For those planning a trip to the Canadian Rockies with a stop in Edmonton, the West Edmonton Mall waterpark is a perfect way to unwind after a long plane ride or drive.  A visit the amazing 15-acre indoor waterpark at West Edmonton Mall offers hours of fun any time of the year.

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To take a rest from it all, there are pools and hot tubs for relaxing.   Spend time in the Blue Thunder Wave Pool – the largest indoor wave pool in the world.

For the more adventurous, the West Edmonton Mall World Waterpark has 17 waterslides and rides – from beginner level to extreme.  The waterpark even has an indoor bungee jump, the largest of its kind in the world.

For waterpark is easy to get to.  Just go to West Edmonton Mall and try to park on the 87th Avenue side near on the west side near 178th St NW.  The waterpark is hard to miss.

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And within West Edmonton Mall is something unexpected:  an indoor amusement park called GalaxyLand.

GalaxyLand is the world’s largest indoor amusement park.

You don’t have to go on any rides or pay admission to walk through the amusement park. I found myself staring at the roller coaster, wondering how they crammed such a big ride into a small space. I didn’t dare ride it, but it looked like riders were having fun.

The Mind Bender Roller Coast is a triple loop roller coast, and the world’s largest indoor triple loop roller coaster to boot.

Here’s what it looks like from afar:

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And here’s a good helmet cam video from a front-row vantage point.  It really gives an idea about what the ride is all about.

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GalaxyLand is no one-hit-wonder with the roller coaster.  If the Mindbender Roller Coaster looks to be too much for you, try the Galaxy Orbiter, a smaller roller coaster that spins as it reaches a top speed of 30 MPH.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

GalaxyLand has a bunch of indoor rides that make the big North America outdoor amusement parks jealous.   The GalaxyLand Cosmic Spinner is another fun ride.

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And then there’s the GalaxyLand Solar Flare which spins around like a ferris wheel, but a whole lot better.

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Or, shoot straight into the air with the Space Shot.

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The amusement park has plenty of easier rides and kiddie rides to keep everyone happy.

If you had any doubt, yes, GalaxyLand does have a carousel.

Did I mention this is all inside of a mall? How’s that for a Jasper National Park sidetrip?

And this is no ordinary mall.

It’s the largest mall in North America and was the largest in the world until 2004 (now the 5th largest in the world)!

It is so big, you almost need to plan your itinerary for what to do in the mall before you arrive.  Don’t worry, you can get a brochure with a map at the entrance.  That’s what 800 stores does to you.

West Edmonton Mall Map

West Edmonton Mall even has a few theme areas.  I thought the Chinatown area was pretty cool.  It is a collection of a handful of shops in its own wing.  For a moment, you feel like you’re in another world.  Then you exit Chinatown back into the main mall and again realize you ARE in another world.  Then, head to the Bourbon Street and Europe Boulevard theme areas for something entirely different.

And then there’s the indoor attractions:  ice skating, amusement park, waterpark, minigolf, and a whole lot more.  But that’s another story for another time.

After all of the walking around the mall, you need a treat.  The list of dessert places in West Edmonton Mall is seemingly endless.

• A Piece of Cake
• B Sweet
• Baskin Robbins
• Cinnamons
• Cinnzeo
• Cookies By George
• Cosmo’s Snacks
• Dream Tea House
• Galaxy Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
• Galaxy Treats
• Gelati Napoli
• Kernels
• Maple Sugar Shack, The
• Purdy’s Chocolates
• Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
• Second Cup
• Starbucks Coffee Company
• Tea Art
• Tim Hortons
• Yogen Früz
• Yogi’s Yogurt

And if you find this place so amazing that you want to spend the night, there are 2 hotels on-site: Fantasyland Hotel and West Edmonton Mall Inn.

Check out the West Edmonton Mall website.

After all of this shopping within the mall, the contrast of visiting Jasper National Park afterward is  greatly intensified.

Alberta is also home to 5 of Canada’s 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites – Jasper National Park being one of them. TravelAlberta provides an itinerary for doing all 5 in 14 days. Be forewarned, the total distance is 1890 km/1181 mi. That’s a lot of driving! There’s another option.

Another itinerary is to just see 2 of the sites in 14 days. Fly into Edmonton, drive to Jasper National Park, then drive to Banff National Park and then fly out of Calgary. (For the rodeo fan, plan to arrive in Calgary for a day or two of the famous Calgary stampede in July.) This makes for a nice way to get a lot of the best of Alberta travel in at once without being rushed.

Edmonton is contrasting experience after visiting Jasper. It’s a modern city with a mall that is like a theme park. Wait, West Edmonton Mall actually does have both a small theme park and a water park in it. Then there’s the ice skating rink, mini-golf, a pirate ship and a dolphin/penguin show. All of this and stores and restaurants too.

Banff is just over the southern border of Jasper National Park. Banff is known for Lake Louise and lots of mountains. Jasper Journal is admittedly biased toward Jasper National Park.

Alberta is the only Canadian province without a sales tax. The lowest gasoline taxes in Canada are in Alberta, so driving a car or RV is cheaper here too.