Category: Hikes And Summits

Nose Hill Hike

Nose Hill Park Centre Loop

Calgary’s Nose Hill Park is a vast urban green space, one of the biggest in the country as it turns out, and this hike sort of a best of tour. There’s natural grasslands, aspen groves, sweeping views and many hidden things to discover. The old wrecked car, a glacial erratic,...

Barrier Lake Kananaskis

Baldy Pass to Lusk Pass Loop

The route described here, the Baldy Pass to Lusk Pass Loop, is an enjoyable outing in the forest and offers up some nice views. This area has been harvested of trees over the years and as such there’s many open places where one can look out to beautiful wooded hills...

CPR Viaduct Lethbridge

Lethbridge Pathways: Under the Viaduct

It’s time for a little fun on the Lethbridge Pathways system! On the route shared today, you’ll be under the cottonwoods, down by the the Oldman River and always in the shadow of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s towering Viaduct (aka the High Level Bridge). There’s wooded groves, open green spaces,...

Alamo Concentrator

Coming Soon in 2024 (2)!

Coming soon in 2024 (part two): more amazing places the Team has visited and will be posting about in the next couple months or so. As always, it’s a varied menu of subjects, to keep things interesting, and here’s the list. There’s mining remains, lost cemeteries, roadside memories, something “super”,...

Great Beater Challenge 2023

Coming Soon in 2024 (1)!

Coming soon in 2024 (1st installment): presenting places we’ve explored the last year or so and the posts that will come from these incredible adventures. We’re talking a wild assortment and we’re sure you’ll enjoy every single one as much as we did documenting them. We simply love what we...

West Bragg Creek Sundog

West Bragg Creek Boundary Ridge

This easy and enjoyable hike happens not terribly far from Calgary in the West Bragg Creek trail network. Via a loop and making use of several interconnecting trails it takes in the goal of lowly Boundary Ridge. It’s a bump that barely rises above the surrounding countryside, but is still...

Porcupine Hills Ridge Hiking

Adair Ridge – Porcupine Hills Ridge

In spite of their close proximity to many places we frequent, we’ve seldom explored the Porcupine Hills in Southern Alberta. They’re always within sight when driving major highways in the area yet to us remain mostly a mystery. There’s scattered history in those hills, that we know, and many hiking...

Rainy Summit Rocky Spine

Rainy Summit Ridge to Sunrise Hill

Depending on the write up you might see it called Sunrise Hill, Rainy Summit Overlook or maybe both will be used (like here). It’s an outlier of long Powderface Ridge and can be reached in one of two ways. The first is via a side-path off the popular and aptly...

Hardware Store Three Hills

Three Hills Pathways & Sidewalks

We’re in Three Hills Alberta doing a research project and have a few hours to spare after finishing early. What to do…what shall we do…? How about a little walk about and let’s get to know the community a little better. Sounds like a plan but given it was a...

Views Myrtle Mountain Kimberley

Kimberley Nature Park Myrtle Mountain

This hike to Myrtle Mountain, in the Kimberley Nature Park Trail Network (Kimberley British Columbia), visits a number of superb viewpoints. Look out over town, the broad Rocky Mountain Trench and up the St Mary’s River Valley – it’s all wonderful scenery. It’s a fair sized loop with a bit...

Bee Line Trail View Point

The Bee Line Cranbrook BC

The Bee Line Cranbrook BC is a fun, albeit relatively short hike, in loop form, and goes up and over a low hill just outside town. It’s in the Community Forest Network and if you want to do more afterwards, there’s an endless number of connecting trails to help round...

Holy Cross Kananaskis

Grass Pass to Fir Creek Point & More

This adventure happens in front ranges of Kananaskis, out in the Highwood River area and for a modest effort comes a nice reward. Be in awe of that mountain scenery! Following a trail up Pack Trail Coulee, one tops out at Grass Pass, then it’s on to Fir Creek Point...

Bowbend Trail Glenbow Ranch

Glenbow Ranch Big West Loop

Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is a wonderful natural area between Calgary and Cochrane. There on the north side of the Bow River, it’s a huge playground for outdoorsy types, with lots of rolling hills, grasslands and the odd wooded grove. Despite being close to the city, it’s easy to imagine...

Long Distance South

West Bragg Creek: Long Distance South

Here’s the last hike of the winter season for us, although the route documented can be enjoyed any time of the year. Things are warming up (finally) and this shoulder season is a quiet time for the West Bragg Creek Trail system. Presenting a pleasant little loop in the woods...

Bowmont Park

Calgary Pathways: Montgomery – Bowness

Presenting another in-town Calgary Pathways adventure. The route described presently takes one from Montgomery to Bowness (and back) while exploring green spaces, wetlands and escarpments. Paralleling the Bow River it visits Bowmont, Baker and Bowness Parks on pavement or gravel track. While the city is often in view, it feels...

Edgemont Ravine Walking Path

Edgemont Ravine (NW Calgary)

It happens in Edgemont Ravine, Northwest Calgary, and the hike presented here a nice easy one through park and natural green spaces. You might be deep in the city but it often feels far removed from the usual hustle and bustle. Stop and breathe. To extend the fun one can...

Chris BIGDoer.com

West Bragg Creek Snowy Owl (mostly)

West Bragg Creek Snowy Owl: for the most part it takes place along the aforementioned trail, in an extensive network of trails convenient to and just a little west of Calgary. The location is the foothills of the Rockies and the loop presented here makes for a pleasant winter’s walk...

Bow River Walking Path

Bow River Loop: Inglewood – Carburn Park

This urban hike has a definite gritty edge and that’s not necessarily a bad thing in our world, but certain sections had us questioning our own sanity. Still, this Bow River Loop is not without its charms, and the trek thoroughly enjoyable on the return leg, but less so at...

Walking Didsbury AB

Didsbury Alberta Town Loop

Here’s a pleasant urban-hike in the charming community of Didsbury Alberta. It’s more a relaxed stroll about town, than anything serious, but not everything needs to be an expedition. There will be many historic homes seen and here’s a spoiler: they’re simply gorgeous! Then there’s lots of century(+) old buildings...

Bower Ponds Red Deer

Red Deer Alberta: River Loop

The fun this fine day happens in Red Deer Alberta and here’s a nice little pathways loop that starts close to the downtown core. It all takes place in the middle of the city, but sometimes you may not know it. The parks, natural green spaces and wooded groves you’ll...

Cochrane Alberta Old Bridge

Cochrane Pathways: Glenbow – Riversong

Here’s a couple interconnected loops in the Cochrane Pathways system and they make for a nice in-town hike. There’s lots of variety and this includes a couple pleasant stretches along the Bow River. The terrain is easy going, with the trail mostly passing through green spaces and parks, plus a...

Chestermere Pathway Network

Chestermere Town Loop

Here’s a nice walk through the bedroom community of Chestermere Alberta using pathways and sidewalks. It takes in residential neighbourhoods, there’s a stretch down by the lake and it’s all quite pleasant. While a longer one, it’s flat and overall pretty easy going. This is the Chestermere Town Loop, an...

Viewpoint on Mother's Day Hill

Mother’s Day Hill (East Kootenay BC)

Welcome to Mother’s Day Hill in the East Kootenay region of BC and out near Cranbrook. It’s an easy trek up the top of this little hump and while the summit is treed, there’s a superb viewpoint later on. You can gaze down at the St Mary River below and...

Rampart Prairie Cranbrook

Rampart – Isadore Loop (Cranbrook BC)

The Rampart – Isadore Loop is a pleasant and easy going walk in the woods out near Cranbrook British Columbia. It’s part single track (Rampart Connector on each end), part rail-trail (Chief Isadore in the middle) through forest and open grassland. Relatively flat in nature, you’ll be in the shadow...

Hiking Magic Line Kimberley

Kimberley BC: Magic Line – Moe’s Canyon

There’s a huge number of trails in the Kimberley BC area and for the outdoor adventurers it means unlimited possibilities. There’s big variety and the interconnected networks are curated by various clubs/organizations. If you’re a hiker, biker, XC skier or snowshoer (have we missed anyone?), or some combo therein, you’ll...

Devil's Hole Gorge

Devil’s Hole (East Kootenay BC)

The hike to Devil’s Hole in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia is short, sweet and leads to a spectacular viewpoint overlooking a deep precipitous gorge. From this spot, look down to that little blue/green pond far below in a rocky trench or take in surrounding mountains. It’s a...

Long Prairie Ridge Views

Sandy McNabb – Long Prairie Ridge

There’s some easy fun to be had in the rolling foothills southwest of Calgary and out in the Sandy McNabb trail network. Come take in the nice views from Long Prairie Ridge, a long low bump, running east-west and super easy to access via the route described here. Most of...

East Ridge Jumping Pound

Jumpingpound Mountain East Ridge

This hike visits popular Jumpingpound Mountain in Kananaskis, via the centre approach and extends the fun by taking in sections of the rolling east ridge. We went to the second bump, but you can go further, and even connect with Moose Mountain if you like. If you’re feeling ambitious that...

Foran Grade Views

Foran Grade

When you’re looking for a hike that’s quick and uncomplicated, the trail up Foran Grade Ridge is a fine option. Located in the Sheep River area west of Turner Valley, it’s not that far from Calgary, so convenient to us city dwellers. It’s an easy trek up to a to...

Miquelon Lake Trails

Miquelon Lake Park Big Loop

There’s always time for a little hiking and while on the road to adventure, where ever it takes us, we’ll search out local trails. One fine fall day finds us southeast of Edmonton and itching to put feet in motion. The prairies are hardly a hiking mecca, yet more often...

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