Laine Mitchell is the Alberta Editor based in Edmonton. He grew up in a small town west of the capital region, where he also landed his first job as a reporter at a radio station. After that, he moved on to CTV News Edmonton in 2018, before joining Daily Hive in 2021. In his downtime he can be found running, grabbing coffee with friends, jetting off to enjoy the mountains, or listening to Taylor Swift. Laine also enjoys spending hours discussing pop culture, current events, and everything in between.

There is plenty of natural beauty in Western Canada, and the peak of it very well may be in an area that was just named a top travel destination in the world in 2026.
The New York Times (NYT) has revealed its list of 52 places to go to this year, and one spot in Canada made the cut, but it is a stunning inclusion.
<div id="attachment_2236678" style="width: 2026px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2236678" class="size-full wp-image-2236678" src="https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0670-2.jpg" alt="" width="2016" height="1512" srcset="https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0670-2.jpg 2016w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0670-2-500x375.jpg 500w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0670-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0670-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/IMG_0670-2-1200x900.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2016px) 100vw, 2016px" />Laine Mitchell/Daily Hive</div>
Landing in 13th place, the Canadian Rockies were tapped as a place to visit, and even more specifically, <a href="https://dailyhive.com/calgary/alberta-rocky-mountain-best-place-travel" target="_blank">doing so by train</a>.
The prestigious Manhattan-based newspaper called a train ride through the Canadian Rockies a &#8220;quieter experience through spectacular mountain scenery,&#8221; with the Rocky Mountaineer-operated route flowing through Jasper and Banff.
Riders will be able to admire waterfalls, lakes, the looping Spiral Tunnels and the Canadian Rockies’ tallest peak, 12,972-foot Mount Robson, which are just some of the sights.
The NYT added that visiting will also give the townsite of Jasper, which was devastated by a wildfire back in 2024, an opportunity to welcome back tourists and prop up the local economy.
<div id="attachment_2230413" style="width: 2058px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2230413" class="size-full wp-image-2230413" src="https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/MixCollage-06-Jan-2026-09-15-AM-8995.jpg" alt="alberta named 2026" width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/MixCollage-06-Jan-2026-09-15-AM-8995.jpg 2048w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/MixCollage-06-Jan-2026-09-15-AM-8995-500x333.jpg 500w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/MixCollage-06-Jan-2026-09-15-AM-8995-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/MixCollage-06-Jan-2026-09-15-AM-8995-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://images-dh-production-baselayer.dailyhive.com/uploads/2026/01/MixCollage-06-Jan-2026-09-15-AM-8995-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" />Laine Mitchell/Daily Hive</div>
The Canadian Rockies have been given some serious attention as of late, especially popular tourist hubs like Banff National Park, which is no stranger to the spotlight. It has a pretty impressive track record, being named a top <a href="https://dailyhive.com/calgary/alberta-national-geographic-travel-destination-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">travel destination for 2026</a> by National Geographic, one of the <a href="https://dailyhive.com/calgary/alberta-spot-most-picturesque-worldwide">most picturesque places in the world</a>, and was also recognized as one of the <a href="https://dailyhive.com/calgary/banff-most-beautiful-places-world-travel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most beautiful places in the world by Architectural Digest</a>.
Another national park in the Canadian Rockies was also recently tapped as <a href="https://dailyhive.com/calgary/alberta-jasper-named-most-underrated-in-the-world" target="_blank">one of the most underrated in the world</a>.
You can view the full list of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/travel/places-to-travel-destinations-2026.html" target="_blank">places to go to this year online</a>.
Do you agree with the Rockies being named the best place to travel to in Canada in 2026? Let us know in the comments.
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There is tons of beauty in Western Canada, and the peak of it may be in an area that was named a great travel destination in the world.