What is YEG-Ville

The irony is that this guy, born and raised in Calgary, is writing a YEG-Ville Guide. The Battle of Alberta notwithstanding, What Exactly is YEG-Ville, What can You Do There?

YEGVille Quadrants: About 2 hours driving from Edmonton.
YEGVille Quadrants: About 2 hours driving from Edmonton.
  1. What is a YEG exactly?
  2. The Two Hour Hard and Fast (ish) Rule
  3. Details & Overview
  4. Notes and References

What is a YEG exactly?

YEG is the code [1] for the Edmonton International Airport. YEG is more than just the city. It is a way to describe Central and Northern Alberta. If you drew an East-West line along Highway 11, everything north of the highway would be YEG territory … which is big.

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The Two Hour Hard and Fast (ish) Rule

If YEG was a country, its area would be 523,334 km² [2] the 50th largest country in the world [3]. this would make it on par with Yemen but not as hot.

Fort Smith (on the Alberta NWT border) is a 13-hour drive from Edmonton. Not as far as Yemen but hard to drive to Yemen and be back for supper. Thus YEG-Ville is smaller and defined as anything about a 2-hour drive from the city. The lines, tracing the roads around Edmonton in the above map are what I am calling YEG-Ville-proper. It is only 38,000 square kilometers and size wise would be on par with Bhutan – where it is not as hot as Yemen [4]. Because every 2-hour drive must start somewhere, all distances are denoted in Wayne Gretzky Driving units.

Depending on where you live, you will need to factor in your own travel time to get to the statue of the Great One at Rogers Place. Calculations assume Wayne remains stationary at 53.54629, -113.49723 and derived via the Latitude and Longitude Converter. 

Wayne Gretzky statue holding the Stanley Cup aloft. The point from which all YEG-Ville distances are measured.
Wayne Gretzky Statue at Rogers Place – Downtown Edmonton

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Details & Overview

Each location falls into one of four quadrants, described in [PAGE], and has a set on descriptions of how to get there and what to expect.

  • Name and Owner: Official name and who owns the land (e.g. a trust, government, county, etc.). I am indebted to the Stewards of Alberta’s Protected Areas Association for their excellent website and detailed descriptions of the sites.
  • Is it Worth It?: Let’s face it, driving 2-hours to discover you are trumping around in a flat featureless field is disappointing. A 1-5 rating is provided with 1 on the low end and 5 at the fantastic end. You won’t find many 1s or 2s unless they are very close to the city and near other higher-scoring destinations.
    1. Don’t Bother Not worth going back to for reasons explained in the comments.
    2. Mehh Likely will never go back but never say never
    3. On the Bubble about going back, maybe if in the neighbourhood
    4. Probably will go back… unless another adventure trumps!
    5. Definitely worth many repeat visits.
  • Why Here?: Related to ‘Is it Worth it?’, what exactly is here. This includes nature, distance from civilization, likelihood of being run over by an ATV and other factors.
  • Location and WGU: Provided in Latitude/Longitude and Alberta’s rural address system [4] and linked to its Google map placement. Wayne Gretzky driving time (the Wayne Gretzky Unit or WGU) and distance provides a comparator between locations.
  • Winter and Safety Considerations: I like to get out in the winter. Most of the locations are low difficulty. A higher rating is given for water crossings, hills, challenging terrain or an isolated area.
  • Links and Further Reading: Historical notes and activities besides snowshoeing. All links worked the day I posted them but let me know if they have since changed.
  • The Drive Out: Half the fun of heading out to these locations is driving through rural Alberta. Enjoy the journey. I have provided notes of interesting things to look for, what the locals know and possible side trips (e.g. museums).
  • The Other Shoe: Non-snowshoe, self-propelled activities that are possible in the area.
  • Phrank’s Trip Notes: When I first did the trip and returns to the location. Links to any posts detailing specific adventures.

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Notes and References

  1. An overview of airport codes is: The Mad Mess of Airport Codes! | YouTube
  2. Kaplinsky, Eran, and David Percy. “A Guide to Property Rights in Alberta.” Alberta Land Institute, University of Alberta, n.d. http://propertyrightsguide.ca/assets/a-guide-to-property-rights-in-alberta.pdf.
  3. “Parks System | Alberta Parks.” Accessed December 7, 2020. https://www.albertaparks.ca/albertaparksca/management-land-use/parks-system/.
  4. Woytowichz, Donna. Discussion on the disposition of Bucks for Wildlife Property in Parkland County. December 7, 2020.

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