Calgary Walks: History and scenery abound in walks through Garrison and Glenmore

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Lori Beattie knows a thing or two about walking. She’s travelled every path and trail listed in her new, updated book, Calgary’s Best Walks. Over the past year, we’ve highlighted some of the 95 walks in her book, complete with necessary details and tasty stops along the way. This month, we explore walks 63 and 64, where we find trendy highlights in Garrison and Altadore before taking in the views of Glenmore Dam and park.

New neighbourhoods with old roots, Garrison Woods and Currie have Calgary’s military history incorporated throughout. Originally part of the Currie Army Barracks, Garrison Woods experienced a complete overhaul when the army base closed in 1998, and Currie is still under development, with density increasing every year. As you walk through Garrison Woods, you’ll pass by tidy, compact, original army houses that now share the streets with brick and multi-coloured row houses and sizable single-family homes. Streets named Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, along with the Garrison Square Memorial Park (201 Garrison Square), Garrison Woods Legacy Walk (interpretive panel and route mounted on the Garrison Safeway) and The Military Museum of Calgary, bring the military history alive.

The Garrison Woods and Currie redevelopment maintained a pedestrian-focussed design with promenades and cut-through pathways that offer self-propelled, efficient and pleasant route options. And Garrison Woods, with its dense housing and
abundance of families, is the epicentre of the ultimate Halloween haul. If you live there, you must invest a sizable portion of your income on mini-chocolate bars and chips come October. Be prepared.

Continue through Altadore, a neighbourhood that is part of the broader Marda Loop area, to the Elbow River and the Glenmore Dam. Follow the paved path along the escarpment and descend to the river valley, following a series of haphazard trails below the dam. This off-leash area is popular with dog walkers year-round and with swimmers in the summer. The treed trail system is a fantastic nature immersion as you meander along the river or through the trees before climbing your way back to the paved path. Soak up the river-valley views while you catch your breath.

Walk 64 crosses the Glenmore Dam where views of the Elbow River Valley and the downtown core are your reward. Continue over Glenmore Trail to connect to the Glenmore Reservoir pathway in North Glenmore Park. Skirt the Earl Grey Golf Club while soaking up views across the water. Take a cut-through path into the Aspen Trail that backs onto the homes of Lakeview. The Aspen Trail has a series of interconnected wilderness paths between 66th Avenue and North Glenmore Park Road. For more nature immersion, continue downhill along the Glenmore Pathway to the Weaselhead Natural Environment Park and follow Walk 65 in Calgary’s Best Walks.

Bordering the Tsuut’ina Nation, the low-lying Weaselhead trails are a network of gravel trails and boardwalks that follow the twists and turns of the Elbow River before turning inland on a marshy boardwalk trail over a wetland. Bring your binoculars as birdlife is abundant.

Back on Walk 64, leave the Aspen Trail and loop into the neighbourhood of North Glenmore before crossing over Glenmore Trail.

Calgary’s older neighbourhoods are always growing and changing, like the city itself. Close-knit communities like Garrison Woods, Altadore, and North Glenmore, where neighbours don’t just nod in acknowledgement, but become your friends, are the building blocks of a great city.

Drop by locally owned Sierra Cafe while walking Route 64 through Lakeview. Devoted to coffee, culture and community, this little cafe makes everything from scratch. Enjoy sandwiches, toasts and expertly made drinks inside or on their big dog-friendly patio.

North Glenmore Park is home to Cafe Du Parc, right beside the big playground and parking area L. With locally made Butterblock pastries and all the specialty drinks, this is a perfect spot to recharge. Detour to 34th Avenue S.W. for a few cafes. My favourite is Le Comptoir by Francois with its pastries, quiches, sandwiches and soups. And the patio with a fireplace and heat lamps is cozy and pup-friendly. Not far away is Neighbour Coffee, the perfect neighbourhood cafe tucked into Altadore. For those who want a cold drink and a pub meal and a patio, stop by Marda Loop Brewing, Wild Rose Brewery, Veranda or The Inn at Officers Garden in Currie.

Categories: Cafe, nature, neighbourhood and parks, people watching, shopping, history, vistas

Start: Walk 63: Flanders Park, St. Julien Drive and Garrison Boulevard S.W.; Walk 64: Glenmore Aquatic Centre, 5330 19th St. S.W. or North Glenmore Park, parking lot D

Distance: Walk 63: Garrison – Currie – Altadore: 7 km (sidewalks and paved paths). Walk 64: North Glenmore – Glenmore Park – Glenmore Dam: 7 km (paved paths, sidewalks, dirt trails, stairs and hills)

Facilities: Public washrooms in North Glenmore Park

Highlights: Military history in Garrison Woods. Many picnic spots, cafés, pubs, and restaurants along the routes.

Lori Beattie is the author of Calgary’s Best Walks: 95 urban jaunts, nature strolls and tasty pit stops and Calgary’s Best Bike Rides. Join Lori on free Calgary Library Walks on Nov. 8 and 16. She leads year-round walks with her company, Fit Frog
Adventures. Learn more at www.fitfrog.ca & Instagram @lorifitfrog