and hospitality has really emerged as a trend for everyone we had the pleasure of meeting in the Mighty Peace Region on this recent trip and the Peace Valley Snow Riders group was no exception. They were all about safety and comfort, and felt like they took extra steps to ensure we were having a great ride—which we absolutely did!
The Canfor Hines Creek Trail we rode on opened in 2019 (the newest trail maintained by the group) and joins up with the Smith Mills trail. It is the only snowmobiling trail in the region that is connected to a community where sledders can go for fuel, food and a sled shop for repairs (Scanalta Power Sales and the Hines Creek General Store!) With a total of 100km, the Canfor Hines Creek Trail is perfect for those who want to experience a longer ride.
Each trail maintained by the club including the one we did has rest stops with fire pits, picnic tables, outhouses and firewood—plus lots of scenery to take in during winter.
Tell them Linda said hello if you end up booking a day pass or guided tour!
Tobogganing and Tubing
Locations: Various hills for sledding – Little Smoky Ski Area Tube Park for Tubing – Website | Facebook | Instagram
Our initial winter itinerary included snow tubing at the Tube Park of Little Smoky Ski Area in the Town of Falher, located along the picturesque banks of the Little Smoky River, but tubing was unfortunately not available during our visit.
Instead we opted to do some tobogganing / sledding down a community hill in the Town of Fairview, but I still wanted to highlight the tubing option at Little Smoky Ski Area because I’ve been snow tubing before and it’s a ton of family fun and a great and easy option if you’re not looking to learn a new sport/skill in skiing or snowboarding. How many times can you tube down the fast, groomed snow chutes?
For our winter sledding in Fairview, we just asked locals what the best toboggan hill was and everyone said the hill just south of the Community Centre (you can’t miss it!) Got to love those small town recommendations! It had rain-snowed the night before our sledding morning so conditions were extremely fast lol (be careful!) and a lot of fun. This is a really easy and affordable outdoor activity for your winter time in the Mighty Peace Region.
Winter Festivals to check out in and around Peace River, Alberta
Events listed in Alphabetical Order
Alberta Pond Hockey Championships (every March)
Lac Cardinal Lake | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Each March the Alberta Pond Hockey Association puts on the Alberta Pond Hockey Championships over three thrilling days on the frozen Lac Cardinal Lake in the Mighty Peace Region. Teams from all over Canada descend into the region to bring Canada’s favourite outdoor sport to life. It’s a celebration of hockey in its purest form—outdoors, during winter, on natural ice across 15 rinks on the lake. And a ton of fun for spectators as it is for players!
There’s also stick curling, ringette, ice skating on family rinks at the site, beer gardens, food, and more entertainment, plus lots more to do at the adjacent Queen Elizabeth Provincial Park. This is one of the biggest pond hockey events in the country, and it happens right here in northern Alberta in the Mighty Peace Region.
As a mom to a toddler who is already growing up loving hockey (Go Oilers Go), I could see him having such an amazing experience checking out the Alberta Pond Hockey Championships!
For 2025, the Alberta Pond Hockey Championships take place March 7-9, 2025.
Carnaval de St.-Isidore (every February)
St-Isidore Cultural Center: 4 Rue Bouchard, St.-Isidore, Alberta | Website | Facebook
Each February since 1982, the hamlet of St-Isidore in the Mighty Peace Region plays host to an exciting winter festival—Carnaval de St-Isidore!
Something you learn quickly once you start exploring the Mighty Peace Region is just how many French-Canadians there are in the area—descended from early French-Canadian families who took a train from Quebec to settle in the Mighty Peace Region. (Fun fact: You can find a replica train at the St. Isidore Museum! Felix Bergeron of Peace River Adventures—which you should definitely book for a boat tour during a summer visit—actually built the train!) Many families and operators in the region speak French and offer bilingual experiences. The area has such a vibrant Francophone community that you can even do a Summer Francophone Tour or a Winter Francophone Tour that takes you to different Francophone points of interest in the region!
It feels like all of the Francophone communities (and visitors like you and me!) come together for Carnaval de St-Isidore, a huge cultural event in the region! Over three days, you’ll become immersed in traditional shows and entertainment, food like tourtière, sugar pie, poutine, taffy on snow and caribou! Find snow sculptures and winter decorations. Experience sleigh rides, bonfires, workshops and shows for children. Participate in outdoor games, face painting, sliding, a winter maze, beer gardens, live music, crib tournaments, and more!
For 2025, Carnaval de St-Isidore takes place Feb. 14-16, 2025.
Christmas Parades and Light-ups (every November & December)
The Mighty Peace Region in northern Alberta transforms into a winter wonderland each year, with lots of twinkling parades and light-up markets to enjoy during the season.
There are Christmas parades in Peace River, Grimshaw, and Fairview, along with Light-up events in Dixonville, Peace River, Grimshaw and Mclennan. You can participate in a ‘Passport to Christmas’ holiday shopping experience in Peace River, Grimshaw and Fairvie. There’s also the Falher Christmas Expo, a Saddle Hills County Christmas event, and a bunch of festive Christmas farmers markets in Berwyn, Peace River, Fairview, Rycroft and Grimshaw. Lac Cardinal does an Old Time Christmas event and Peace River Brewing Co. often holds Christmas activities too. It feels like there’s a festive event happening every weekend throughout November and December.
If you watch a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies like I do, the Mighty Peace Region seems like the perfect setting for those magical small town / rural Christmas scenes!
Where to eat in and around Peace River, Alberta
Locations listed in Alphabetical Order
Hines Creek General Store (Hines Creek)
Locations: 103 10 St, Hines Creek, AB | Website | Facebook
The Hines Creek General store is a family-owned business serving the region for more than 20 years (since 2004). The delicious hand cut pepperoni, sausages and jerky that is processed at this store was part of a 2010 expansion by owner / butcher Dale Stark!
Today you can find Hines Creek General Store meat in 173 stores across Alberta (mainly in the region), mostly gas stations. We missed Dale during our visit but staff told us he hand delivers / restocks product at most of those stores still today, in addition to running the meat shop.
What a labour of love!
I read this article about Dale from 2018 and it said his meat was stocked in 40 stores at the time of the interview. To go from 40 to 173 in just a few years is pretty impressive and I think the product really speaks for itself.
This cute little general store is definitely worth a stop while in the Mighty Peace Region.
The meat is great fuel for your northern Alberta adventures!
Kita North (Peace River)
Locations: 9809 100 St, Peace River, AB | Facebook | Instagram
On the Main Street of Peace River, you’ll find Kita North, the region’s only Japanese restaurant.
We were really excited to eat here (to satisfy the Asian cuisine cravings that are usually a constant in my belly lol) and it totally satisfied!
Kita North actually offers Japanese, Chinese and Western cuisine, but we focused on the varied and delicious Japanese menu. We ordered (and would recommend everything we ordered!) the:
- Miso soup
- Assorted vegetable and shrimp tempura
- Kani salad (an Imitation crab stick and vegetable Japanese salad)
- Chirashi (sashimi raw fish cuts on rice)
- Gyoza (housemade dumplings)
- And two rolls: Futomaki Roll – a traditional Japanese oversized sushi roll with cucumber, oshiko, crab, tamago, shitake and shrimp, and a Volcano Roll, with spicy tuna and cucumber, spicy mayo, unagi sauce, and a scallop on top.
Traditional rolls tend to be much less saucy so I always caveat that for folks who might want to order it. We’re pretty used to sauced up rolls in North America so it’s always worth a reminder that the classics were never sauced the way we do it today lol. We felt like we got the best of both traditional and modern rolls in the Futomaki and Volcano. They were very different from each other but each really good in their different ways. I’m a big fan of tamago egg which was a star in the Futomaki, and we both love scallops and spicy maco so that made the Volcano Roll perfect. The fish in the rice bowl was also excellent—I honestly always have really great experiences when I try Japanese restaurants in small towns and Kita North in Peace River was no exception.
Kita North also offers more “street food” options (fun to see them experimenting with that in northern Alberta!) along with Japanese Bento Boxes, lunch specials and sushi combos, buffets on special days, and of course the aforementioned Chinese/Western cuisine depending on our craving. We met with owner Herbert who took over the restaurant in 2022, after working in the kitchen since 2015 (when the restaurant opened!) If you’re wondering what the name means – Kita in Japanese means ‘north’ or ‘to come/arrive’ so it’s basically a nod to the northern Alberta location of the restaurant (and your arrival there).
We had a great meal and wonderful service at Kita North. The decor is really cute too, with lanterns and Japanese fans, cute kittens and pops of green plants. Oh and they have a pretty extensive drink menu!
I actually have a bit of a bonus connection to this restaurant too that I’d love to share in this post.
Kita North used to be called Long Island Restaurant many years ago. My friend Willa’s family owned the then-Chinese restaurant for 10 years from 1993-2003. She grew up in Peace River and hung out at the restaurant, worked at the restaurant, and obviously the restaurant played a pretty big and special role in her life. When she saw I was working with Mighty Peace Tourism in the summer, she had asked if I had checked out the restaurant in the former space of her family restaurant. It hadn’t been on our itinerary at that time but I was really excited it was on the itinerary this trip. Inside Kita North today there is a “Please wait to be seated” sign by the door that I’m told is the same one they used when they operated the restaurant. many decades ago. The nostalgia! Now you have that connection too.
Northern Dough Bakery (Grimshaw)
Locations: 4411 51 St, Grimshaw, AB | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Northern Dough Bakery is an absolute gem of a bakery located in the Town of Grimshaw in the Mighty Peace Region. I’ve named it the Best Bakery in Northern Alberta and I absolutely advise planning your visit up to the region to coincide with their opening hours / special treat days.
You NEED to stop at this small batch, artisan bakery specializing in doughnuts, breads, cupcakes and other delicious, made fresh in-house confections. It was easily one of my favourite stops during my Mighty Peace Tourism trip.
It was so nice to meet and chat with Allie, the proud owner of the all butter bakery. Allie loves the taste of butter and does see and taste a difference when butter substitutes are used—so she only uses butter! She described it to me as a quality and preciousness you can only get with all butter baking. Her passion for baking (and butter lol) really came through during our conversation.
Allie opened the cozy bakery space less than a year ago, after a few years operating a successful home-based bakery. The store has already become a popular destination for the region!
We arrived at opening 8 a.m. on a Friday and there was already a revolving door of happy customers picking up their treats for the weekend. Our visit also luckily landed on Northern Dough’s popular ‘Doughnut Friday’ where the shop is stocked with their famous brioche doughnuts! I really advise you plan your trip to ensure you’re there for only a few days of the month where they put out these tasty, specialty doughnuts.
It’s also in your best interest to show up in the morning because there’s no guarantees what will be in stock by the afternoon. Along with donuts, we enjoyed a trendy flat croissant (really surprising to see it up in Northern Alberta when I’ve really only seen it in one other spot even in the ‘big city’ of Edmonton), chocolate chip cookie, cupcakes, and ham and cheese croissant sandwiches. I was a big fan of the sandwich in particular, the croissant was the perfect texture and the toppings made for a really filling breakfast.
Allie also specializes in really pretty (you almost don’t want to eat it, it’s art!) focaccia bread. In fact that’s how her home-based business took off, with her artsy bread.
The self-taught baker (grew up baking with her Russian and Ukrainian family) is actually from Kelowna. She moved to Peace River 13 years ago and has grown a family in the area now. I really love to see that! Objectively, Kelowna is a wonderful place to be—with the lakes and the mountains and the pretty nice weather all in your backyard. So when you have someone come from elsewhere and choose to build their life in the region, I think that’s really special because they saw and believe in something special here.
Northern Dough Bakery is a must visit in the Mighty Peace Region and I’ll give you an extra excuse later on in this blog by giving away a $100 gift card to the best bakery in northern Alberta to one lucky reader!
Disclaimer: Now of course I haven’t tried all of the bakeries in northern Alberta (yet!) so I can’t definitively say that Northern Dough is *the best* in the area but I’m *pretty* confident it is. 😉 You’ll have to go and try it for yourself and decide if you agree (you’ll agree!)
Peace River Brewing Co. (Peace River)
Locations: 10028 101 St, Peace River, AB | Website | Facebook | Instagram
During our trip, we had an awesome experience at Peace River Brewing Co. located in the Town of Peace River. This popular brewery has become something of a community hub since it opened in 2018.
Before that, co-owner and self-taught brewer Tyrell was brewing pretty successfully in his basement. The location is actually the brewery’s second – expanded and much larger than their first spot. The brewery is actually in the same building that was once a warehouse for distributing alcohol to Northern Alberta, in the previous Alberta government-managed liquor store era which ended in 1993. A little fun history for my Alberta craft beer buffs out there.
Tyrell and wife Medrey have longstanding ties in the community, she was born and raised here, he grew up here, they both came and went and then came back (as is a common Peace River tale!) They are big community supporters and this large space addressed a need they saw in developing a space where community members of all ages could do cool things. The brewery is open to all ages so it’s a great family hang out. They regularly host events including live music, so it’s been a wonderful opportunity for small bands to perform live.
Tyrell tells me he thinks Peace River Brewing Co. helped fill a niche in the community and during our visit, we could really imagine the space filling up for all sorts of activities.
We tried both of Tyrell’s recommendations during our visit—his favourite ‘Tastes Pink IPA’ from the tap menu and Nachos from the food menu. Both were excellent! I also tried their server-recommended Lemon Raz, which features Peace River Distillery Vodka, lemonade and raspberries. They have a few different cocktails that utilize their in-house gin, vodka, and coffee liqueur, that’s definitely worth ordering.
We also added some more bites to our meal (of course lol) including the Baked Brie (with crostini, cranberry apple chutney and red pepper jelly), and Tortilla Salad bowl. The tortilla chips (though not made in-house) are really good. And the fresh lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, queso fresco, cilantro, jalapeno and beans in the salad made for perfect flavour and texture bites. You can choose chicken, spicy chicken or carnitas as topping options (I went with chicken). The menu leans a bit more Mexican-inspired (they also have a popular “Boat Launch Cerveza” which goes well with those bites!)
I think Peace River Brewing Co. offers a solid food menu paired with some great drinks lovingly made steps away from your seat, which is always really cool. Don’t forget to check out their impressive coaster wall, which we counted as being comprised of around 500 coasters with hardly any repeats! It started with Tyrell’s personal collection from breweries he had visited but when customers saw him putting it up, many wanted to donate their own brewery coasters too.
I know lots of Alberta craft beer geeks (I use the term lovingly!) would love to make it up to try Peace River Brewing Co.’s brews in the place where it’s made. One person actually told me it’s the last Alberta brewery on her Alberta brewery list that she needs to check out in person.
They have great merch too!
Pizza Haven (Fairview)
Locations: 11025 102 Ave, Fairview, AB | Website | Facebook
If you’re looking for a quintessential small town Alberta restaurant experience in the Mighty Peace Region, Pizza Haven in the Town of Fairview, is the restaurant for you!
Operating for more than 40 years in the community (!! that’s a long time !!), Pizza Haven was BUSY when we popped in on the Saturday night of our Mighty Peace visit with a mix of families, couples and teenagers. We love to see it.
You can’t come to Pizza Haven without ordering their specialty—pizza! And here they’ve got more than 30 options to choose from (including a gluten-free pizza!) in three sizes: Medium 10″ Large 12″ or Extra Large 16″. We went with their Meat Lovers which included pepperoni, ground beef, Italian sausage, ham, hot pepperoni, and bacon crumble. We’re mushroom lovers so we also added mushrooms to the order. All the pizzas here are made with mozzarella cheese and an in-house tasty tomato sauce on housemade crust. Honestly, a really great pizza! Super comforting. Generous topping portions. A nice crust. A great sauce!
You will be happy with your pizza order from Pizza Haven!
We also got some of their spaghetti with meat sauce. It’s not housemade spaghetti (but it is housemade meat sauce) and you know what, it also really satisfied that small town restaurant pasta craving you sometimes get, lol. Actually while we were there someone came in to order take-out of JUST their meat sauce! Convenient. And delicious.
It’s a nice family-friendly restaurant and our server was super nice and engaging too.
… and here are some food highlights from my earlier Peace River visit!
- Nampa Sunrise Cafe is always a cute and tasty stop.
- J’s Java Domain is an awesome little cafe in Peace River.
- The burgers and milkshakes from What the Chuck Burgerhouse won’t disappoint.
- And Board ‘n’ Barrel is easily the best restaurant in the Mighty Peace Region!
Where we stayed in the Mighty Peace Region
During our visit to the Mighty Peace Region we stayed at two locations: The Dunvegan Inn & Suites (9812 113 St, Fairview, AB), and Chateau Nova (Peace River) (10010 74 St, Peace River, AB).
The Dunvegan Inn & Suites is a smaller accommodation, a bit cozier and more quaint, operating since 1982 while the Chateau Nova is a newer (actually the region’s newest!) and bigger, more modern hotel.
Both accommodation options have restaurants on site which is very convenient depending on your planned Mighty Peace Region adventures, and we got a chance to try and really enjoyed our breakfast at Dunvegan Inn & Suites Cafe (try the Potato Pancakes and excellent eggs benedict with just the right consistency soft poached eggs!)
Both accommodations provided us a comfortable stay.
Dunvegan Inn & Suites had some retro features in their room including a vintage hairdryer and a heated light in the shower which was fun if you’re interested in a renovated experience that still has some nods to their older past, whereas Chateau Nova is a more of a straight forward new hotel room experience.
I did want to also mention in this post the two previous accommodations I stayed during my previous visit as well, as they are a bit less standard/hotel and might be fun for your trip:
- Rendez-Vous RV Park (they have cabins or domes you can rent!)
- The Wild Rose Guest House (they have individual rooms or the entire home you can rent!)
You can learn more about my stay at those accommodations in my Summer 2024 Mighty Peace Region Travel Guide!
** GIVEAWAY! **
I’m so excited to give away a $100 gift card to Northern Dough Bakery in Grimshaw (what I’ve named the best bakery in northern Alberta!!) as part of this Winter Exploration Guide for the Mighty Peace Region.
You’ll be able to try a ton of Allie’s delicious all butter treats with this prize! 😋
To enter for a chance to win the $100 gift card to Northern Dough:
- Mandatory entry: Leave a comment below on this blog post telling me (in addition to Northern Dough featured on this blog), which other Mighty Peace Region experience I mentioned, would you most like to try! Note: This is a mandatory entry. You must leave a blog post comment to qualify for the prize!
- Bonus entries: You can also get additional entries on social media!
- Bonus entry on Instagram (check my Instagram for details)
- Bonus entry on Facebook (check my Facebook for details)
- Note: I will double check that the mandatory blog comment entry has been completed before selecting the winner!
Blog comments are moderated, so if you don’t see your comment appear right away—that’s okay! I will select a winner from all entries received by February 28, 2025. The winner will be contacted via the email included with your blog post comment/entry.
Please be wary of potential scammers. I will never ask for your credit card information or ask you to fill out any forms with personal information.
I will email connect you with Mighty Peace Tourism to coordinate your prize!
—
So that’s just a few ideas of the different places you can check out when you make your way up to the Mighty Peace Region during winter (or any time of year)! If you do go, let me know!!
Whatever you decide to do, I know you’ll have a really nice time exploring this beautiful pocket of Alberta that certainly does not get as much love as its southern counterparts—but really should!
I am always struck by the kindness of Mighty Peace residents whenever I visit. It’s inspiring to see how each person does their part to make the region a better place to live, work and play. As I wrote in my summer guide, and still believe is true after my winter visit, it feels like there’s an exciting energy and entrepreneurial spirit building in the Mighty Peace Region and I look forward to seeing where that takes the area in the years to come (and for future visits!)
Thank you to Mighty Peace Tourism for partnering with me to experience and share about my Mighty Peace Region adventures.
I can’t wait to get back up there to explore!
(maybe Autumn adventures next time!)
Linda
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10 Comments
I’ve never been snowmobiling and it looks like such a fun adventure I’d love to try it sometime with the peace valley snowmobile!
i live in grimshaw. and everything you mentioned above completely checks off the boxes of why im lucky to live where I do, especially with @northerndough right around the corner!! 👏👏
I haven’t been skiing/snowboarding in years and would love to do that in the region! Also who doesn’t want to chase Northern Lights?
In addition to the northern dough giveaway…. Would would be amazing to win as it’s still a go to place in my books
Ones of the other things I’d love to try is the Snowmobiling with Peace Valley, my family is moving to Hines creek at the end of the month so the Hines creek trail will be one we plan on trying out!
Love all your information on a region I am close to and haven’t had the opportunity to fully explore! Such great options!
I’m coming for some deliciousness either way!
In addition to Northern Dough I would love to also try Pizza Haven. Finding hidden gems like these look like they would be is my favourite thing to do! Can’t wait to do some exploring :)
Living in grimshaw for 2 years and experiencing all these different places and activities to do, is one of the reason why we stayed in the area you perfectly described how beautiful the peace river area is with all the adventures that go along with it also with the great people in the town everyone is so nice and helpful to one of another, after reading about your experience at the peace river brewery I will definitely will be going there to try the recommend nachos and tortilla salad looked so delicious
I live near Grimshaw and totally agree with all of your recommendations! We are lucky to have all these amazing businesses and places to visit. I have yet to visit the Subzero Skateway but will have to check it out!
I live in Northern Alberta (moved up from Nova Scotia) and would love to get to the brewery again. I love their beer and snacks! 🍻
In addition to North Dough we are totally going to try Kita North (Peace River). The vegetable tempura looks amazing. We are traveling up North this week and can not wait to try all your recommendations.