The rest of the highway (outside of Calgary) mostly consists of a divided four-lane expressway with a few interchanges or signal lights only near major communities (such as Medicine Hat) and at-grade intersections.

In Calgary the highway consists of a blend of both limited access (freeway) sections and heavily signalizes arterial thoroughfares carrying four to six lanes.

[5] All sections of Highway 1 in the National Park have wildlife fences and crossings to keep animals off the road while still allowing for migration.

[3] From the pass the 4 lane highway descends a moderate grade before turning southeast to follow the wide Bow River valley.

From there the highway continues past two more at-grade trailhead turn-offs (Redearth and Bourgeau Lake) with views of the Sawback Range along the way.

After passing an interchange for the Banff-Sunshine Ski Area the highway bends to the east, crosses the Bow River for a third time, and passes through a small interchange for the Bow Valley Parkway before climbing up from the river alongside a cliff with a rest area on the eastbound side giving views of Mount Rundle, the Banff townsite and the Vermilion Lakes.

The highway then continues south along the benchlands above the Bow River before exiting the park 81 km (50 mi) kilometres from the BC border.

Upon exiting Banff National Park, Highway 1 is maintained by Alberta Transportation for 91 km (57 mi) until it reaches Calgary.

From there the highway curves east again and travels by the hamlets of Dead Man's Flats and Lac des Arcs each serviced by its own interchange.

Stoney Trail (Highway 201) provides an alternate controlled-access freeway route around the north and south sides of the city and is the signed bypass of 16 Avenue.

There, the freeway ends, and the speed limit drops to 50 km/h (31 mph) with 16th Avenue becoming a 4-lane "urban boulevard" (as defined by the City of Calgary) with multiple signal lights.

[9] After exiting Montgomery, 16th Avenue begins short 4-lane expressway section with some small interchanges at Shaganappi Trail, West Campus Way, University Drive and Crowchild Trail (as well as a signalized interchange at 29th Street) as it passes by the Foothills Medical Centre and McMahon Stadium.

Upon exiting Calgary, Highway 1 is maintained by Alberta Transportation for 273 km (170 mi) until it reaches the City of Medicine Hat.

[7] The majority of the highway in the city is a freeway; however, a section between the South Saskatchewan River and Seven Persons Creek still has a few at-grade intersections.

[12] Twinning of the 33.5 km (20.8 mi) section between Castle Junction and the British Columbia border was completed in 2014,[12] with the final 8.5 km (5.3 mi) of Highway 1 between Lake Louise and the British Columbia border opening to traffic on June 12 of that year.

Alberta Transportation has long-term, conceptual plans for Highway 1 to have a phased upgrade to a freeway standard within its area of jurisdiction (outside Banff National Park and Calgary city limits).