If you are looking for some surprise on your urban walkabouts, then look no further than these quirky neighbourhoods. Not knowing what you might find around the next corner makes for a fun walk. I featured Sunnyside and Kensington, The Beltine and Connaught and Ramsay/ Inglewood in this CTV segment. All these routes are in my book Calgary’s Best Walks. But remember to deviate from my suggested route to find more surprises!
I headed out of the city to the Rocky Mountains in my latest CTV segment. Fantastic Wildflower Hikes near Calgary. Check it out here!
CTV SEGMENT Rocky Mountain Wildflower Hikes
Here are the four wildflower hikes that I featured. Meadows of colour, some with snow on top!
Sulpher Springs/ Riverview Loop: Elbow Valley, Kananaskis
Grass Pass: Highwood, Kananaskis (20 minutes west of Longview)
Cox Hill: Sibbald Flats, Kananaskis
Stanley Glacier: Kootenay National Park
Once again, get the Gem Trek maps (see my previous blog post)
As I prepare my CTV segment on Wildflower Hikes of the Rockies, I contacted my favourite map company, Gemtrek Maps, to get images of some of their maps to show on TV. These topographical maps (they show the contours of the mountains so that you can visually assess elevation gain) also have all trails marked along with route descriptions on the reverse.
Of course, having a map is not enough to stay found. You need to:
The Kananaskis has many, many trails that diverge from the main route. These side trails are rarely marked.
Route finding 101 says:
At any trail intersection, on a linear route, be sure to turn around and look at what the route will look lil eon the way back down. Believe me, it will not be familiar if you do not do this. And be sure to take note if there is a trail split, which trail you should take to find your car.
Here are four of the maps, but there are more. Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway, Yoho, Jasper…GET THEM ALL!
WHERE TO BUY GEMTREK MAPS in Calgary:
MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op)
Join us this summer for some urban walkabouts and some breathtaking Rocky Mountain Hikes!
July 11- September 20, 2016
The schedule is now on-line: Check it out here!
I highlighted my favourite STAIRWAY walks in Calgary yesterday on CTV Morning! So many great places to sweat! And all of them, and many more, in my book, Calgary’s Best Walks…of course.
Douglas Fir Trail, Edworthy Park, is one of the Stairway Walks that I featured
All walks are great for kids of course, but there are some urban walkabouts that are clear favourites. Bring on the ice cream stops, watermarks, massive hills to roll down, single track trails along escarpments, waterfalls and for the teenagers in the group, a burger stop in Kensington!
Watch my Kid Favorite CTV segment!
If you are looking for some motivation to put foot to pavement, pathway or wilderness route, then watch my CTV Morning Segment on Starting Your Walking Habit! So much to see while on foot in Calgary and beyond in Southern Alberta.
Watch my segment on CTV Calgary Morning
Join me this Spring through Fall of a series of FREE guided walkabouts! I have teamed up with MEC Calgary to lead a unique urban walkabout a month. You can register on-line at MEC Calgary.
April 30: Book signing and mini-walk: Indigo Signal Hill: 3-5 pm
May 7: Book Signing at MEC Calgary: 12-1:30 pm
May 8: Jane’s Walk: Elbow River Communities: 10-11:30 am
May 11: Blossom Trek: MEC, Mount Royal and Mission: 6-7:30 pm
June 8: Cafe & Ice Cream Walkabout: East Village, River Walk and Bridgeland: 6-7:30 pm
July 13: Burn of the mini-donuts: Stampede recovery walk on Nose Hill: 6-7:30 pm
September 7: Quirky Neighbourhoods: Roxboro- Ramsay: 6-7:30 pm
October 5: Fall Colours on the Jackrabbit Trail, Glenmore Reservoir: 6-7:30 pm
Find more about my book and learn about my FREE walkabouts and book signings at www.calgarysbestwalks.ca.
For info on all guided walks and mountain hikes check www.fitfrog.ca
My CTV segment yesterday featured a fantastic urban walkabout around the Glenmore Reservoir. The complete map is in my book, Calgary’s Best Walks, and offers lots of options to get off the paved regional pathway and into the single track trail system in the Weaslehead and other hidden wilderness trails.
I took CTV viewers snowshoeing on my latest segment. Watch the segment here!
If you want to know more about where to snowshoe, maps and trails, check out my post on where to snowshoe in and around Calgary. And for more info on snowshoeing, where to rent, what to bring, take a read of my snowshoe page on this website.
Snowshoeing is great exercise, just like walking but slower, in spectacular terrain. It is a wonderful family activity (bring the crazy carpets and the shovels for snow caves). It is a wonderful, FREE, outing that refreshes the mind and the body.
