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 While in Calgary, take a break from the rush of urban touring and visit Fish Creek Provincial Park. This 1,189 hectare (2,938 acre) protected area follows about 20 km (12 miles) of the 70 km (43 miles) long Fish Creek valley. This makes the park long and narrow, running in an east-west direction across the southern end of the city.
Don’t be fooled by its location within one of Alberta’s largest cities. This park is the keeper of many stories about the province’s rich natural and cultural heritage. While some of its visitor areas are more developed, you will also find natural wetlands, spruce forests, poplar woods and grasslands. Here, wildlife has found a refuge from the urban sprawl. The park provides protected nesting sites for blue heron and for Alberta’s provincial bird, the great horned owl. Deer are also found here, as well as coyotes, beaver, squirrels, rabbits and many
different bird species.
The area’s colourful history is evident in ancient tipi rings, buffalo kill sites and the cabin location of the first white settler. An elegant ranch house in the park is evidence of the success of the Bow Valley Ranch cattle operation in the late 1800s. Chemist William Shaw and his family also lived here, where he built and operated Alberta’s first woollen mill.
Once you’ve absorbed as much history as you can, head to the visitor centre, where park staff will gladly offer some ideas for a hike or bike ride, or the best place to sit and watch nature go by. You can explore on your own with a park adventure pack borrowed from the visitor centre, or rent a horse for a real western way to see the west end of the park.
Office open weekdays 8:15-4:30. Off Bow Bottom Trail SE, Calgary. .
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