Here’s a fine city trek, a loop of sorts taking in the entire length of Edmonton Trail in Calgary’s (shallow) Northeast and on the return leg quieter residential streets off to the east. It’s like going back in time, the closer one gets to downtown, the older things become. There’s plenty to see including many interesting old houses and churches and other stuff. If you get growlies there’s plenty of places that can fill the void. Not a bad little stroll if we do say so.
Begin at the far northern reaches of Edmonton Trail where it dead-ends at a bus gate. There’s some on-street parking here. Head south passing commercial strip malls, residential areas and numerous businesses. To your left, an old hotel is seen. Closed up for a few years now, the former Quality Inn (nee: Airliner Motor Inn, built 1960s), is today being turned into housing for the working poor.
Edmonton Trail: there ‘n’ back and a homage to “The King”. A Chris & Connie Adventure!
No surprisingly this project has been met with lots of resistance from local homeowners. “It’ll bring down property values or some such thing” – that tired old song.
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By the way, Edmonton Trail, long ago, was the main route north out of Calgary.
Pass beside the neighbourhood of Highland Park, houses here dating from the 1940s-1960s. Pass through an industrial/commercial area for a time. Long ago there was a drive-in theatre here. Now it’s all autobody shops and things like that.
Across the road, the oddly named “Deer Head” Cafe, an old school diner if there ever was one. Your author stopped in here in the 1990s – might have to make a return some time.
Edmonton Trail bends a bit here and there. Block after block of houses, with occasional strip malls or businesses. There’s a church here and there. Have a thing for them, strangely. Never attended but love to photograph and explore places of worship of any denomination or faith.
Edmonton Trail separates the communities of Tuxedo Park/Balmoral and Winston Heights/Mountview. The former dates from the 1920s, the latter the 1930s. Lots of nice old homes here, simple and unassuming, quaint and charming and rather tiny where compared to the McMansions of today, which look like hotels in comparison. Pass the Italian Market – lots of yummy here! You have been warned.
Cross busy 16th Avenue, the Trans-Canada Highway through Calgary. Try not to get mowed down. You’re now in Crescent Heights (left, from the 1910s) and Renfrew (right, from the 1910s-1950s era), which at one time was home to the city’s earliest airport. More home and businesses.
Drop down to river level, hit Memorial Drive, where Edmonton Trail ends and loop back. Many old commercial blocks here from the 1910s. Downtown is just across the river and here we’re in Bridgeland. A grilled-cheese/beer/wine restaurant? Okay…trying to be trendy I guess.
Heading back up…if you’re hungry at this point the top of the escapement is where most of your dining options will be. We picked a burger joint. The “Fat Elvis” (peanut butter, banana, bacon) at “Boogies” is the best milkshake ever! All the hail the King! Paired with a heart attack burger, it’s pure bliss.
There’s some old arcade games here. No time for pinball this day, sadly…
Back to the hike loop around Boogies and hit 8th Ave NE. Soon on, in the community of Renfrew now, come to Stanley Jones School, an imposing century old structure made of sandstone and one of many in town built to a similar design. Across the street, Stanley Jones Grocery is equally as old. Lotto stop! Afraid we came up empty though. BIGDoer rules for inner-city hiking…see a corner store (independent, not a chain) and one must stop and buy a couple scratchies. We do. And one day it’ll make us rich!
Take the time to head south a block or so to view the…deep breath…”Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church”. Now there’s a title! It’s from the 1950s and follows the Orthodox (sometimes called Byzantine) style of architecture. Those domes are a sure fire spotting feature.
Head north on 6th Street, cross 16th Avenue again. Left on 17th Avenue, soft right on 5th Street, left on 18th Avenue and finally right on 4th Street. Pass by Mount View Elementary (Winston Heights/Mountview Community). Interestingly this building was used for “Civil Defence” exercises in the 1950s. It’s hinted the building has a bunker in the basement, but requests to check this out have gone unanswered. Oddly, we didn’t take a photo of the place. Silly us!
Right on 25th Avenue a charming tree lined street. Lots like it around. Back on 6th Street again, turn left. That’s Winston Golf Course on your right. Off in the east one can see super-busy Deerfoot Trail down there in the Nose Creek Valley. Even from this distance, one can hear the traffic. Drop down and soon on enter an industrial area. Left at 25th Avenue and right on Edmonton Trail, the adventure near an end.
Before that, a quick stop at a corner store to gamble some more. It’s a rule you know! One day, damn, we’re going to win…I can sense it! Alas, this scratchy ticket was a dud. Had we won, of course, we’d have shared it with you all. Cross our hearts…
If you wish more information about this trail, by all means contact us!
Date of adventure: November, 2017. Location: Calgary, AB. Distance: 14km loop. Height gain maximum: 40m-ish. Height gain cumulative: 60m-ish. NOTE: all distances and heights are approximate.
That coffee sign! I’d love to see it lit up. Been thinking it’s time we stopped in the Dear Head. Just by name alone, it’s a cool place. Thanks Jenn for being a serial commenter – we appreciate it and there’s a beer in it for you next time we meet.
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Beer Parlour Fridays: before Pilsner in Saskatchewan, there was Bohemian or simply Boh. For decades, it was the most popular beer in the province. Incidentally, both Pil and Boh were for decades products of Sick's Brewery. This Boh cap was found in the basement of an old hotel in SW Saskatchewan during a visit by the Beer Parlour Project. It celebrates the beer winning a prestigious best in world award in the late 1960s.
Beer Parlour Fridays: here's a standard issue cast-metal round-top Beer Parlour table. These were supplied through the liquor control board (who heavily regulated the business) and therefore could be found at most drinking establishments. They date back to the 1940s-1960s period and surprisingly, we still see them out there in the wild all the time. Often they were covered in terrycloth to help sop up spilled beer. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
Beer Parlour Fridays: The Tompkin's SK Hotel/Lucky Loon Saloon, previously Woody's. It was just a drive by visit and not a stop on the recent Beer Parlour Project tour of SW Saskatchewan. Had it been open we would have checked it out, however. Celebrating old school watering holes at https://www.BeerParlourProject.com. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
Beer Parlour Fridays: The Wildwood Hotel in Wildwood Alberta, built in the late 1950s to replace one that earlier burned down. Visited in October 2024 by Chris and Rob. Watch for this hotel and others appearing at https://www.BeerParlourProject.com. Celebrating old school watering holes!
Scroll down to the comments for more!👇 _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
A retro, all-metal playground in Burstall Saskatchewan. The rocking horse, aka the tooth chipper or shin buster, was perhaps the most dangerous. Chris says he still has scars from one. But on a summer's day, those slides could get as hot as a baking pan fresh from the oven and gave new meaning to the words toasted buns. If you survived this playground, you were ready to take on the world. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Date: 2024. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
Great day out with my best friend!
Connie, you’re so kind.
Great trek though town! I stopped for that coffee sign at Christmas. The Deer Head is always interesting!
That coffee sign! I’d love to see it lit up. Been thinking it’s time we stopped in the Dear Head. Just by name alone, it’s a cool place. Thanks Jenn for being a serial commenter – we appreciate it and there’s a beer in it for you next time we meet.