IN THE CITY:
Fish Creek Park
In the south of the city a natural landscape in an evolving urban setting where the needs of wildlife and natural systems are balanced with outdoor leisure and environmental education opportunities.
Nose Hill Park is the largest natural area urban park in Canada, covering approximately 2700 acres in north central Calgary. This is a great area for running and walking. Great views of the city and the surrounding area await you where a vast variety of natural phenomena can be spotted during your visit.OUT OF TOWN:
Canadian Rocky Mountains
Just over a hour drive into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains you enter Banff National Park - Canada's first national park. The park is home to a variety of distinctive natural features and cultural and historical sites. Indulge in the decadence of the Banff Springs hotel or sooth marathon aches and pains in the mineral hot springs.
Columbia Ice Field
The Columbia Ice Field is 105 km south of Jasper, and 125 km north of Lake Louise. The ice fields are the largest of the chain of ice fields along the Great Divide separating Alberta and British Columbia. This 325 square km accumulation of ice feeds eight large glaciers. Take a trip on the specially designed snow-buses that drive out onto the ice fields to view the crevasses and ice formations. Visitors are warned NOT to walk out onto the glacier. Guided tours are available.
Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is the largest and most northerly of the four Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks which comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its’ scenery is rugged, including deeply gouged Maligne Canyon and picturesque Maligne Lake. Thrill to the thunder of Sunwapta Falls; enjoy the serene beauty of glacier-covered Mount Edith Cavell; hike along any of the 1,000 km of trails; or have a relaxing soak in Miette Hot Springs.
Kananaskis Country
A little closer to Calgary is Kananaskis Country - Alberta's largest recreation area. The park includes over 5,000 square kilometres of land, the Town of Canmore, and four provincial parks. Located southwest of Calgary on the boundary of Banff National Park, K-Country is renowned for its sparkling lakes, jagged peaks, and rolling foothills; and is home to a wide variety of wildlife including bears, wolves, and moose.