We love a good hike. It matters not if we’re deep in the wilderness or in an urban setting, as long as we’re in motion and having fun. We’re so darn easy to please. Today’s outing finds us kicking about town – there’s just too much snow in the mountains – where sometimes we’ll be along a section of Calgary’s extensive pathway network, other times we’re walking the streets. It’s all good.
Come join us or better still let us inspire you to follow in our footsteps and soak it all up. A fine walk awaits.
Begin at the far north end of Edmonton Trail, just before the transit gate. There’s street parking here. Intercept the Nose Creek Pathway, which flows beside – you guessed it – Nose Creek. It’s all frozen on our visit. Head south and let the adventure begin. The pathway is cleared of snow (so much of it this year), but watch for icy sections. If you do it in July, ignore that last part.
Nose Creek Pathway – Mayland Heights: a fun and interesting urban trek. A Chris & Connie Adventure!
Come to an underpass. Duck! And if you visit when winter still has a grip on the city, watch for BIG sheets of Teflon slippery ice – we almost went down a couple times. Cross over to the other side of the creek on a road bridge. Another underpass – more ice and low clearances again. Pass the former Airporter Inn, soon to be converted into low income housing. Your author recalls partying there in the 1980s. Seems to me it was a rough place to hang out then. And a dump.
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Another underpass. Watch your head. And don’t slip. At a junction, just past an electrical substation, turn left. Over there’s the Spring Gardens Transit Garage. It’s huge – lots of buses if you’re into that kind of thing. Back when Calgary Transit had old GMC Fishbowl and MCI Classic buses, we used to stake ourselves out in this very spot and photograph them heading out for the afternoon rush. They’re all gone now. And the bus scene is a little less interesting.
Cross over the CPR Tracks (Calgary to Edmonton Line) and soon on bend south, paralleling Deerfoot Trail. The din is something. The golf course to your right is often open this time of year (usually thanks to warming Chinooks) but on our visit is still buried under a thick blanket of snow. So much snow…so much snow…
Cross Deerfoot on a pedestrian bridge and enter the community of Vista Heights. Follow the pathway till it reaches another pedestrian bridge and cross 16th Avenue North, aka the Trans Canada through town. Hit the sidewalk on entering the community of Mayland Heights. Most of the houses here date from the “Mad Men” era. Continue south on 19th St NE.
Come to a small strip mall home to “Family Grocery”. That arched “Marina” Roof, a most iconic design, tells us it was once a Safeway way back when. It’s quite historically interesting and so we’ll be back to look it another time. There’s also a pub and a Pho Place here if hunger calls. Both are good – we’ve been.
Continue south past the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology compound. A satellite campus, they teach railway courses here – see the old rail cars? Just before hitting Memorial Drive, cross over and take that dirt road heading into field, which leads to the Barlow/Max Bell LRT Station. The huge plot of land here was once a Firestone Tire Plant. Now only the tower remains.
Cross under Memorial. More ice here, even inside the building! Back outside, we make small detour here and head into the Max Bell Centre to have lunch. Mmmm, arena dogs! With cheese, and onions! We take in a Ringette game while chowing down. They play well…what an exciting diversion – we got right into it.
Back on the road, take the pathway heading west. Crossover Calgary’s busiest thoroughfare again (Deerfoot). There’s a nice view of downtown here. And if you’re lucky, as we were, you might catch a train on the bridge seen in front. Ah yea, trains. You see, we have this problem. You’re now by the Bow.
On crossing Nose Creek, head north again. Pass under busy Memorial Drive and the LRT Tracks, and soon on come to the Telus Spark Science Centre. The CPR tracks are busy this day. Another train passes. We could watch them ALL DAY. I so want a truck outfitted with rail wheels like that one that passed!
Continuing on we pass under 8th Avenue, then 16th Avenue. The Nose Creek valley is more pronounced here, with escarpments on both sides. Pass a golf course. Over there’s the Eagle Quest Golf Dome looking like some kind of giant cocoon. Looks like it was busy there – with all the snow it’s pretty much the only place where golfer’s with spring fever can hit a few balls. Spring is MIA.
Soon on arrive back where you started, a good eighteen clicks behind you – it didn’t seems like anything more than ten or so. There’s some good exercise and the chance to see all kinds of interesting things. Not a bad day.
If you wish more information about this trail, by all means contact us!
Date of adventure: March, 2018. Location: Calgary, AB. Distance: 18km loop. Height gain maximum: 100m-ish. Height gain cumulative: 100m-ish. NOTE: all distances and heights are approximate. Technical bits: Ice (rarely applicable in summer).
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Speaking of Climax, here's a downtown view in 1951 and 2024. The then photo is from the Everett Baker collection and comes thanks to the Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society. A few buildings on the left, including the hotel, are seen in both photos but all others are history. _______
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).
Along an abandoned canal built in the 1910s, in a dry region of Alberta. The saddles were to support a syphon (alt siphon, a pipe) but work stopped before this section was completed. Syphons of the era were typically of wood and allowed a canal to cross valleys and such without the need for trestlework.
Check the comments for an example of how a wood syphon looked...
Like what you see and want more? Make some NOISE. 👇 _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Date: 2015. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
Where: Tom Campbell's Hill Calgary. What: Formerly part of the zoo, but now a park. When: 1970s and 2020 - lots of change. Why: Why not? Note the stubby beer bottle in the old photo.
From the Crossley Kodachromes and it's labeled: "Curtus at Crowfoot Glacier". Here's a view along the Banff Parkway back in 1954! The old car appears to be a high end Pierce Arrow (can anyone confirm?) and it's well outfitted with two spares plus plenty of lights.
Like what you see and want more? Make some NOISE in the comments. 👇 _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
Free Bolr? Now that’s funny.
Well at least someone got it.
A fun time!
Always when we’re together!
How do you two do it? This looks like a mundane walk at best, but you made it interesting. You are good.
It’s our superpower. Keep it entertaining no matter where you are and life will never be boring. Make the best of every day and everything.
Looks like an awesome time was had by all!
Amen to that, it was fun!