The snow is melting, pathways are clearing off, and it’s time to get those bikes tuned up and out of storage for the coming season. Below are some of my family’s favorite trails and places to explore on bikes each spring as we transition from skis to wheels.
Starting with the Bow River Pathway in Calgary
The Bow River Pathway starts in the far NW near Bowness and Baker Park and ends way down south in Fish Creek Park.
The pathway is paved and relatively flat most of the time.
Some of my favorite rides include:
Exploring the regional pathway through Fish Creek Provincial Park
Fish Creek Provincial Park in south Calgary has over 80km of pathways (30km of which are paved). There are many parking lots to stage your ride from, but we like starting from the official Visitor Centre at Bow Valley Ranche so that we can get ice cream from Annie’s Café at the end of our ride. The trail trends downhill gradually going west to east, so it’s nice to finish with pleasant coasting.
Return distance from the Ranche to Shannon Terrace at the far west end is 20km.
Riding from Haskayne Legacy Park to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park
Haskayne is one of Calgary’s newest regional parks and is located west of the city on the north bank of the Bearspaw Reservoir. From Calgary, drive west towards Cochrane on Highway 1A and turn south on Woodland Road (Range Road 31). Follow the road all the way down to the reservoir until you reach the large parking lot.
The biggest attraction to this park is the extremely scenic regional pathway that connects to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, with views over the Bearspaw Reservoir and Bow River. Once inside the ranch, you’ll be riding through an active cattle ranch, which is always a fun highlight for children when a herd is close to the pathway (and don’t worry, they’re safely behind a fence). Train enthusiasts will also love this park, as it has one controlled crossing you’ll ride across. Trains pass through the park regularly and you’ll be riding quite close to the tracks much of the time.
From Haskayne Park, you’ll ride 4.5km one way on the Bearspaw Trail to reach the Narrows in Glenbow Ranch, where the reservoir ends and you start to follow the
Bow River. This section is relatively flat. The next section on the Narrows Trail is 3km in length and has one steep hill you’ll climb and then descend to reach the Glenbow Trail. Round-trip distance is approximately 15km, so this makes for a good turnaround spot.
From the end of the Narrows Trail, there’s another 5km of pavement through the ranch on the Glenbow and Bowbend Trails. Expect a round-trip ride of approximately 25km, or turn around whenever you get tired.
Note: There are periodic trail closures in the provincial park when cattle are free roaming on the pathways. Visit the Alberta Parks website to view all closures.
If Bearspaw Trail is closed from Haskayne Park, you can still access Glenbow Ranch from the provincial park access off Highway 1A.
Biking around Cochrane from Riverfront Park
We love exploring the paved pathways along the Bow River in Cochrane, starting from Riverfront Park off Griffin Road. In this park, you’ll find a short, paved loop to ride with your family that is relatively flat and perfect for novice riders. We like to stop by the creek to play, and we always head up to visit the tunnel that crosses under Griffin Road.
For a longer bike ride, continue heading east towards River Avenue and the off-leash dog park (which you don’t have to bike through). This part of the pathway is a bit hillier but still makes for a great family bike ride in just under 5km round-trip.
If you have youth who like skateparks, the Zero
Gravity Skatepark can be accessed from Riverfront Park by heading west under Highway 22 and climbing up to the park.
Heading west from Riverfront Park, we also like to explore the area beyond the skatepark and Mitford Park where you'll be riding on the Glen Boles Trail. The pathway meanders high above the river for scenic views and is one of our favorite paved pathways to ride as a family. Note it does have a couple of big hills, so you’ll want to save it for older youth who’ve mastered the use of their gears and brakes.
If you bike the full Glen Boles Trail to the final viewpoint, the distance is 5km return from Mitford Park. Combining both the east and west sections of pathway from Riverfront Park brings you up to approximately 12km of riding, round-trip.
Finish your ride with ice cream downtown Cochrane at MacKay’s.
Biking the Bill Milne Trail in Kananaskis
The Bill Milne Trail is a paved trail, relatively flat for most of the distance, and very scenic. We always start at the Kovach Pond Day-Use Area below Kananaskis Village and ride to Wedge Pond and back in a 17km round-trip distance.
To shorten the ride, send an adult back for the vehicle while you play at the pond. Alternatively, turn around at the Mt. Kidd Campground if your energy is starting to fade.
For more information, stop in at the Barrier Lake Visitor Centre on your drive out to the Village. You can also check trail conditions on the Alberta Parks website (recommended for frequent wildlife advisories).
And for all Kananaskis trips, don’t forget that you’ll need to purchase a Kananaskis Conservation Pass. You can purchase a day pass or an annual pass online or at a visitor centre.
Exploring the town of Canmore by bike
My favorite trail here for a family bike ride is the West Canmore Trail. This paved trail connects downtown Canmore to the Three Sisters neighborhood, offering stunning mountain views along the Bow River. Much of it is very flat, with only a couple of short hills.
Start at the Canmore Public Boat Launch parking lot off Rundle Drive. Head south on the paved pathway, where you’ll soon reach the West Canmore Playground. Continuing on, you’ll come to a beautiful meadow with an old mine site. This is a good turnaround spot with young kids. Otherwise, the distance from the playground to the Three Sisters Mountain Village is about a 13km return.
If you can’t find parking at the small boat launch, start from Millenium Park on the east side of the river, where there’s also a dirt pump track. From Millenium, a short ride heading north will bring you to the bridge to get you over to the west side.
Alternately, from Millennium Park, bike west without crossing the river until you come to Engine Bridge. Cross the river here and return on the other side for a beautiful 2km easy loop. The loop is not fully paved, but it’s hard-packed gravel and very easy for riding.
You can also continue biking along the Bow River past Engine Bridge (on the near side) on easy, wide dirt pathways that will take you on an adventure around Canmore, past Larch Island, along Policeman’s Creek, over to the town skateboard park, and back through the main downtown area for ice cream!
Biking from Banff to Canmore on the Legacy Trail
We also like biking the paved Legacy Trail between Canmore and Banff. It’s a 17km one-way ride from Cascade Ponds in Banff to the Travel Alberta Visitor Information Centre in Canmore. At this point, send an adult back for the vehicle and head to one of the fast-food restaurants nearby to wait it out over ice cream and French fries. Alternatively, the Valley View Day-Use Area along the TransCanada Highway makes a nice half-way stop for an out-and-back ride to either town on the Legacy Trail.
Tanya is a mother and a passionate enthusiast of all things outdoors including camping, hiking, stand-up paddleboarding, mountain biking, and skiing with her family and friends. She is the author of the blog Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies at rockiesfamilyadventures.com and is very active on social media at MountainMomYYC.
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