Best Dark Tourism In Canada: It Cannot Get Gloomier Than This

Sep 30, 2024

Last Updated on: Aug 29, 2025

Travel Guides

Even if you don’t believe it, Canada has many locations and abandoned sites with ghostly stories and a dark history. 

Haunted places like the Fort Edmonton Park and Princess Theatre in Edmonton or the Disaster-struck Alberta Frank Slide are a few examples of how dark tourism in Canada offers a vivid experience. 

Further, sites like Asbestos (now Val-des-Sources) show how mining asbestos has caused long-term health hazards to Canadian people and victims beyond borders. Also, there is Halifax, where an explosion took the lives of around 2000 people in 1917.

So, let’s explore the sites that are scary and unusual. 

THESE Are The Best Sites For Dark Tourism In Canada 

Best Sites For Dark Tourism In Canada

In 2020, the small town of Asbestos changed its name to Val-des-Sources or the Valley of the Springs. However, the name change could not wipe off the history of diseases and suffering as it once had the largest asbestos mine in the world. 

So, like the nuclear plantations that pushed numerous human lives to death, Asbestos in Canada was also a town of breathing poison. Today, it is one of the most prominent destinations for dark tourism in Canada. 

Regarding dark tourism, Canada has many sites that tell the tale of human tragedy or are infamous for spooky experiences. Let me share brief accounts on these sites If you want to walk into the shadows. 

Asbestos 

Asbestos, a town in southern Quebec, once epitomized health-hazard horrors. Asbestos mining is not done here today, but breathing problems and other hazards caused by that “magic or miracle mineral” persist in the town. 

The town had an open-pit mine for mining chrysotile asbestos, and it boomed for a century. However, in 2011, the mine stopped its operations.  

Unfortunately, the use of asbestos became huge by the mid-20th century. It was a chosen material for roofing, insulation, and fireproofing. Slowly, it was discovered to cause many health hazards for people working in the industry or residing near an asbestos plant or mine. 

Asbestos

Despite the drop in global demand and many other countries banning the use, import, and export of asbestos, Canada kept at it until 2018. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, banned the use, sale, import, and export of asbestos in 2016, and the ban came into effect in 2018. 

Nevertheless, today, the town of Asbestos, or Val-des-Sources, is a popular dark tourism site with an abandoned mine. The mine now looks like a gigantic playground.

Halifax 

Halifax 

In June 2016, the Canadian Government designated the Halifax explosion as a “national historic event.” Halifax was a busy port for the loading and unloading of food, aid, relief, and other essentials during World War I.

On an unfortunate day, 6 December 1917, the French ship SS Mont-Blanc and SS Imo, a Norwegian ship, collided. Both were carrying explosives, and the collision caused a major explosion. Almost 2000 people died, and many were injured, registering it as the biggest manmade explosion before the atomic bomb disaster

This human tragedy, however, was a milestone in changing the medical scenario of Halifax. The improvement in pediatric surgeries and the establishment of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind were the two most prominent examples in this regard.

Today, the Fort Needham Memorial Park is a prominent site for dark tourism in Canada. The commemorative plaque there gives you a brief account of the incident. Also, the Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower here has an annual memorial service for the explosion on 6th December.

Edmonton: The Hub Of Dark Tourism In Canada 

Hub Of Dark Tourism In Canada

Edmonton has many destinations for paranormal encounters, and Fort Edmonton Park is one of them. At the paranormal tours here, you can explore many paranormal equipment and encounter many experts for some otherworldly experience.

You can also visit the haunted buildings of Edmonton. The stories of these buildings will scare you to the bit. Also, you never know when an unknown entity gets close to you, and you can feel the breath. 

Princess Theater: The Most Haunted Place In Edmonton

Another important haunted landmark here is the Princess Theater. In the 1920s, the theater was about to have an additional rental space. A bride-to-be rented that space, but her fiance left her on their wedding day. 

So, she committed suicide by hanging by the neck. When the staff of the hotel found her, her body was swinging from the rope. 

She was wearing a beautiful wedding gown. Legends have it that her ghostly figure is still seen at the theater. She is seen climbing down the stairs, wandering the theater halls, and moving around the projection room. 

Historic Mackay Avenue School Archives & Museum: Meet The Restless Spirit

Moreover, when in Edmonton to experience haunted activities,  Historic Mackay Avenue School Archives & Museum should be your destination. Many people have experienced a sense of choking, being grabbed, or disturbed at this place.

It is said that a construction worker called Peter fell from a third-floor window during renovation work in 1912. His restless spirit still lives here, and many informal investigations have captured strange silhouettes and erratic electromagnetic fields recorded here, which also vouch for paranormal activities here. 

The Museum of Fear and Wonder

It is unusual to find a rural museum of horror in the Southern Alberta rural valleys. It is eerie to the bone with Ouija boards and ventriloquist dummies. 

The little jack o’lantern dollhouse, Kiddo, leather doll, and the haunted doll, Robertina, are the most prominent collectibles here. Also, the artificial human body parts and life-like human bodywork made of wax are the creepiest things you will come across. 

All the collectibles in the museum are carefully placed to create a sense of fear. The aim is to show how people emotionally react to certain things. Also, Brendan, one of the founders of the museum, does not believe that things can be haunted or they can be related to paranormal activities. 

According to him, things, at the most, can cause a sense of uneasiness. Thus, all the items in the museum provoke discussion about the psychological impacts of different objects on different people. For example, an adorable doll can be an object of fear or discomfort for a person who has suffered childhood trauma. 

Even dolls or toys can get old and develop an eerie appearance through wear and tear. They can look messy or dirty, creating repulsive feelings.

Thus, the Museum of Fear and Wonder is not about paranormal experiences or activities. It is a place to understand the human psychology behind fear and wonder. 

Saskatchewan Ghost Towns – Insinger

Saskatchewan Ghost Towns Insinger

As India has Kuldhara, Canada has Saskatchewan, where time stands still, and the deserted town lives in the shadow of the past. Unbearable winter in the Prairie region made the residents desert the place.

In the 1800s, many European people came to Canada and got free land to set up a working farm within a year. Thus, this prairie became a bustling residence of farmers and their families.

Visiting Saskatchewan And Its Many Wonders

Visiting Saskatchewan And Its Many Wonders

In Saskatchewan, you will notice a Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The old church with a domed roof stands as a witness to the bygone era.

Do you know that Saskatchewan has so many ghost towns (more than 30) that there is a “Ghost Town Trail” here? You can drive around the route to explore the towns individually.

As you walk through the ghost towns of Saskatchewan, you will never feel alone. There is a constant feeling of someone following or walking with you.

Even looking at the most dilapidated structure, you will feel like someone will come out of it any moment.

I had plans to get inside some of the structures. However, a knotty feeling in my stomach stopped me. As hours passed, I started feeling anxious and left the place.

The Ghost Towns of Alberta – Rowley

Ghost Towns of Alberta Rowley

If I were to decide, I would name Alberta the capital of dark tourism in Canada. If the haunted places of Edmonton are not enough, you can explore Rowley.  

The small hamlet of Rowley in Alberta has deserted railway cars and buildings. However, it also tells some inspiring stories.

Rowley used to be a town with 500 inhabitants in the 1920s. The Great Depression hit the place, making the residents leave. A lack of rain led to the drying up of the crops.
Moreover, a fire destroyed many of the small buildings.
However, only eight surviving residents of Rowley did a commendable job of transforming Rowley into a heritage site in the 1980s. They transformed some of the buildings. 

Very few people know that movies like Bye Bye Blues or Legends of the Fall have some of these buildings as their locations.

Visit Rowley in the summer, as it offers free tours in the season. Also, the pizza parties here on the last Saturday of every month are fun! These pizza parties are fundraisers for restoring the buildings and preserving history here. 

THESE Are The Places You Can’t Miss At Rowley

The historical buildings to visit in the ghost town of Rowley are:

  • Rowley Trading Post (Built in the 1920s)
  • A Printing Press
  • A School
  • Now Abandoned Former Hospital
  • Abandoned Railway Tracks
  • A Saloon with Swinging Doors (Dedicated to the memory of a previous owner)
  • Municipality of Starland Office
  • Canada National Telegraphs Building

Along with these historical structures, you will also find a building labeled Funeral Home and Embalming. Going inside, you will find paraphernalia and historical artifacts used in Bye Bye Blues.

The only thing I find creepy about Rowley is the mannequins. The residents have used mannequins in many places to recreate the scenarios of the 1920s. 

So, if you have a faint heart, avoid peeping through the glass windows of the historical buildings. It is not very pleasant to find a mannequin looking back at you. 

However, overall, the experience was like being at the location of a classic Western movie. 

Alberta Frank Slide 

Alberta Frank Slide 

Alberta Frank Slide is one of the most tragic spots for dark tourism in Canada. 121 years ago, this place witnessed the deadliest slide in Canada. The tragic incident took the lives of 100 people.

What Happened At Alberta Frank Slide?

It was 4:10 am on 29th April 1903. The 600 people in the mining community were still asleep as Mount Turtle crumbled down and released 110 million metric tonnes of rock. This incident took the lives of around 100 people. 

Even today, if you pass through Highway 3 of Alberta or visit Frank Slide, you will find bodies and various belongings still buried under rocks. 

It was loud enough they could hear it up by the town of Cochrane, 200 kilometers away,” said Joey Ambrosi, the facility supervisor of the Alberta Frank Slide Interpretive Center. This interpretive center, built in 1985, tells the true stories of human tragedy and dismisses the myths around it. 

However, the intrigue around this biggest slide does not end here. The mountain moves a few kilometers from each other, and scientists suspect it will come down again. 

Having said that, there is still time for such an incident, and it will not be as deadly as the one that happened in 1903. 

When at Alberta Frank Slide, don’t forget to visit The Crowsnest Pass. A landslide and a mine explosion in 1910 badly hit the area. Again, at a stone’s throw away is the Hillcrest town where 189 miners died of a coal-dust explosion on 19th June 1914. 

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Meet Sibashree Bhattacharya, a travel enthusiast who has a decade-long experience in transcending virtual barriers with her words! Her deep love for travel is apparent from her travel escapades to the mountain, often taking her readers on a journey, her words acting as Portkey! Fun fact: Sibashree loves to dive deep into the history of the places she is about to visit, making her travels even more wholesome. If you were wondering how her articles are not short of time travel, this answers it!

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Moreover, it is close to Pioneer Park.   Built on top of Dixie's red rocks, this location boasts a unique desert landscape that cannot be found anywhere else, which is what makes it so special. The public can enter the garden for free, hence making it a cost-effective way to spend a day in St. George. A man-made stream meandering through the park provides a soothing sound as you stroll along paths bordered with native plants. Moreover, the Virgin River provides the water, which heightens the tranquil atmosphere this urban oasis creates. A day trip to St. George is a great idea if you're looking for something different and serene to include in your Las Vegas itinerary. Moreover, make sure to visit Red Hills Desert Garden alone. St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site During your trip to Utah, visit the St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm. It is bound to be an incredible experience! Thousands of dinosaur footprints are preserved in this museum at the exact location where they were found. Discover unique fossils as well as dinosaur exhibits that will excite any history buff as you explore the museum. Even more thrilling is the fact that guests can use their hands to unearth replica fossils! The location is renowned for its remarkable array of preserved dinosaur footprints from various taxa, such as ornithopods, theropods, as well as sauropods. During an interactive tour, the guides provided us with astonishing information about these creatures that ruled our planet millions of years ago. Overall, this hidden gem in southern Utah is genuinely unique. So, if you're considering a weekend trip to St. George, then make sure not to miss it! Vortex Hike If you only do one in the vicinity of St. George, then we suggest the Vortex hike as a unique hike. The entire hike is amazing, in addition to the Vortex itself being incredible. While it's very busy and well-liked on weekends, we only saw one other group as we were leaving during our midweek visit. This is a moderate hike that takes about one or one and a half hours to complete (not including the time you want to hang out there). It is about 2.16 miles round trip. Remember that the final five miles will be on unpaved roads. When we went, there were some muddy and dubious areas on the road because it had just snowed. Although four-wheel drive as well as high clearance are always helpful, we also noticed a minivan in the parking lot. When trying to take pictures of the Vortex, the sun's position is a major factor. To prevent harsh shadows on the rock feature, you should be there either at dawn, dusk, or midday when the sun is at its highest. On a cloudy day, any time is acceptable. Given that some of the cairns were difficult to locate, we strongly advise obtaining an offline map for the trail. Get the maps by downloading an app, and you won't have to worry about getting lost. Scout Cave If you have limited afternoon time when visiting Snow Canyon State Park, then trek to Jenny's Canyon and Scout Cave. The hike wasn't too interesting, but Scout Cave was lovely. Moreover, Jenny's Canyon is an easy 10-minute stop with a short approach. This state park is remarkably close to the city. It is also just ten minutes away. After speaking with a few locals, we learned that because people are so intent on seeing Zion, they frequently overlook it. Next, when we have more time, we'd like to spend a whole day exploring the remaining portion of the park. We would have given ourselves a whole day to explore the remainder of the park if we had known better. Because Snow Canyon offers an abundance of hiking opportunities. Scout Cave appears far better in the morning light than it does in the afternoon or evening. This is definitely one of the many fun things to do in St George Utah. Getting To St George: Driving For those who want to take their time exploring Utah's breathtaking natural scenery, driving from Las Vegas to St. George, UT, is a popular choice. So, the trip is usually completed in two hours and travels about 120 miles. One option is to pick up a car at the airport in Las Vegas and then head directly to southern Utah. You get a preview of what's to come as you get closer to St. George, where the scenery changes to towering red rock formations and sandstone cliffs. It's crucial to keep in mind that the route between Las Vegas and St. George can occasionally get very solitary. So be ready with extra water, gas, and food in case there are any unforeseen delays or detours. But the ride itself is very scenic, with gorgeous views of neighboring state parks like Valley of Fire and charming little towns along the way. If you don't feel like driving, then there are lots of tours that can handle all your transportation requirements. Moreover, they offer enlightening commentary on the natural wonders and history of the St. George area. Take A Tour So, there are numerous tours available for visitors who want to explore St. George while they are in Las Vegas. Taking a guided tour with one of the many companies based in Las Vegas, such as Pink Jeep Tours and Grand Canyon Tour Company, is one option. These tours usually take you along picturesque routes so you can enjoy the scenery as you travel between the two cities. Therefore, there is sure to be something exciting waiting for every visitor interested in seeing everything that St. George has to offer, with a variety of options available, from gentle sightseeing trips appropriate for all ages to hardcore expeditions for experienced enthusiasts ready for rougher terrains! Wrapping Up To sum up, if you're searching for unique experiences as well as outdoor adventures, then St. George, Utah, is a great place to visit. Also, this city offers activities for all kinds of visitors, from hiking in Zion National Park to visiting the Western Sky Aviation Warbird Museum. A variety of activities are available for visitors to enjoy, such as exploring the Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site and kayaking at Sand Hollow State Park. Read Also: Best 9 Things To Do In El Paso! Here Are The 10 Best Things To Do In Baltimore! Roman Revelations: Unforgettable Things To Do In Rome, The Heart Of Italy!