5 Best Hiking Trails in Calgary🥇

Below is a list of the top and leading hiking trails in Calgary. To help you find the hiking trails located near you in Calgary, we put together our list based on this rating points list.

Calgary’s Best Hiking Trails:

The top-rated hiking trails in Calgary:

• Douglas Fir Trail – a great forest setting and is rated as a moderate hiking trail.
• Nose Hill Park – the fourth-largest urban park in the country.
• Weaselhead Flats – a 4.8 kilometer heavily trafficked loop trail.
• Bowmont Park – a large natural environment park that lies along the northern bank of the Bow River.
• Fish Creek Park – an urban provincial park that preserves the valley of Fish Creek.

Douglas Fir Trail

First on the list is Douglas Fir Trail. It is a 5.8 kilometer moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Calgary. The trail features a great forest setting and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, running, and nature trips and is best used from May until October. The park was named after Thomas Edworthy, an early landowner, and now covers about 169 hectares. The trail runs along a densely wooded escarpment with dramatic views of the Bow River Valley, particularly from “dead man’s drop”.

Because of extremely icy conditions, the trail is closed in winter and early spring. The escarpment is 200 feet high and very steep. Natural springs, plus water draining from the communities above result in a very unstable slope. Continued “creeping” leads to trees leaning at odd angles. The coniferous forest is home to the birds and mammals that have adapted to this ecosystem such as Least Chipmunks and Red Squirrels. It is also home to cone-eating birds like the Red and White-winged Crossbills, and some of the tiniest birds around—Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets.

Products/ Services:  

Large, Impressive Douglas-fir Trees, Gravel and Dirt Trails, Lookout Points, etc.

LOCATION:

Address: branch from Quarry Road off of, Cedar Crescent SW, Calgary, AB

Phone: N/A

Website: alltrails.com/

REVIEWS:

“A beautiful moderate trail. Highly recommend it. It took an hour 40 minutes for me to finish.Lots of birds, magnificent view pass the rail.” – Divya Sivan

Nose Hill Park

Nose Hill Park is a natural park in the northwest quadrant of Calgary which covers over 11 km2. It is the fourth-largest urban park in the country and one of the largest urban parks in North America. It is a municipal park and was created in 1980. Nose Hill Park is a natural environment park that is surrounded by 12 residential communities and covers 11 square kilometers. Nose Hill Park has numerous hiking trails and dedicated off-leash areas. The hill most likely gets its name from the fact that, from certain locations and with a little imagination, it looks like a nose.

Products/ Services:  

Hiking Trails, Native Grassland, Wildlife, etc.

LOCATION:

Address: 5620 14 St NW, Calgary, AB T3K 2P6

Phone: 403 268 2489

Website: calgary.ca/

REVIEWS:

“A beautiful place to go for a casual walk in nature with stunning city, mountain and prarie views. The best place to take sunset photos and photos of the moon. Also great for dog walking and saw some people tobogganing today. Great all year round! Good parking too.” – Jill Lavigne

Weaselhead Flats

Weaselhead Flats is a 4.8 kilometer heavily trafficked loop trail located near Calgary that features a river and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Weaselhead Flats is a 237 hectare natural environment park that borders the west end of the Glenmore Reservoir and connects South Glenmore Park and North Glenmore Park. It lays at the mouth of the Elbow River in the southwest part of the city. The park was created in the early 1980s and is likely named after the Tsuu T’ina the Chief Weaselhead who was in power at the time of European contact.

Products/ Services:  

Hiking Trails, Wildlife, Pathways, Cross-country Skiing, etc.

LOCATION:

Address: 37 St SW & 66 Avenue Southwest, Calgary, AB

Phone: 403 268 2489

Website: alltrails.com/

REVIEWS:

“One of Calgary’s most pristine natural reserves. There’s plenty of wilderness for the family to explore and the kids will love playing on the frozen river ion the winter. The main trail is paved and plowed so it’s a good destination regardless of the season.” – Hellie Heller

Bowmont Park

Fourth on the list is Bowmont Park. It is a large natural environment park that lies along the northern bank of the Bow River in the northwest part of Calgary. Baker and Bowmont Park Loop is a 12.7 kilometer moderately trafficked loop trail that features a river and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options where dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on a leash. Bowmont contains grasslands, valleys fed with permanent sources of water, and bushy off-shore islands. There is also a mature Balsam Poplar riverine forest.

Products/ Services:  

Hiking Trails, Picnic Tables, Playgrounds, Baseball Field, etc.

LOCATION:

Address: 85 St NW, Calgary, AB T3B 3P5

Phone: 403 268 2489

Website: alltrails.com/

REVIEWS:

“A little piece of paradise in the city. What an enjoyable walk!!! Will be making it longer next time. Hills, trails, steps. I have biked it once before with a group and biked through with grumpy children but was first time in the winter and all by myself. Patches of trees, creeks and rivers, train bridge…loved it. and I learned it is part of Great Canadian trail. What can I say – go explore, it won’t disappoint and it connects to Baker park….pssst bring discs for a round of disc golf.” – Olga Courtnage

Fish Creek Park

Last on the list is Fish Creek Park. It is an urban provincial park that preserves the valley of Fish Creek in the southern part of Calgary. It is bordered on three sides by the city, and on the west by the territory of the Tsuu T’ina Nation. Much of the park remains in a natural, forested state. Fish Creek flows throughout its length, joining the Bow River on the east side of the park, and there is an artificial lake that offers swimming. With more than 100 kilometers of paved and unpaved trails. The park is a popular area for hiking and biking, as well as for picnicking, swimming, fishing, and observing wildlife.

Fish Creek Park is the second-largest urban park in the country after Rouge National Urban Park in the Greater Toronto Area and followed by Pippy Park in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is also one of the largest urban parks in North America, stretching 19 km from east to west. With an area of 13.48 km2, it is more than three times the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park.

Products/ Services:  

Visitor Centre, Environmental Learning Centre, Picnic Shelters, Group Day-use Areas, etc.

LOCATION:

Address: Calgary, AB

Phone: 403 297 5293

Website: albertaparks.ca/

REVIEWS:

“We had a lovely walk for about an hour on mostly well-groomed paths (unless you ventured off the paved pathways). It’s a beautiful area of Calgary in the city that makes you feel like you are out of the city!!” – Katrina McGillivray