Vermilion Travel Guide

Welcome to Vermilion!

Located 192 km (119 mi) east of Edmonton, Vermilion paints the prairie landscape with a brilliance that is attributed to its illustrious history and warm residents. The town, settled in 1902 and incorporated in 1906, derives its name from the red clay found in the river valley, which was used by one of the area's first businesses: a brick factory from 1906 to 1914. Vermilion blazed under a fire in 1918 that burned down much of the town, but some of the original buildings still stand and can be viewed downtown by taking a historical walking tour with the Vermilion Heritage Museum en route. Today, the town supports an agricultural community with the local population around 4,400 and is as vibrant as its name. Settled largely by British and Ukrainian immigrants, community events represent these cultures with several different dance festivals taking place during the year including a Ukrainian Dance Festival. And the whole town comes alive for the annual Vermilion and District Music Festival and the Ag Society Fair.

Lakeland College, Canada's only inter-provincial College, provides rich post-secondary institution and continuing education opportunities. The Vermilion campus is well known for its Emergency Training Centre and is home to one of the largest college-operated farms in Canada. A second campus is nearby in Lloydminster.

Culturally rich, Vermilion is balanced by its recreational opportunities that include curling, hockey, golf, soccer, baseball, fishing and camping. Vermilion Provincial Park encompasses 750 ha (1,853 acres) of the Vermilion River Valley's south shore with miles of trails for hiking, biking, canoeing, birdwatching, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. With all this dazzling culture, recreation and entertainment, Vermilion is one of Alberta's prairie stars and is the hometown of several prominent Canadians: cookbook author Jean Paré, NHL player Jeff Woywitka and retired cross-country skier Olympian Beckie Scott.

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