Every Weekend without an exception we go out and enjoy nature. You don't always have to go far from home to find a large park and because it was hot, we headed down to the river. The closest spot to us in the North West is called Bowmont Park, there are hundreds of parks along the Bow river in Calgary and bike paths most of the way, making it a popular place for locals.
Calgary is a very active city, the river is too cold for most people to swim but thus didn't stop every one. Kayaking, rafting, and even floating down the river on a giant unicorn are the best things to do in the city in the summer. We floated the Bow River last year and I'll do it again when some friends come from out of town.
The Bow river lies in the Bow valley, which frequently floods, so it's best kept as parkland. We made sure not to buy a house anywhere near a flood zone because these once in a century floods seem to happen a lot more often than not. There are numerous channels and the valley is quite broad making it a perfect place to put a giant park through the city. The trees provide much-needed shade on a Summer's day.
This is a cute bridge to the Silver Spring Island off Leash Dog Park. There are a few foot bridges that get one across the island here and it's the best place for dogs as they can go for a swim. The river is a beautiful colour as most of it is melt water from glaciers and winter snow in the Rocky Mountains.
A train bridge runs though the park, this single track is one of the main train lines across Canada. It's only for freight but there is discussion of making a service for passengers to Banff. As romantic as it sounds, I'd prefer less people go to Banff then more and it's best enjoyed with a car as the shuttle buses only go to the most popular places.
The river is lined with luxury homes where it is not too low-lying. That would be Bowness across the river. At one point it was a separate town but it was amalgamated into Calgary.
We walked around a little more in Bowmont Park and made a decision to cross the river instead of climbing the sunny hill up to the Viewpoint.
They have signs telling you about the history and nature in the area. Bowmont Park is also close to Montgomery, another town that was incorporated into Calgary. It's fairly large and this is just one side of a tenth of the river which flows through Calgary. There's more than enough walking paths for even the most avid hikers and bikers. There's something like 1000 km of bike paths in Calgary, putting it ahead of most large North American cities if not at the top. They're good too, not just lines on the side of a road.
Bridges connect the path system together. There are bridges over major roads, rivers and sometimes tunnels. Where the path is on the street, it's often separated or the sidewalks are made twice as wide to allow for shared access. We walk along these paths almost every day.
These are the heights above the river on the North end, that's the suburb of Silver Springs up there. Because of the cliffs the path has to go up the hill and away from the river, but it makes it a secluded spot for people to swim.
You can find nature down by the river too. Sometimes we see photos of moose and bears as they use the river and park system as a highway to get through the city. Deer and birds are plentiful.
We had to walk along the street for a little while and then back into the park on the South shore. Bowness is a very popular place to start raft trips down the river through Calgary. And it's a very popular place for picnics.
There are hundreds of parking spots but they are often taken so it's best to park where we did, across the river. You can take a train around the park, but it doesn't really go anywhere and is fun for the kids. This is the perfect place to spend a Weekend with your children and is a good place to visit if you're in the North West of Calgary and don't feel like driving out to the mountains to enjoy nature.
All Photos Taken with an S22
[//]:# (!pinmapple 51.09968 lat -114.20683 long Bowmont Park d3scr)