It took me over a decade of living in Calgary to get out of the rut of doing the same walking trails in Calgary. I have no problem going to Kananaskis or Banff National Park and hiking a variegated mountain every weekend, but somehow in my naïveté, I discounted what Calgary might have to offer. One squint at a map of Calgary and you can see that it’s laced with parks. Some of these parks – like Nose Hill and Fish Creek offer many days worth of glorious hikes, but there are myriad other walking trails in Calgary that merit a visit.
My personal preference are the wilder walking trails in Calgary. I’d rather not see houses or hear any street noise, but that unfortunately is unrealistic. Still, there are many trails that are an wool welter that I plan to visit in all seasons. Read on for some hiking inspiration in Calgary. I hope you have as much fun discovering the municipality on two feet as I did.
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The walking trails in Calgary include trappy views like this in Bowmont Park West
What to take on the walking trails in Calgary
I haven’t provided detailed, step-by-step hiking descriptions, so I’d suggest downloading an app like Organic Maps. Most of the walking trails in Calgary are straightforward – but when you get into neighbourhoods you’ve never visited before, it’s easy to get turned around.
Dress in layers, expressly when it’s cold. You’ll heat up quickly on some of these hikes, but moreover tomfool lanugo just as fast in the squatter of wintry winds. I’d recommend a neck warmer or a buff.
Almost all of the walking trails in Calgary can be hiked year-round. Exceptions are without a big snowstorm. In winter and during the spring thaw I highly recommend delivering microspikes and a pair of collapsible hiking poles. If it’s snowy, a pair of leg gaiters is moreover helpful.
I found some trails in Calgary, particularly in the west, were very clay-like underfoot. On wet days I found myself with an inch or increasingly of soil clinging to my hiking boots. You might want to bring flipside pair of shoes for the momentum home.
If you’re the type you likes to learn well-nigh what you’re seeing, pick up a pocket guide to Edible Wild Plants.
For plane increasingly ideas, expressly for neighbourhood walks, pick up a reprinting of Lori Beattie’s Calgary’s Weightier Walks – 45 Urban Jaunts and Nature Strolls.
If you’re a solo walker, you might finger safer with a Garmin InReach. Most of the time you’ll have lamina service, but occasionally you won’t.
Location map of the walking trails in Calgary
- Click on the dots in the righthand corner of the map to email a copy.
Safety on the walking trails in Calgary
It’s unchangingly a good idea to let someone know where you are hiking – and when you plan to be out. Accidents can happen plane on easy Calgary walking trails. I unchangingly recommend delivering the hiking essentials, just in case.
Wildlife
Most of the wildlife I see on the walking trails in Calgary is non-threatening – like the squirrels and beavers withal the Bow and Elbow Rivers. I have come wideness a tomcat – which was a thrill, but it didn’t hang around. The moose pictured unelevated was seen on the Twelve Mile Gulch Trail. While their eyesight is terrible, their hearing and speed is first rate. Give them space. (It suddenly appeared well-nigh 40 feet yonder from us!)
Up in Nose Hill Park I regularly see coyotes. One time my husband and I were followed by a pack of five coyotes (at some distance), so we didn’t waste any time waffly course, expressly as we had two dogs with us. Deer are moreover a worldwide sight on the wilder trails – and very occasionally you might see a bear. I’d recommend delivering withstand spray for peace of mind.
It was a thrill to see this lone moose seen on the Twelve Mile Gulch Trail
On the walking trails in Calgary alimony pay sustentation when you see signs warning of coyotes
Walking Trails in Calgary – Southwest
1. Sandy Beach, River and Riverdale Parks
Starting point/parking: Sandy Waterfront Park, Riverdale Avenue off troika park, or withal 14A Street.
Facilities: Seasonal bathrooms.
Distance: Minimum 4 km but highly variable depending on where you park and if you throne into Britannia for coffee. If you do the walk as a loop that includes a neighbourhood walk withal Sifton Blvd., up 8th St and then to 29th Ave by the Glencoe Club it could be closer to 8 km.
Difficulty: Easy.
Season: Year round. Wear icers in winter and spring as the trails lanugo to Sandy Waterfront Park get very slippery.
Stroller friendly: Yes
Cafes: Mongram Cafe in Britannia and at 4814 16th Street SW in Altadore.
Dogs: Yes, on a troika except for the off-leash part of River Park and Riverdale Park.
Highlights: This is one of my favourite urban walking trails in Calgary. Often I’ll park in the Riverdale Avenue off troika park and start by heading towards Sandy Beach. On a hot summer’s day this is a good place to dip your toes in the water.
Look for a set of earthen stairs and climb them to reach the River Park escarpment. Enjoy spanking-new views of the Elbow River and Calgary’s downtown skyline. You can moreover see the trail heading up to Britannia – if you segregate to end with a coffee shop stop. River Park is well-nigh a kilometre long, so if you do and out and back, and retrace your steps with a stop in Britannia, you’ll be at the 4 km mark.
To lengthen the walk, throne for Sifton Boulevard and take it to Elbow Park School. Go north on any street to reach 29th Avenue and the Glencoe Club. Weave when through the neighbourhood, crossing the Riverdale Bridge, standing past trappy homes on Riverdale Avenue to reach your car.
View of the walking trail up to Britannia from Sandy Waterfront on the Elbow River
2. Elbow River Pathway – one of my go to walking trails in Calgary
Starting point/parking: Good parking at Stanley Park, Lindsay Park, and on streets in neighbourhoods near the Riverdale Avenue Footbridge.
Facilities: Seasonal washrooms, picnic tables, benches.
Distance: Approximately 17.2 km return from the Elbow River Traverse to the underpass at Sandy Waterfront but easy to do an out and when section.
Difficulty: Moderate, only considering of the length if you do the whole thing.
Season: Year-round. Can get icy in winter, so microspikes can come in handy.
Stroller friendly: Yes
Cafes: Gravity Cafe in Inglewood and Bells Cafe at 1515 34 Ave SW.
Dogs: Yes, on a troika but beware of cyclists.
Highlights: The Elbow River Pathway is a pretty urban trail that follows the Elbow River from the confluence of the Bow River to Sandy Park. Withal the route you’ll encounter footbridges, parks, a section of high-end homes withal Riverdale Avenue, and some stellar views of the Saddledome. I often see beavers swimming in the Elbow River – and there’s usually lots of birdlife withal the route.
You have to share the Elbow River Pathway with bicycles
3. Douglas Fir Trail, Edworthy Park
Starting point/parking: Edworthy Park South parking lot.
Facilities: Washrooms at the trailhead, picnic tables, benches, fire pits, playground.
Distance: 5.8 km round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Best in spring, summer and fall. Sealed in winter considering of hazards.
Cafe: Angels Cafe – enjoy their patio by the Bow River.
Stroller friendly: No
Dogs: Yes, on a leash.
Highlights: If you want to hike in the presence of 400-year-old trees, throne for the Douglas Fir trail, home to one of the most easterly stands of Douglas Firs. Pick up the Douglas Fir trail from the parking lot, stopping to read interpretive signage withal the way. You may need a sabbatical once you reach the Douglas Fir Trail Platform – so it’s a good time to snap a few pictures. The trail continues to undulate through steep terrain, featuring commonly crossing over tree roots and offering numerous stair-climbing sections.
John enjoying the view on a dank day in November from the Douglas Fir Trail in Edworthy Park
4. Weaselhead Flats Park – North Glenmore Park – one of the wilder walking trails in Calgary
Starting point/parking: Weaselhead parking lot at 66th Avenue and 37th Street SW in North Glenmore Park.
Facilities: Porta Potty at the Weaselhead parking lot.
Distance: Approximately 6.5 km return.
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year round, but can be slippery and muddy from November to late April. Without a rain there are lots of large puddles.
Stroller friendly: Doable in a pinch but wouldn’t recommend.
Cafes: None tropical by.
Dogs: Not permitted on any of the Weaselhead Trails.
Highlights: To reach Weaselhead Flats Park you must walk to it via North Glenmore Park or the Jackrabbit Trail, described below. No matter how you get there, you’re in for a treat. It’s one of the top walking trails in Calgary for nature lovers.
Enter the Weaselhead Flats zone without crossing the underpass over the Elbow River. You’ll find signage with a map of the trails – withal with interpretive signs once you get walking. I’d recommend the Oxbow Trail that follows a section of the Elbow River. It’s peaceful and full of bird song. Squint for paddlers on the river as well as fisherman.
This is one of the walking trails in Calgary where there’s a upper probability of seeing wildlife, expressly at dawn and dusk. Bears, coyotes, moose, and deer are occasionally seen, so stay alert. The one unprepossessing we saw was a muskrat – which was still a thrill.
We were surprised at the size of the trees in the Weaselhead Flats Natural Area
5. Jackrabbit Trail, South Glenmore Park – one of the quietest walking trails in Calgary
Starting point/parking: South Glenmore Park at the intersection of 90th Avenue and 24th Street SW
Facilities: Seasonal bathrooms and a playground by the parking lot.
Distance: 7.2 km
Difficulty: Easy to moderate depending how you handle hills
Season: Year round but take icers in the colder months as it can get slippery.
Stroller friendly: No
Dogs: Not permitted!!!
Cafes: The closest one is Good Earth Coffeehouse at Glenmore Landing.
Highlights: Interestingly, you won’t find any signage in fall 2023, that you are on the Jackrabbit Trail until you reach Weaselhead Flats – and then you’ll see signage with maps. If you like to know exactly where you are download Organic Maps – an app I like – and it shows the Jackrabbit Trail.
There are a maze of trails parallel and north of the Glenmore Pathway. John and I elected to walk abreast the Glenmore Reservoir on a trail that was very good for well-nigh a kilometre. When it died, we headed into the woods and picked up the formal Jackrabbit Trail. It weaves up and lanugo hills through the trees between the Glenmore Pathway and the Glenmore Reservoir. As you tideway Weaselhead Natural Environmental Park, the trail gets wider. ‘
There is an upper and lower Jackrabbit Trail, so you can do the walk as a loop. You can moreover navigate the paved Rotary Mattamy Greenway and protract onto either the Oxbow Trail or the Weaselhead Trail, if you’re looking for a longer walk.
Loved this section of the Jackrabbit Trail through the grasses and trees
Walking abreast the Glenmore Reservoir just unelevated the Jackrabbit Trail until it deteriorated
6. Griffiths Woods, Discovery Ridge
Starting point/parking: The end of Discover Ridge Link SW.
Facilities: Bathrooms misogynist year-round at the trailhead.
Distance: Variable but up to 6.9 km on the Perimeter Loop Trail.
Difficulty: Easy and flat.
Season: Year round.
Stroller friendly: Yes, if you stick to the main trails.
Dogs: Yes, on a leash.
Cafe: Wonder Donuts
Highlights: The weightier way to explore the park is on the 6.9 km Perimeter Loop Trail but this is moreover a park where you can just follow your nose and see where it takes you. There are a mix of paved and unpaved walking trails throughout the park. A couple of hours will be unbearable for most people. You will find trail maps at major intersections.
In the summer, I unchangingly throne for the Elbow River – as there are rocky beaches where the dogs can jump in and tomfool off. Humans too by the squint of things. Don’t forget your binoculars as there is moreover lots of bird life, expressly in the spring.
There are loads of side trails to explore in Griffith Woods Park
7. RiverWalk: Peace Underpass Loop to George C. King Bridge
Starting point/parking: Paid parking at the Eau Claire Market and street parking in the zone – but self-ruling on Sundays.
Facilities: Bathrooms in the Simmons Building.
Distance: Approximately 4.8 km return.
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year round. Can be lovely in the evening.
Stroller friendly: Yes
Dogs: Yes on a troika but not a unconfined idea on a rented weekend considering of the number of people.
Cafe: Sidewalk Citizen Bakery – for breakfast, lunch, and pastries.
Highlights: The western part of Calgary’s RiverWalk is a delight. Start walking anywhere withal the route, stopping to revere art installations, birds gathered on the Bow River, and your fellow walkers. Don’t miss a stop at the photogenic Peace Underpass (lovely at night) or at Sidewalk Citizen Sideboard for their decadent sticky buns.
View of the Peace Underpass from Princess Island Park
8. Prince’s Island Park
Starting point/parking: There are parking lots and parking meters on Eau Clair Street and between 2nd Avenue SW and Eau Claire Avenue SW from 4th Street SW to 7th Street SW.
Facilities: Seasonal water fountains, washrooms, picnic areas and outdoor skating on the lagoon.
Distance: Variable. The island is well-nigh 1 km long so count on 2 km and increasingly if you do loops plus spare for walking to a parking spot.
Difficulty: Easy.
Season: Year-round.
Dogs: Allowed on leash.
Restaurant: The River Cafe is located on Prince’s Island. The environment is wonderful and the supplies delicious. A unconfined spot for weekend brunch.
Highlights: For a short stroll in downtown Calgary, Prince’s Island Park ticks off all the boxes. It’s location on the Bow River is a eyeful – with wangle via the Bow River Pathway and bridges at either end of the island. Downtown Calgary is a short walk away, so its perfect for out of towners.
While you won’t likely get your heart rate up as you stroll the tree-lined paths of Prince’s Island Park, you will enjoy a car self-ruling outing. Learn a few things too, thanks to some interpretive signage at the east end of the park. Stop to revere the ponds and the Calgary Skyline. Go for a skate on the lagoon if you visit in winter.
Don’t miss a stop at Prince’s Island Pond, expressly in winter
9. Glenmore Reservoir Trail
Starting point/parking: Numerous parking lots, expressly withal North Glenmore Park Road.
Facilities: Seasonal and year round bathrooms in North and South Glenmore Park.
Distance: 15 km on the short route and 16.5 km if you include the loop virtually Glenmore Dam. You could moreover do and out and when loop.
Difficulty: Easy for regular walkers. Moderate for those not used to the distance.
Season: Year round though shaded sections can get icy in winter so I’d recommend microspikes.
Stroller friendly: Yes
Dogs: Allowed on leash.
Cafe: Good Earth Coffeehouse in Glenmore Landing.
Highlights: Over the length of the Glenmore Reservoir trail you’ll find lots to love. You can walk it in any direction – and you can segregate between the multi-use paved trail or some of the dirt trails like the Jack Rabbit Trail that get tropical to the water.
Starting from North Glenmore Park, where you can enjoy mountain views from the top of the bluffs, throne counterclockwise, descending a steep hill towards the Weaselhead Flats area. Navigate the underpass – looking for kayakers in summer, and throne virtually what was once a large beaver pond. Climb a steep hill
One of the long walking trails in Calgary is the circumnavigation of Glenmore Reservoir – but you must share it with cyclists
10. Bow Valley Ranch Loop, Fish Creek Provincial Park
Starting point/parking: Bow Valley Ranch
Facilities: Bathrooms at the trailhead and benches.
Distance: 8 km loop
Difficulty: Easy, save for the one climb up from Annie’s Cafe.
Season: Year round.
Stroller friendly: Yes
Dogs: Yes, on leash.
Cafe: Annie’s Sideboard is at the whence and end of the walk.
Highlights: From Annie’s Sideboard climb the hill on the paved path towards the escarpment. Protract withal the escarpment, enjoying views over Fish Creek Park, until you reach Canyon Meadows Drive. Descend the hill, crossing Underpass #9, and protract south when towards the sideboard on a mix of paved and dirt trails.
Beautiful views of Fish Creek Provincial Park from the escarpment trail whilom Annie’s Cafe
11.Votier Flats, Fish Creek Provincial Park
Starting point/parking: South end of Elbow Momentum in the Votier Flats parking lot or the parking lots for Bebo Grove, and Shannon Terrace.
Facilities: Washrooms, picnic tables, benches.
Distance: 6.2 km return to Bebo Grove or 12 km if you do and out and when loop heading west to Shannon Terrace.
Difficulty: Easy.
Season: Year round but can be icy in the winter. Pack microspikes.
Cafe: Annie’s Sideboard in Fish Creek Provincial Park
Stroller friendly: Yes.
Dogs: Yes, on a leash.
Highlights: From Votier Flats throne east, crossing four bridges through a forest of balsam and poplar on the way towards Bebo Grove.
I like to mix it up by walking on a mix of paved and dirt trails. I find the dirt trails are quieter and you don’t have to watch out as much for cyclists. I love the trail that takes you lanugo withal the river and the sandstone cliffs, nesting spots for peregrine and prairie falcons. Between the 5th and 6th underpass there’s a set of stairs leading to a trail with a view. Take them up – if just for the view and return to the paved trail – though you can protract on this narrow dirt trail all the way to the Marshall Springs area.
Walk virtually the storm swimming at Bebo Grove and retrace your steps to return or protract withal Fish Creek to reach Shannon Terrace. Alimony an eye out for beavers in the creek and deer making unexpected appearances withal the trail.
The view from a side trail in the Votier Flats zone of Fish Creek Provincial Park (note the paved bridges to the right and left)
12. Strathcona & Aspen Ravines
Starting point/parking: Self-ruling parking on Christie Park Manor SW
Facilities: None on the trails.
Distance: 6.5 km round trip as an out and when walk
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year-round.
Stroller friendly: Yes, though it might be bumpy withal the boardwalk and there will be a short section of gravely trail at the end of it.
Dogs: Allowed on a leash.
Cafe: Good Earth Coffeehouse, 555 Strathcona Blvd. SW. It’s a two woodcut detour from Strathcona Ravine to get here.
Highlights: Within the communities of Strathcona and Aspen you’ll find Strathcona Ravines Park, a narrow ribbon of untried that makes you finger far removed from a city, expressly when you see deer within minutes of starting a hike. Most of the hike is on tile save for the odd-side trail and the wooden boardwalk at the western end of the Strathcona Ravine. It crosses a seasonal stream, so be prepared for muddy dogs in the spring.
To protract into the Aspen Ravine you have to climb up a small hill at the end of the boardwalk to reach Strathcona Boulevard. Go right and then left, crossing a major intersection to stay on Strathcona Drive. Walk lanugo the equivalent of one large block, past a couple of cul de sacs and squint for a trail leading into the ravine. This part of the hike doesn’t finger as wild as you pass a lot of backyards. Follow it to the end and retrace your steps to the parking lot.
The Strathcona Ravine is one of the easy walking trails in Calgary – with a lovely section of boardwalk
Walking Trails in Calgary – Southeast
13. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Starting point/parking: 2425 9th Avenue SE, Calgary
Facilities: Bathrooms
Distance: Approximately 2.5 km of trails within the bird sanctuary.
Difficulty: Easy and no hills
Season: Year-round but weightier for birds during the spring and fall migration. In spring expect to see songbirds and shorebirds withal the Bow River and in fall the warblers come through.
Cafe: Post walk, trammels out one of the cafes withal 9th or 17th Avenue SE like Good News Coffee or throne to the Blackfoot Truckstop Diner – a Calgary classic.
Stroller-friendly: There is a pathway that is both wheelchair and stroller friendly.
Dogs: Not permitted.
Highlights: The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary offers some of the finest walking trails in Calgary – and though tropical to downtown, it feels a world away. The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary became a Federal Migratory Bird Sanctuary in 1929. Since then over 270 species have been sighted, with 53 types nesting on site. In addition, 21 types of mammals undeniability the sanctuary home. Visit the Nature Centre (check their hours surpassing you visit) to learn what’s recently been sighted.
Even though the Nature Centre may not be open, you can walk the trails here from sunrise to sunset year round. Meander through the woods, up and lanugo sloughs and withal a section of the Bow River. It’s a wonderful place to vicinage with nature, picnic, and get a little exercise. Kids will love the place.
A trappy nature filled walk at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary -close to downtown Calgary
14. Carburn Park and Beaverdam Flats
Starting point/parking: 67 Riverview Momentum SE
Facilities: Year round washrooms at Carburn Park in wing to benches and picnic tables.
Distance: 2.4 km loop virtually the ponds with an option to make it into an 8.5 km out and when walk to Beaverdam Flats.
Difficulty: Easy and flat.
Season: Year round. In winter you can skate on the ponds in Carburn Park.
Stroller friendly: Yes
Dogs: Permitted on leash.
Cafe: None nearby.
Highlights: For an easy walk do the 2.4 km loop virtually two man-made ponds in Carburn Park. They’re in a pretty setting surrounded by trees and shrubs including chokecherry and buffaloberry. Alimony an eye out for white pelicans and unrobed eagles on your walk.
To protract to Beaverdam Flats, simply walk north towards Glenmore Trail – and then up the escarpment to the Lynwood neighbourhood. Find a bench, sit when and enjoy both Rocky Mountain and downtown Calgary views. To protract to Beaverdam Flats, alimony walking to reach a trail that descends to the Bow River. Explore side trails in the Beaverdam Flats zone surpassing retracing your steps to Carburn Park.
From Carburn Park, it’s less than a kilometre to reach Sue Higgins Park on foot via the Eric Harvie Bridge. It sports a giant off-leash zone for dogs withal the Bow River and a series of interconnected walking trails on the west side of the Bow River.
The walking trails in Carburn Park are very pretty in fall
15. Elliston Park
Starting point/parking: 17th Ave SE and 60th St. SE
Facilities: Seasonal washrooms (mid-May to mid-October), playground, water fountains
Stroller friendly: Yes
Distance: 3.4 km loop
Difficulty: Easy and good for families – a bit rough for strollers.
Season: Year-round.
Stroller friendly: Yes
Dogs: Yes – and part of the trail is off-leash.
Cafe: Throne to nearby 17h Ave SE – a hotbed of international eateries and shops. Sign up for the Around the World Supplies Tour that’s been going for over 20 years and spans 35 blocks.
Highlights: Enjoy a easy walk virtually the circumference of Elliston Lake, a storm water drainage lake – and not one you’d want to dip a soul part in. There are plenty of dirt paths that weave through the park amongst the trees planted on hillsides. There is some road noise, but it’s still an easy place to get lost in your thoughts as you watch the birds in action. Kids will love the playground post walk.
One of the easy walking trails in Calgary takes you virtually a lake in Elliston Park
16. Pearce Estate Park – Bow River Pathway – Inglewood Neighbourhood
Starting point/parking: Look for a large parking lot at the north end of 17A Street SE.
Facilities: Seasonal washrooms, playground, picnic tables, picnic grills, Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery, Bow Habitat Visitor Centre, A reservation and release kids (no bait) from May 1 – September 30th.
Distance: About 4.6 km from the Pearce Estate parking lot, virtually the wetlands, past Harvie Passage Lookout, withal the Bow River Trail, detour to Good News Coffee and back.
Difficulty: Easy.
Season: Year round.
Stroller friendly: Yes though trails are a mix of paved and gravel.
Dogs: Permitted on a leash.
Cafes: Lots of nomination in the Inglewood neighbourhood withal 9th Ave. SE like Analog Coffee Inglewood at 1139 9th Ave. SE.
Highlights: The synthetic wetlands zone and the trails running through the park are trappy and platonic for kids. There is interpretive signage virtually the ponds and the walking here is fun and easy.
Wander lanugo to the Bow River, yearning the kayakers in summer as they paddle through Harvie Passage. Protract walking abreast the Bow River, going under the CPR Train Underpass and then turning south on 15th Street SE – if you’re without some coffee. Without a break, either retrace your steps or walk through the Inglewood neighbourhood when to the Bow River Trail and into Pearce Estate Park.
Don’t miss a walk virtually the wetlands in Pearce Estate Park
Walking Trails in Calgary – Northeast
17. RiverWalk East – St. Patrick’s Island Park Loop
Starting point/parking: New Street SE or withal 15th Street SE
Facilities: Washrooms on St. Patrick’s Island, playground, fire pit, benches, picnic tables, colourful sideboard tables.
Distance: 3.0 km loop with options to increase the loftiness by standing on the RiverWalk west or taking the Bow River Trail east.
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year-round.
Cafes: Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters in the Simmons building
Stroller friendly: Yes
Dogs: Yes, on a leash.
Highlights: One of the top walking trails in Calgary starts in the Inglewood neighbourhood and leads you on a paved pathway wideness the Elbow River and then slantingly the Bow River to St. Patrick’s Island. Squint out for interesting urban art installations surpassing stopping in for coffee in the Simmons Building – or protract wideness the George C. King Underpass to walk the trails on St. Patrick’s Island.
The island, located at the confluence of the Elbow and Bow Rivers is a delight. Wander 1.6 km of trails, trammels out their architecturally interesting benches, stop by the waterfront for a superb view of downtown Calgary, and trammels out the fire pit at the top of a steep set of stairs.
If you like loop walks, protract to the eastern end of the island and pick up the pathway that leads over the Zoo Underpass when to where you parked your car in the Inglewood neighbourhood.
You can’t miss “Bloom” – a wonderful piece of at the west archway to St. Patrick’s Island
Walking Trails in Calgary – Northwest
18. Confederation Park – Capitol Hill
Starting point/parking: There are a couple of parking areas in the park plus easy wangle from surrounding neighbourhoods. I started at the 30th Avenue and 7th St NW parking lot. There is moreover one at 3009 10th Street NW and flipside wideness the street on the west side of 10th Street NW.
Facilities: Year round washrooms tropical to the parking area, drinking fountains, playgrounds, and picnic spots.
Distance: Up to 7.8 km as a loop.
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year round.
Dogs: Permitted on a leash.
Cafe: Weeds Cafe, 1903 20th Ave. NW
Highlights: Confederation Park is one of Calgary’s urban parks. Multi-use paved trails often run east west in a crescent shape with 10th Avenue bisecting the park. The park confines four neighbourhoods – Mount Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Collingwood and Highland Park.
You can start walking from anywhere that’s user-friendly for you, whether it be on a neighbourhood street or a formal parking lot. I particularly love the unshut finger and the big trees as the eastern end of the park, so that’s where I started. Walk west (there are tunnels under 10th Street and 14th Street) past duck-filled ponds to the southern purlieus of the Confederation Park Gold Course. Continue, crossing 19th Street to reach Canmore Park, a small but wilder feeling park with signs warning of coyotes.
Then either retrace your steps to your starting point or explore the neighbourhoods south of Confederation Park and the golf course. If you get to the corner of 18th Street and 21st Avenue, you’ll only be two blocks yonder from Weeds Cafe.
Enjoy trappy big trees when you go for a walk in Confederation Park
19. Nose Hill Park North
Starting point/parking: The parking lot at the corner of Shaganappi Trail and Edgemont Blvd. NW.
Facilities: Washrooms
Distance: Highly variable but up to 7.5 km.
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year round.
Stroller friendly: No
Dogs: Yes – and there are off troika areas on the walk.
Cafes: Friends Cafe, 45 Edenwold Dr NW #104
Highlights: Nose Hill Park, the highest point in Calgary, is huge. It’s easy to get turned virtually plane with all the signage, so pay sustentation to landmarks.
This hike starts near the upper point of Nose Hill Park. Follow trails upper on the plateau, walking wideness the width of the park in one direction, and returning on the most northerly of trails in the other. You’ll walk through the marrow of coulees, a good place to be on a windy day, and then when up on the plateau, where you get mountain views to the west and airport views to the east.
There are myriad permutations to the walk – if you take some of the lesser trails. I like to walk where the wind blows me, but I moreover love a good loop walk. This one accomplishes that. I highly recommend taking a photo of the trails at the start of your hike, so you can follow your progress, and retread the walk accordingly.
I love the wood of trees you find all over Nose Hill Park
20. South Nose Hill Park
Starting point/parking: Parking lot at 14th Street and 64th Avenue
Facilities: None, save for some benches withal the trails. Siphon lots of water in summer – and uneaten for dogs.
Distance: Up to 10 km
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year round.
Cafes: The Bullet Coffee House
Stroller friendly: No
Dogs: Yes – and there are off troika areas on the walk.
Highlights: I commonly hike the southern section of Nose Hill Park, and while I have a loop I like to do, I transpiration it up equal to the conditions. On the south side of the park you unchangingly start with a climb – but on top you’re rewarded with unconfined views.
If you want a 10 km walk, climb to the top of the plateau, walk east wideness the park towards the junction of John Laurie Blvd. and Shaganappi Trail. Descend into a coulee, climb when up to the plateau and walk wideness the middle section of the park. There are lots of smaller trails through here I like to take.
In spring and early summer, squint for the intermittent swimming expressly if you have a dog. They’ll love it. Don’t miss a walk past the Nose Hill Siksikaitsitapi Medicine Wheel or the Big Rocks Viewpoint. From up here there are particularly good views of Calgary’s downtown.
Bundle up if you go for a walk in Nose Hill Park in winter as the wind can be bitingly cold
Download the IndigiTRAILS app to witness historical events in Nosehill Park
21. Edgmont Hills and Ravines
Starting point/parking: At the Edgemont Playground parking on Edgemont Momentum NW.
Facilities: None.
Distance: Up to 10.6 km if you walk the Egmont Hills and Egmont Park Ravine to the wetland and back.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate, depending on how much you hike.
Season: Year round.
Stroller friendly: No.
Dogs: Allowed. Lots of off-leash opportunities.
Cafe: Friends Cafe at 45 Edenwold Momentum NW, for sandwiches, soups, and homemade baked goods.
Highlights: Walk up Edgemont Hill NW to a paved trail on your left. Walk past 12 houses, turn right and in half a woodcut reach the unshut space. You can pick up a trail scrutinizingly immediately that will crisscross the hill. This is very much an urban walk as you’ll see lots of houses at the edges of the unshut space. You’ll get great
Stay high, standing on the trail as it heads northeast overdue some homes. Descend to and navigate Edgemont Boulevard and protract on the path into the Edgemont Park Ravines. This is a multi-use park with paved trails and playground’s. Most of the walking is flat, so you can make good time heading for the wetlands abreast Edgebrook Boulevard. Without looking for birds, retrace your steps to the parking lot.
Near the upper point in the Edgemont Hills
22. Dale Hodges Park and Bowmont Natural Environmental Park
Starting point/parking: Parking lot on 52nd Street (one way going west) just west of Home Road.
Facilities: Porta potty at the trailhead. Lots of benches, picnic tables and garbage cans withal the walk.
Distance: 7.3 km
Difficulty: Easy to moderate if you opt to hike the hills.
Season: Year round.
Stroller friendly: Only on the section abreast the Bow River and the boardwalks in Dale Hodges Park.
Dogs: Yes – and part of the walk is off leash.
Cafe: Fringe Coffee on Bowness Road.
Highlights: One of the top walking trails in Calgary has to be the Bowmont Park – Dale Hodges Park loop. I can’t believe it took me over a decade of living here to do it. Put this one at the top of your list. In Dale Hodges Park, old gravel pits have been converted into a wetland zone with ponds unfluctuating by boardwalks. During the spring migration this would be a magical place to visit with all the bird life.
From the parking lot start out on a paved multi-use trail. In no time reach Dale Hodges Park. Meander on the boardwalks surpassing picking up the trail closest to the Bow River. It ultimately connects to the trails virtually the Waterfall Valley south of the Silver Springs neighbourhood but to do the loop turn right passing Nautilus Pond. Climb up the escarpment, enjoying wonderful views of the zone as the trail dips and rises. Descend the slope to return to the parking lot.
Looking out to the ponds and boardwalks in Dale Hodges Park
23. Bowmont Park West – Waterfall Valley – one of my new favourite walking trails in Calgary
Starting point/parking: The parking lot is at the corner of 85th Street NW and 51 Avenue Northwest.
Facilities: There are benches and viewpoints with benches withal the escarpment.
Distance: Approximately 5 km. Throne out on the dirt trails to Waterfall Valley and when on the paved multi-use trail for a trappy loop walk.
Difficulty: Moderate, expressly on the dirt trails. Many are steep and are full of soil – so very slippery when wet. The soil clumps onto your shoes as well.
Season: Year-round. Squint for wildflowers in spring and summer, gorgeous fall colours on the hillsides in storing and frozen waterfalls in Waterfall Valley in winter. Don’t forget icers and poles in winter.
Restaurants: No cafes but Angel’s Momentum In at 8607 43rd Ave. NW offers burgers, shakes and fries.
Dogs: Allowed on and off leash. Squint for signage showing location of off-leash areas.
Highlights: This is one of my new favourite hikes – considering of the ponds, Bow River views, varying vantage points from woods to walking upper on the escarpment, and moreover lanugo by the Bow River. The Waterfall Valley makes a unconfined destination – but it’s moreover easy to add mileage and protract east withal the trails abreast the Bow River.
There are lots of trails in the area, some on wooden boardwalks, so get into explore mode and see where they take you. When you’re up high, it’s easy to pick out trails you want to take.
Great Bow River views from Bowmont Park West near Waterfall Valley – note the stairs on the right hand side
24. Twelve-Mile Gulch Natural Environmental Park
Starting point/parking: The official parking lot (see map) off Tuscany Blvd. NW, near the Scenic Acres Link.
Facilities: None though there are garbage cans.
Cafes/Restaurants: The closest ones are Angel’s Momentum In and Cadence Coffee.
Distance: 5.5 km return
Difficulty: Moderate. Slippery pea gravel underfoot at times and some hills.
Season: Late March until November. When the trail is wet, it’s very slick. Take icers and poles if you segregate to hike it in winter.
Dogs: Allowed on leash.
Highlights: Twelve-Mile Coulee, located well-nigh 12 miles from Fort Calgary (and hence it’s name from Calgary’s stagecoach days) offers a trappy wooded walk in a coulee, paralleling the suburban neighbourhood of Tuscany. There will be times you see homes, so don’t expect to be completely immersed in nature here.
Sometimes there are options to hike a trail near the top of the gulch – in which specimen you’ll enjoy unconfined vistas over to Calgary Olympic Park. Or you can creek hop lanugo at the marrow of the coulee, looking for deer – and plane moose. There is some interesting plant life withal the trail including red-osier dogwood, trembling aspens and numerous native plants of the prairies. In fall, Twelve Mile Gulch puts on a magnificent exhibit of colour.
Twelve Mile Gulch is a welter to walk in the fall
25. Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs
Starting point/parking: 37 Silver Springs Momentum NW
Facilities: Water fountains in season and lots of benches.
Distance: 2.8 km out and when but can be lengthened to include the walking trails in Bowmont Park
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year round. Each season has its eyeful – plane in winter when the garden is decorated.
Dogs: There are off troika dog walking areas throughout the gardens.
Highlights: Explore over a kilometre of individual gardens, created by volunteers whence in 2006. Gardens are linked by easy walking trails through the woods, past sports fields and withal a walled garden separating a rented road from the walking trail. Dogs (under control) are worldly-wise to run freely for a long stretch. On the fall day I visited the trail was rented with friendly locals and their dogs.
The highlight for me was the colourful Wall Garden – a long narrow stretch at the north end of the botanical gardens that has been beautified – and now instead of looking simply at an ugly wall, there are masses of colourful flowers and shrubs including dahlias, Joe Pye Weed, hollyhocks, Sedum Storing Joy, asters, hydrangeas any way more.
I think the Botanical Gardens of Silver Springs are a unconfined place to get ideas for your own garden. Squint for Rose, Edible Fruit, Peony, LoH2O, Shakespeare, Half Moon, Sunflower Gardens and more. I found the Labyrinth Garden near the end of my walk – and could see the request as a place for quiet contemplation while walking the circular paths.
There are gardens scattered from the archway at Silver Springs Way to the parking zone by the soccer field
26. Baker Park and Bowness Park Loop
Starting point/parking: 9333 Scenic Bow Road NW for a Baker Park start.
Facilities: Washrooms, picnic tables, benches, playground, disc golf.
Distance: 5.6 km loop
Difficulty: Easy – mostly flat.
Season: Year-round.
Cafes/restaurant: Seasons of Bowness Park Grab & Go Market
Stroller friendly: Yes
Dogs: Yes, and there are of-leash areas on the north side of the Bowmont Bridge.
Highlights: We started in Baker Park, the former home of the Central Alberta Sanatorium. Have a wander virtually to squint at the trees in the park, some of the 1,800 that were planted to unstrap the dusty conditions at the time. The throne off in either direction towards Bowness Park. We went left at first and crossed the pedestrian underpass over the Bow River. There was a unvarying hum of traffic and construction noise, so this wasn’t my favourite part.
There is the option without crossing the underpass of climbing a trail up towards Valley Ridge, but with all the noise and heavy equipment around, we gave it a pass.
It’s pleasant walking withal the Bow River in Bowness Park, yearning birds and paddlers. When you reach the 85th Street underpass you have an option of going up and across. But don’t. The eastern end of the trail, starts to finger wilder, and the foot traffic thins out. When you reach the end of the trail you’ll have to throne up through a neighbourhood, but just for a block.
Cross the underpass pictured unelevated to reach Bowmont Park and an off-leash section. Protract west through the park, under 85th Street underpass to return to your parking spot. There is the option to protract east towards Waterfall Valley.
Walking an easy loop that included Baker and Bowness Parks
Walking trails tropical to Calgary
There are walking trails tropical to Calgary I thought should be included. If you live in South Calgary, the Ann and Sandy Navigate Conservation zone is very tropical by. And for those of you in North Calgary, it’s a short momentum to both Glenbow Ranch and Big Hill Springs Provincial Park.
27. Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
Starting point/parking: At the end of Glenbow Road, accessed from Highway 1A. It’s just under 3 km from the highway.
Facilities: Visitor centre and washroom at the trailhead.
Distance: Highly variable but there are 30 km of paved and dirt trails.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate, depending on how many hills you hike.
Season: Year-round. In winter take microspikes if it’s been warm and snowshoes without a fresh snow. Winds can be fierce.
Dogs: Allowed on leash.
Cafe/Ice Cream: On hot days throne for Mackay’s Ice Cream in Cochrane. If it’s a caffeine fix you need, visit Cochrane Coffee Traders.
Highlights: Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is a wonderful destination to wits the eyeful of the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. The park is home to lots of wildlife including deer, coyotes, elk, badgers, weasels and plane cougars. In the summer months there are swaths of wildflowers and unconfined bird life. Cattle still roam here too as it’s a working ranch.
Most people start out on the Glenbow Trail, with its pretty Rocky Mountain views. I think the Tiger Lily Loop is a unconfined one to start on – considering there are usually fewer people and it takes you lanugo through a trappy forested section to the Bowbend Junction. From there you can throne west and pass a pretty swimming that often has a lot of duck action. Alimony going west and you sooner get some unrenowned foothill and mountain views.
I moreover love the Bow River loop as there’s a lovely section withal the Bow River. There is no right or wrong way to hike in the park. Go where the wind blows you. Duck into the aspen-filled coulees on unprepossessed or windy days and enjoy expansive views from the rolling grasslands.
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is a very untried place to go for a walk in the spring and summer
28. Big Hill Springs Provincial Park
Starting point/parking: From Highway AB-1A west of Calgary squint for signage. It’s well-nigh 16.5 km from Highway 1A via Highway 766N, west on 567 and south on Big Hills Springs Trail/Range Road 34A.
Facilities: Pit toilets, garbage cans and picnic tables.
Distance: 2.4 km
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year-round but very rented on weekends. Muddy trails in spring especially.
Stroller-friendly: No – too many stairs.
Dogs: Yes, on a leash.
Cafe: See Glenbow Ranch information above.
Highlights: This is a kid-friendly hike with its waterfalls, springs, and tufa formations. Enjoy multiple trails through a forest of aspens with only one main hill to climb.
Waterfalls in Big Hill Springs Provincial Park
29. Ann and Sandy Navigate Conservation Zone – one of the less well know walking trails in Calgary
Starting point/parking: 20 – 194001 160 St W, Foothills
Cost: $10 for parking. Annual passes zone are $120. All proceeds support habitat conservation and help maintain the trails.
Facilities: Bathrooms at the trailhead and at a few locations withal the trails. Bicycles are not permitted.
Distance: Variable depending on what trails you hike.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate depending on what trails you do. There are hills.
Season: Year round. There’s good snowshoeing in winter, but cross-country skiing is not permitted.
Stroller friendly: No – not permitted.
Dogs: Not permitted.
Cafes: Priddis View & Brew Bistro – sealed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Highlights: Approximately 20 km of trails weave through the conservation zone on five main trails ranging from the 2.2 km Mountain Lookout trail to the 8.6 km Paradise Trail with five hills. Download a map on their website.
The property is truly beautiful. Some of the property was farmed and ranched but there are still large areas of native fescue grassland, primarily on the untouched rolling hills. Aspen stands imbricate scrutinizingly 50% of the property – so the land is a study in lime untried in spring, and yellow in fall. Most of the rest of the land is pastures of introduced Brome grasses from the days it was farmed. Over 400 types of plants have been recorded here.
The 4.6 km Fescue Trail is a unconfined choice. It offers superb views of the Rockies front range, and the skyline of downtown Calgary. In spring and early summer, the rolling hills are dotted with wildflowers.
For all hikes bring water as none is misogynist on the trails. There are no garbage cans, so plan to pack out what you pack in. There is wildlife in the conservation area, so siphon withstand spray and squint for elk, deer and plane cougars.
Lime untried foliage seen from the Ann and Sandy Navigate Conservation Zone in May
Final thoughts on the walking trails in Calgary
I will protract to add to this blog – mostly considering I’m having so much fun exploring my municipality – and discovering new walking trails. My dog loves it too – and what a bonus that the majority of the walking trails in Calgary and nearby are dog-friendly!
Interested in what else you can do in Calgary?
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These 25 Day Trips From Calgary are unconfined for getting out of the city.
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