Walking Along Glenmore Reservoir
Originally written for the Islander Abroad blog found on girlfrommalta.wordpress.com
It was almost Summer when we finally decided to venture somewhere new, here in Calgary. Most of our walks had been around the area where we live — exploring our new surroundings, learning about the best places to go for short walks with Chappie, and discovering lush green fields close to home. The few longer walks we had been on were a couple of trails downtown: the Elbow River Pathway, Prince’s Island Park, and St Patrick’s Island in the East Village. All fantastic short trails with beautiful scenery for those days when you want to get away from the chaos of the city while still staying close to all the conveniences of urban living.
One of Calgary’s greatest attributes (and the main reason we moved here) is the amount of open green spaces available. While it is very much a modern city, with tons of restaurants, shops, and things to keep you busy, it’s also a great place for those who love being outdoors and spending time in nature. Alberta is one of the most beautiful provinces in Canada, with mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, prairies, and even badlands, so it’s no surprise that this city offers some of the most stunning scenery and views, even on its urban trails. Great news for us! Because while Alberta is massive, and those mountain trails are only a couple of hours outside of the city, we are still happily exploring the city itself, before we set forth into wilder terrain.
Which brings me back to that day in early June. We finally felt a little more settled in our new home, and Chappie had become more accustomed to the new environment and seeing wildlife without losing his mind (in Malta, the most wildlife you’ll see in towns are the stray cats and dogs, so squirrels and hares were definitely a surprise!).
It was a gorgeous, hot Sunday — the sun was already high up in a clear blue sky, and a few white, fluffy clouds were moving along with the cool breeze. A perfect day to explore somewhere new! We had decided upon Glenmore Reservoir as it was only about an hour away from downtown by bus, and we were still getting used to the transport system at this point. As the name suggests, this is a large reservoir on the Elbow River, surrounded by uninterrupted pathways on the edge of the water, made for both pedestrians and cyclists.
Once there, we realized something about Calgarians — they are definitely very active! If you’re looking for a quiet walk off the beaten path, this is not going to be it. The whole place was buzzing with people kayaking, families having picnics on the grass, children playing, pups dipping their paws in the water, couples enjoying a stroll along the trails, and cyclists whizzing past, the sharp clinking sound of their bike bells ringing every few seconds. Although I tend to enjoy quieter walks, I also love seeing people being outside and enjoying the gift that is nature, so it was lovely to see so many out and about.
Glenmore Reservoir has a number of trails and paths, with the longest loop being about 15km. We chose one of the shortest paths: the South Glenmore Park Loop, which only took us a little under 2 hours to complete. We began the trail at the point near Heritage Park Parking Lot A, next to a small, steep, grassy hill with a tiny blue windmill at the top, and a lovely view of the reservoir and tree-lined shoreline on the other side. Large bits of pollen flying in the wind made the scene all the more idyllic and fairytale-like (although my sinuses weren’t quite in agreement).
The trail itself is extremely straightforward to follow, making it even easier for us to just enjoy the views of the water and surrounding greenery. As we walked along the paved walkway, the air was thick with the sounds of people chatting, the shrill calls of wild birds and cicadas, the rustling of the trees, and those clinking bike bells, all in a grand but gentle chorus under the heat of the June sun.
Eventually, the path became a little quieter as we walked further into the trees, and we stopped every once in a while to take in the views of the reservoir and the mountains in the distance, and to enjoy a few gulps of water as the wind dried the sweat off our foreheads — I had severely underestimated just how hot Calgary can get! Even Chappie seemed to be feeling the heat as he cooled off underneath the shade of the trees, laying on the grass next to his water bowl and panting loudly away.
At the loop, which is close to the Glenmore Sailing School, things quickly became quite lively again, with people everywhere, shattering the already thin veil of illusion that we had enjoyed for the past 40 minutes or so, that we were somewhere far away from civilization. The rest of the trail ahead appeared a lot busier than what we had already walked, as it was closer to the road, so we decided to go back the way we came instead, and walk parallel to the rest of the trail, preferring to stay close to the gentle, lulling sound of the water, and further away from the noise of the crowds and real life for as long as possible.
Towards the end of the path, we decided to take a detour into a large car park with a couple of restaurants where we could sit down and grab a quick bite for lunch before continuing ahead into the final 20-minute stretch of the trail and making our way home. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that all three of us were grateful to get out of the scorching sun for a while and get some cold refreshments before moving on, especially our pup who was born with a weak leg and tends to need some proper rest on walks. We made our way to the end, slowly, returning to that steep, grassy hill, before enjoying the views one last time, then walking back to the bus stop.
If you’re looking for a relaxing city walk in Calgary that’s also dog-friendly, and you don’t mind the crowds, then I definitely suggest trying the South Glenmore Park Loop. It’s a quick hike that’s very easy to get to, but still provides beautiful surroundings for your senses to feast upon. I’m curious to see what the trails here are like come winter!
PRACTICAL INFO:
- Length: 5.5 km loop (3.4 miles)
- Terrain: Paved
- Difficulty: Easy
- Skill Level: all
- Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes
- Dog friendly: Yes (dogs on leash)
- Family friendly: Yes
- Swimming: No
