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 well removed from all that hustle and bustle.

This piece goes back a couple years and somehow misplaced, then forgotten of (if you see our brains, give them a bus ticket and send them home), but only now rediscovered. We do so much that this happens from time to time, but that makes it no less enjoyable.

The fun begins at the parking lot on 52nd Avenue NW and just off Home Road. Take to the pathway and enter Bowmont Park. At this point, and at many others, the river is just a stone’s thrown away. That water course is a recreation super-highway and keep an eye open for canoes, kayaks and other floaty things. Rafting and tubing is popular in summer (no motorized stuff allowed).

The historic Bowness Bridge can be seen to the south, and further back, the ski runs of Calgary Olympic Park on Paskapoo Slopes. This trek happened in April, when the weather generally starts warming, yet there was still plenty of snow over there. That it gets well compacted means it’s melts ever so slowly and lasts well into spring.

Bend left and enter the Dale Hodges section of the park. For years this was the Klippert Concrete gravel pit but has been reclaimed and made all nice. The area is now part wetland and can be explored by a series of boardwalks. We suspect it’s a bird-watcher’s paradise.

Even though the site was cleaned up, a few reminders of the old days remain behind. Gravel pits were often dumping grounds and sure enough, just off the trail we find remains of an old and well mangled car. It’ll buff out. The gravel operation began in the 1960s and at the time was outside city limits, but you can’t say that today.

Sometimes you’re in the woods and along here one can easily loose themselves. Are you certain this is a city hike? Your answer comes after climbing up where the the neighbourhood of Silver Springs soon comes into view. Lots of funky ’70s era open-plan houses here and they just need a Vista Cruiser in the driveway to complete the scene.

The view now, well above the river, can be far reaching, but soon enough the trail drops back down. For a time you can see downtown and half way to Cochrane. Winter was still on our minds this visit but along here we saw out first signs of the changing season – prairie crocus, always the first to bloom and pussy willows. Spring has been announced and it never seems to come soon enough.

Continue past the doggie park (keep the pond to your right), go under the CPR train bridge, under 85th Street bridge and enter Baker Park. Starting in about 1920, it was the location of a huge sanatorium built for service personal returning from World War One and infected with Tuberculosis. Later named Baker Sanatorium, in honour of a long time director, they continued to help those with TB and also served the needs handicapped people in general.

It last carried the name Baker Centre, given the sanatorium term was becoming outdated. The facility closed in the late 1970s, was demolished the next decade and the land turned into the park you see today. Many of the sidewalks that connected the numerous buildings were retained as a reminder of what was.

The grassy amphitheatre makes a great lunch stop – cheers! – and from this vantage point look across to Bowness Park on the opposite side of the river. You’ll get to know it soon enough.

There’s a disc-golf course in Bowmont Park and we’ve played here, always have a blast to start, but usually end the course dejected. We need a different hobby and we mean one that we can actually win.

Continuing on, pass the boat launch (this is where many Bow floaters start) and cross over to the other side of the river, using a pedestrian walkway under Stoney Trail. The road deck is way up there and to help ease congestion, they’re adding a second bridge paralleling the first. As we write this, it’s nearing completion, but was only taking shape when we captured this piece two years ago.

Up to this point, the path has been paved, but from here on there will sections of gravel and dirt.

Enter Bowness Park, one of he oldest green spaces in Calgary and when established it wasn’t even in the city limits. It dates back to the 1910s and has always been a popular destination. In the early days one could take a streetcar here and these ran at full capacity on weekends. There’s a skating/boating pond (depending on season of course), miniature railway and it’s a big picnic destination.

Look over to Baker Park across the Bow and it’s such a blessing that the city has so many river parks or natural areas. Keep close to the Bow for the next while.

Go under 85th Street again, then into a wooded area, take a short detour onto the street to bypass a few river-edge homes and then it’s back into Bowmont Park. Take a couple footbridges (plus cross an island) to get to the other side of the river and turn right on the paved pathway.

Soon after bending left and when passing a pond, take the dirt track to your right. Pass a second pond, then climb up and take the singletrack traverse near the top of the escarpment. This trail is popular with bikers, so keep and eye and ear open for any descending fast. It’s a narrow path, so be alert.

High above the Bow here, there’s nice views of Bowness below and even of far away mountains in the west. Drop down into the gully on stairs and then back up the other side (also stairs). Here’s a nice step workout – free too! You can bypass this up and down if needed.

After a while the dirt track meets back up with the paved pathway and from here on follow it back to your car. Note cyclists on the trails of the near-cliffs to you left as you pass through the wetlands area.

Calgary has such a huge network of pathways that a person might never run out of options and we sure put them to good use (especially in winter). Like you see here I guess. Be it city or mountain we like them all and mix it up at every opportunity.

Know more (new windows): Calgary Pathways System, Calgary Bowmont Park, Calgary Baker Park and Calgary Bowness Park.

They’re saying…

“You feel part of the adventure!” David Fionn Clarke.

More Calgary Pathways…
Bow River Loop: Inglewood – Carburn Park.
Glenmore Reservoir Loop: The Last Time (NOT!).
Nose Creek Pathway – Mayland Heights.

If you wish more information about this route or if you love to chat don’t hesitate to contact us!

Date of adventure: April, 2021.
Location: Calgary Alberta.
Distance: 15km return.
Height gain maximum: 60m.
Height gain cumulative: 150m-ish
NOTE: all distances and heights are approximate and may differ slightly from other trip reports (including our own).

Starting out by the Bow River in Montgomery.

It doesn’t look or feel like an in-city hike.

Nothing of note happened here…

A rusted out hulk in the former gravel pit.

This former industrial land has been reborn.

Destination Baker Park.

Calgary pathways are a treasure.

Spring has been announced.

High above the river in Silver Springs.

Dropping down.

Baker Park was the site of a tuberculosis sanitorium.

Cheers to the day – Bowness Park across the river.

Bridge construction overhead.

Pic is from 2021 and it’s much closer to completion now.

In Bowness Park.

Dogs and water.

Looking across to our lunch spot.

The little railway of Bowness Park.

Floating down the Bow is a popular activity.

The CPR tracks run close by.

Heading up the escarpment on the return leg.

The ski hill on Paskapoo Slopes is seen in back.

Dodging fast moving bikes.

In a flash they’re gone and out of sight.

Looking southeast-ish.

On the Greenway South.

Spot the bikes?

Montgomery to Bowness (and back).