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Presented by Atmosphere.
What better way to celebrate Canada’s 150 Birthday, than to get outside and experience its vast, beautiful, and unique landscapes. From coast to coast Canada’s awe-inspiring trails offers escapes for day hikes to multi-day wilderness adventures. Near Calgary, we are fortunate to have several Alberta Parks and National Parks to explore. Here are my favorite family-friendly hikes for this long weekend plus some great essentials from Atmosphere for hitting the trail.
For the best of Bragg Creek, hike to Sunrise Hill (5.7 km round trip, 504 m elevation gain), picnic at Forgetmenot Pond, and visit thundering Elbow Falls before stopping at Old Village Mall for ice cream. Live music will be playing at the mall from 4 pm – 10 pm on Canada Day! There’s more fun at Redwood Meadows too: Bike parade, bands, bbq, kids activities from 10 am – 4 pm.
Sunrise Hill in November – there’s no snow there now! 🙂 |
For her, pair the light, versatile, breathable merino wool Icebreaker Women’s Sphere Low Crew T-Shirt with Columbia Women’s Back Beauty Long Sport Shorts for ultimate comfort. Finish the outfit off with KEEN Terradora Women’s Hiking Boots great for any weather and terrain. If KEEN boots have been to wide for you in the past, try these. They have a narrower women’s specific last and are light and waterproof!
Icebreaker Women’s Sphere Low Crew Tee, Columbia Back Beauty Long Shorts, KEEN Terradora Boots |
Kananaskis
At this time of year, the wildflowers are putting on a show in Kananaskis! Starting from the highest paved pass in Canada, make your way up to Ptarmigan Cirque (4.5 km, 210 m elevation gain) for alpine meadows carpeted in flowers, sweeping views, and a pretty waterfall. Don’t miss the Canada Day Festivities at Kananaskis Village on your way home! Troll Falls (3.1 km return) is a less strenuous option near the Village that even the littlest ones will enjoy. Bow Valley Provincial Park is also a wonderful place to view wildflowers, only one hour from Calgary.
Ptarmigan Cirque, Kananaskis |
As he navigates the great outdoors, the moisture-wicking Canada red North Face Men’s Longline Short Sleeve Crew T-shirt and Arcteryx Men’s Lefroy Shorts will keep him warm and dry. Attack the rugged trails in the KEEN Aphlex Hiking Boots that offer optimal traction and protection.
North Face Longline Shortsleeve Crew Tee, Arcteryx Lefroy Shorts, Keen Aphlex Mid WP Boots |
Canmore
West Wind Pass (4.2 km return, 380 m elevation gain) is fantastic training for Ha Ling Peak and offers even better views. Look north towards Canmore and south over Spray Lakes! If it’s hot out and the kids want to splash in a creek, try Heart Creek Trail (4 km return). There are 9 fun bridges to cross and water is always nearby – but take care on the rocks as they can get slippery. There’s lots of Canada Day fun going on in Canmore all day long. Visit Canada Day Canmore for more information.
West Wind Pass |
Hiking can be tough work! That is why having the right gear is so important to get your prepared for the challenging treks. The Black Diamond Trail Back trekking poles offer reliable stability and easy adjustment to suit any terrain. Venturing into the backcountry? Have peace of mind in the palm of your hand with the Garmin inReach SE + Satellite Communicator with GPS. Pack smart with the Osprey Stratos 34L Day Pack that is supremely ventilated, durable, organized, and features an integrated rain cover to keep your gear protected.
Black Diamond Trail Back trekking poles, Garmin inReach, Ospray Stratos 34L Day Pack |
Banff
This tip will make your time in Banff less chaotic… Avoid the traffic jams and bike into Banff on the Legacy Trail. Park at Cascade Ponds Day Use Area for a 4 km ride (one way) or Valley View Day Use Area (on Hwy 1 eastbound) for a 12 km ride (one way). See the map here: Legacy Trail Map. P
Hikes: Park the bikes and enjoy some shade on Fenland Trail – take the short detour to Vermilion Lakes Drive for awesome view of Mount Rundle! Tunnel Mountain (4.8 km return, 260 m elevation gain) is another family friendly hike even 2 year olds can do. Check out the full calendar of events here: Town of Banff – Canada Day.
Legacy Trail, Banff National Park |
Calgary
We can’t forget the beautiful city we live in! Take an urban hike along McHugh Bluff this evening to catch the Canada Day Fireworks at 11 pm. Look towards Centre Street bridge! Take River Walk from Fort Calgary to Eau Claire Park to catch several events throughout the day. A full calendar of events can be seen here: Calgary Canada 2017 Guidebook.
If you’d like to avoid the downtown core, enjoy the free pancake breakfast and special events at Heritage Park or Confederation Park (celebrating 50 years) instead!
Be here at 11 pm to see the fireworks! |
Giveaway
Here’s your chance to enter to win a $50 gift card from Atmosphere! Atmosphere carries premium name brands of outdoor gear for all activities from hiking and backpacking to paddling and skiing. Contest closes July 7, 2017 at midnight and is open to Canadian residents only.
Disclosure
Atmosphere sponsored this post and provided gear recommendations. As a KEEN Ambassador family, we have tested the KEEN Terradoras and Men’s Aphlex and highly recommend them.
Related Posts
- The Best Short Hikes Near Calgary (<4 km return & 1 hr from Calgary)
- MORE Best Short Hikes Near Calgary
26 comments
The Heart Creek Trail sounds like a really nice hike.
Bragg Creek
Beaches Jazz Fest
I've always wanted to take my son to Sunrise PowderPuff in Bragg Creek, but hadn't heard anyone say whether good or not. So, thanks for info. Hope to get out there this week.
We have lovely Falls and hiking trails here like Ingal's Falls.
Would love to see the wildflowers in Kananaskis
Ptarmigan cirque is my fave
Ptarmigan cirque is great!
The Tunnel Mountain hike sounds like an awesome option for my family as my son struggles with gross motor skills & it's an easier hike for him to manage.
I love Kananskis
I love Ptarmigan Cirque!
The Heart Creek Trail sounds like fun. even I would splash in the creek to cool down.
I love the Heritage Park recommendation – Pancake breakfasts always win me over!
I would live to do heritage park on canada day!
I like the many trails around Canmore that are easy for the kids.
I like Banff one….thinking of heading for the parade, hiking, picnicking, family entertainment and last but not least the Fireworks ��….a perfect Canada 150th birthday celebration
Even though we live near Heritage Park, I think we're going to skip it. I'm not a fan of big crowds. Calaway Park is also doing some events (we were there today).
We'll probably be very unpatriotic and go to Fish Creek Park. Gotta get my km logged for the Greenway 150 challenge. 😉
Thanks for the contest.
We'll be in Waterton! Have a great long weekend POG Family
We are stoked to see some wildflowers – so one of those options sounds fantastic! Thanks for the suggestions
Ribbon Creek, Fullerton Loop, West Wind Pass……. so many to choose
We're still debating about what to do tomorrow but for anyone who hasn't been to Heritage Park on Canada Day before, it's definitely a great option! And you can now buy your admission tickets online in advance (the ticket line can get really long!).
Fireworks!!!
Probably heading to kananaskis!!
My favorite is always Bragg Creek because there's ice cream to stop for at the end 🙂
Hard to choose from all these options isn't it 🙂 Thinking of heading out to Bragg Creek….
Dana
Comments are closed.