Discover Onoway: History and Nature

Onoway offers a variety of reasons to stay: local history, sports in town, and nature experiences nearby. The town is located at the junction of Highways 37 and 43, a clear landmark for finding your way there. If you’re looking for a hotel in Onoway, you can plan your trip around whether you’re especially interested in the museum, local recreational activities, or things to do in the surrounding area.

History at the Museum and Along the Trail

The Onoway Museum is housed in the Old Brick Schoolhouse. Four large exhibition rooms focus on life in the Onoway region, providing a broad regional perspective. The Onoway archives also preserve school registers from local one-room schools dating back to 1909. The registers draw attention to a specific aspect of local history: one-room schools and their records. The reading room at the Onoway Museum is dedicated to historical research and reading about history. The focus differs from one area to the next: the exhibitions cover life in the region, the archives preserve school registers, and the reading room is dedicated to historical reading and research.

The Lac Ste. Anne Trail passes through Onoway and was a historic route in the 19th century. This adds another historical perspective, connected to a route through town, to the museum exhibits and archival collections. These different perspectives help place the town in context: the museum focuses on regional topics and specific school registers, while the trail’s route through Onoway is tied to its history as a route. The trail and the school registers also offer different points of reference in time: the trail was a historic route in the 19th century, while the registers date back to 1909.

Sports in Town and Nature Nearby

Swede Moren Park has three baseball fields and is located behind Onoway Elementary School and Onoway High School. The Onoway Soap Box Derby offers a different kind of sporting event: a family-friendly, gravity-powered race. The park and derby therefore offer different options for sports-minded travelers—baseball fields on the one hand and a gravity-powered race on the other.

Near Onoway, the Chickakoo Lake Recreation Area offers wooded trails by the lake where visitors can observe birds and wildlife. During the warmer months, visitors can hike, bike, watch birds, or explore 14 km of trails on horseback. In winter, groomed trails are available for cross-country skiing. The change of seasons makes a practical difference when planning: the warmer months offer several activities, while groomed cross-country ski trails are mentioned for winter. The nearby recreation area thus complements the activities in town with trails, nature watching, and seasonal recreation options.

Discover more destinations: Barrhead, Whitecourt, Westlock, Sangudo, Athabasca, Mayerthorpe

Return to the regional travel overview: Division No. 13.