Shortly after hiking the Douglas Fir Trail I revisited the area to wander the much easier terrain of the Bow River Pathway. It was a super hot day and I’d walked a lot so I didn’t get all the way downtown as intended but I did get a couple of cool photos.
This is a nice easy walk for me to complete when the skeeters die off by at least 75% as they are currently at a 15/1 ratio to humans after all the rain we’ve been having. Sigh.
I have visited Confederation Park only once and was very impressed with the Park. It seems to go on almost endlessly so I will have to return and explore the parts of the park I missed during my last visit.
Bowness Park is one of my favourite parks in the city alongside Edworthy and Baker directly across the Bow River. I typically end up in the area around sunset and it offers a lot of photography opportunities as the park is surrounded by water and trees. During the holidays and sometimes at night they light up the trees in white Christmas lights which adds a romantic element to the evening. They rent out canoes, paddle boats etc during the day to putter around the park which makes this park fairly unique.
The Varsity neighbourhood is very picturesque. It’s home to established Calgarians and students alike. It’s close to the river, has lots of greenery and feels like a typical higher end suburb. One of my favourite local coffee shops and book chains are in the area so I wander up in that direction fairly often.
Edworthy is one of my top 3 favourite Calgary parks because of the trees. I’m nothing if not predictable in my love of the forest. Edworthy is one of those rare spots in Calgary I can feel I’m immersed in nature while inside the city. There are lots of picnic areas filled with families, groups and doggos.
This park almost always smells like campfire and offers river views and access to beautiful hiking and walking paths. It connects two of my favourite neighbourhoods in the city and brings everything together. You can often find me hanging out here with a new book and an overpriced local latte enjoying an afternoon in the park.
Edworthy Park is one of my favourite parks in the city but I frequently visit and needed some new challenge when we stumbled upon the entrance to an amazing inner city hiking trail. The trail entrance forks between the Bow River Pathway and the Douglas Fir Trail. The Bow River pathway looks to be flat and not very challenging whereas the Douglas Fir Trail had a quaint little warning about how it’s not maintained, not suitable for pets and small children and is one of those enter at your own risk types.
I feel like I have the fitness level of a 300 lb man who’s diet consists of double cheeseburgers and smokes at least a pack a day so why not take this on as a challenge? People speak of this moderation thing where you start gradually and build up to bigger challenges. I’m stubborn, determined and unaware of the concept of moderation. I’m also addicted to forests and trees so this seemed like a good time to throw some caution to the wind.
That day we travelled all the way downtown from Edworthy Park. My feet started a separatist movement to depart from my body in protest afterwards. 15 KM was an accomplishment and a cure for any quarantine boredom while social distancing like a pro. If you’re looking for an inner city wilderness challenge this is a great place to wander.
I love some of the art in this city and some pieces just look like vastly overpriced blue engagement rings without a stone. Here’s a few pieces that inspired me to capture the talent.
I visited the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary for a nice summer nature walk and to discover a place I hadn’t been before. I never expected to see such a large amount of deer that were super comfortable with people. I hope to visit again soon as this is one of my favourite hidden gems in Calgary that often gets overlooked even by the locals.
The Calgary Zoo is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city for good reason. I mean who doesn’t love to look at adorable animals? These are my favourites from my many trips over the years.
I’m working to eliminate the glare that unfortunately ruined a few of these shots but they were such good captures otherwise that I couldn’t help but share them.
The peace bridge is one of my favourite architectural attractions in Calgary. It’s colour, lighting and shape always seem to draw me in to wanting to take ‘just one more photo’ of the landmark. Usually, while likely strolling by the Bow River between downtown and the Sunnyside/Kensington neighbourhoods for a late afternoon cup of tea. Between the bridge itself, the skyline vistas and river below I just keep coming back here as one of my favourite destinations when wandering Calgary.
