Tag: Alberta
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Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park: Hiking Bow River Loop
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is an historical cattle ranch that is only about 14 kilometers away from Calgary’s northwest edge. The ranch runs along the Bow River, and on a clear day there are wide panoramic views of the Canadian Rockies. There is a mix of paved and dirt trails throughout Glenbow Ranch. Glenbow Ranch…
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Hiking Fullerton Loop Near Calgary
Fullerton Loop Fullerton Loop is a half day hike hike just west of the town of Bragg Creek. The trails are easy to follow, and there are signs at all of the trail intersections to make sure you don’t get lost. This hike takes about 2 hours to complete. Distance: 6.9 km Elevation gain: 240 m /…
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Early Season Hikes Near Calgary
These early season hikes near Calgary are my tried and true early season warm-ups, and are all between 5-10 kilometers. They are close to Calgary and easy enough to give your legs and lungs a chance to get back into shape before tackling bigger summer excursions. Ole Buck Loop, Sibbald Area Distance: approx. 5.4 kmElevation…
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Hiking at Eagle Hill Near Calgary
Eagle Hill is a great hike for getting back into the swing of things. You get pretty good distance and elevation gain, but without any real punishment. It’s south-facing, and in the lower foothills, so trails are usually doable pretty early. We went out this year on April 17. There was slush and mud, but…
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Hiking through Fossils in Dinosaur Provincial Park
Fourth Time’s a Charm It wasn’t until my fourth visit to Dinosaur Provincial Park that I finally booked a guided hike. The Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is packed with dinosaur fossils. Most of it is off limits without a guide. There are a couple of cool but short walking paths…
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How to Spend a Day in Banff
You can definitely get a solid overview of Banff in a day, but you have to have a pretty good game plan going in to make it all happen. If you are tight on time, and want to visit this world class Canadian National Park, here is how to spend a day in Banff. Hike…
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Mountaintops and Tasty Hops: A Perfect Day in Canmore
Banff is beautiful, everyone wants to go there. But Canmore is definitely my favourite Canadian mountain town. With the drive from Calgary clocking in at just under an hour, Canmore is quite a bit closer than Banff to the nearest international airport. The crowds in Canmore are less intense and less touristy. Plus, there are…
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Why You Should Skip the Rockies this May Long Weekend
For Albertans, the Victoria Day long weekend, known locally as May Long, is the beginning of camping season. Every front country campsite between Calgary and the British Columbia border is likely booked solid by now. But, don’t let that stop you. The best spring camping in Southern Alberta is not in the mountains, but on…
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The Three Friendliest Pints of Beer in Calgary
One of my favourite parts about a great adventure is telling its tales over a hot meal and a cold beer. Because Calgary is a great home base for a variety of adventures, I’d like to share a few of the best places in town to unwind after a long day of being awesome. For…
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Dear MEC Calgary: A Letter about our Bear Encounter
With camping season knocking, I wanted to post this letter to MEC Calgary that my wife Tiffany wrote shortly after the May long weekend in 2016. Enjoy, and remember to be bear safe. Dear MEC Calgary, I wanted to write a message of thanks to both MEC and to Kevin Van Tighem for the exciting…