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.
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.
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.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time downtown in the heart of Calgary and have grown rather fond of it. Between my commutes to the office, aimless wandering adventures on the weekends and late nights with friends shopping or playing food critic at the local restaurants I find myself drawn to the energy of the busy streets.
There are lots of places to grab a late brunch or bougie coffee, devour some Alberta beef or consume more dumpings/tacos/cupcakes than is recommended by the food guide and your doctors alike. Nom. There’s even a garden in our high end downtown shopping centre, what’s not to love?
During this Covid-19 quarantine I’ve taken a lot of walks around the city to get a break from the inside of the four walls of my apartment. One of my favourite areas to explore was the Bowness trails along the Bow river. Bowness has now become one of my favourite neighbourhoods in the NW to wander. It has everything I love..trees, riverside pathways and a number of old bridges that used to transport trains back before Bowness was absorbed by the Calgary city limits.
I’ve also added a few shots from last year taken during one of the two glorious days of autumn that Calgary gets to bear witness to. The colour of these trees was the closest I’ve seen in Calgary to what I experienced and miss from Southern Ontario or coastal cities such as Vancouver, BC or Portland, OR.
