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the mountain parks, Alberta
Canada
102 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2012 : 1:16 PM
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| Is there any good hiking near Calgary (excluding K-country west). I am coming there for a few days to visit a friend. Obviously living in the mountain parks I have done a load of hiking etc around Lake Louise, Banff and Canmore but I have never been to Calgary. Anything with plenty of elevation gain. Preferably within half hour of Calgary. |
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3506 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2012 : 2:12 PM
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Dood, Calgary is on the prairie! The only elevation gain you're going to get around there is the Calgary Tower...  |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2012 : 4:56 PM
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| You can do some decent training walks up and down the river valleys and ravines, but really the good hiking 'near Calgary' is in the mountains 45 minutes away. It's well worth driving further to do an actual hike. |
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the mountain parks, Alberta
Canada
102 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2012 : 5:24 PM
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I already live out here but just looking for something to do while
in Calgary. |
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40 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2012 : 6:05 PM
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| Depending on where you are staying in Calgary there is nose hill in the north and fish creek in the south and princes island dowtown. All are good for morning or evening runs or strolls. Nothing i would consider a hike though. If you are staying in thee deep south Moose Mountain an Prarie mountain are only 1/2 hour away in the elbow falls area of k country. Those are good early season hikes. |
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1078 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2012 : 6:32 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Greg1920
Depending on where you are staying in Calgary there is nose hill in the north and fish creek in the south and princes island dowtown. All are good for morning or evening runs or strolls. Nothing i would consider a hike though. If you are staying in thee deep south Moose Mountain an Prarie mountain are only 1/2 hour away in the elbow falls area of k country. Those are good early season hikes.
Yes, Nose Hill may well be good for a run or stroll, but in terms of elevation gain, let's just say my first reaction to the park was: where's the hill???? |
Edited by - DCIPHER on 05/21/2012 6:33 PM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 2:50 PM
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If you only have an hour for a training walk, any of the ravines is good. Twelve Mile Coulee in Tuscany, Bowmont Park, the sides of Nose Hill, the hill above Prince's Island all let you go up and down for some workouts.
The Weaselhead area west of the Glenmore Reservoir and Fish Creek Park also offer nice walking with less hillage. |
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2012 : 8:08 PM
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I explored Nose Hill yesterday. Was curious what other people think about it - that's how I stumbled upon this thread.
I completely disagree that Nose Hill is more a stroll than a hike. It's a huge plateau with lots to explore. I went up there well before the sunrise. Nice hiking in the dark with added bonus of observing a beautiful sunrise over the city.
At the end, my GPS recorded a 14km hike with over 500m elevation gain, but it felt much more because of the snow. I decided to make a loop staying close the edge of the Park crossing a number of ravines with ups and downs. Off-trail hiking is not permitted in the normal season to protect vegetation but walking on snow is not going to damage Park's plants in the winter of course.
In the nutshell, it's a nice winter hike within the city limits. Too bad that frequent chinooks make it impractical for light ski touring. I recommend doing it either very early or when it's really cold. That's when there are not many dogs off-leash that pissed me off and it feels more wild, especially in the centre of the Park where the city is not seen. With prairies on all four sides and mountains in the west, it almost looks like somewhere near Pincher Creek in southern Alberta.
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North Vancouver, B.C.
Canada
54 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2012 : 9:29 PM
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| Brad Creek 45 minutes west of the city should give you some hiking, years back we used to do a lot of dirt bike riding in the area. Nice country. |
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350 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2012 : 10:50 PM
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| You should definitely hit up the West part of Fish Creek park. You can get yourself deep in there and avoid hearing all the traffic and noises of the city. Paths are lame, so go follow some deer trails. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
606 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2012 : 11:06 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by wildtrekker
You should definitely hit up the West part of Fish Creek park. You can get yourself deep in there and avoid hearing all the traffic and noises of the city. Paths are lame, so go follow some deer trails.
Very much true.
Calgary has (at least) 4 fantastic urban hiking areas: Nose Hill, Bowmont, Weaselhead and Fish Creek. If you know where you go, you can totally detach yourself & get "I am in the wild" feel.
My preference is Nose Hill, because of sweeping 360 views and very strong "prairies" feel. I lived for years in Edgemont and spent countless hours hiking or biking on the hill. As Engor said above, there are so many trails, ravines and areas to explore. Lots of wildlife too, if you know where to go and right time of day. |
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2012 : 6:56 PM
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| Thanks guys for your suggestions! I'll check out Fish Creek, Bowmont and Weaselhead. I bet Nose Hill will be my favorite though. As Zeljko mentioned, it provides "prairies feel", and I want to add, "mountaintop feel" when looking down on the rest of the city. |
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Topic |
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Calgary hiking
