Calgary Walks: Immerse yourself in nature in the heart of the city
Lori Beattie knows a thing or two about walking. She's travelled every path and trail listed in her new updated book, Calgary's Best Walks. She explained why she loves to explore this city on foot in a Weekend Life column on March 29, and now we're encouraging you to follow in her footsteps. Over the next few months, we'll highlight one of the 95 walks in Beattie's book, complete with necessary details and tasty stops along the way.
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Families looking for a post-dinner stroll to relax or to let kids burn off some energy will enjoy a visit to Carburn Park. This trek is perfect for all ages, pups and people, with its water features, wildlife and mix of single-track trails and paved pathways. And when the trees are full, this extensive suburban green space becomes a refreshing nature getaway. Balsam poplars offer shade while shrubs like saskatoon, choke cherry, American silverberry, and Canada buffaloberry provide texture and colour along the trail. Pelicans, double-breasted cormorants and bald eagles all frequent this area, and many deer call the park home.
Walk 83 follows the paved Bow River Pathway from Sue Higgins Off-Leash Park through Carburn Park, under Glenmore Trail, and up the escarpment to Lynnwood with views of the Rocky Mountains and downtown. Soon you'll enter Beaverdam Flats Park, where you can stick to the main path or venture off-trail onto shrub-lined trails that follow the river. Take the hidden path to Lynnwood Ridge, where you'll walk behind homes with stunning views. Chat with the homeowners along the ridge if you want to learn about the former Imperial Oil Refinery and the decades of environmental remediation in their community. And keep watch for the epic rhubarb plant. I made many pies and muffins from its stalks, thanks to the owner offering it up.
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Walk 84 stays high and explores the neighbourhoods of Lynnwood and Millican Ogden, one of Calgary's oldest communities. Named after the former vice-president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, it is arguable that Calgary would not exist had it not been for the CPR, the Ogden Locomotive Shops, and the founding of the town of Ogden. Be sure to detour down 18A Street to see many vintage homes dating back to 1910 and to chat with the friendly folks who live there.
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Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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