Category: Hikes And Summits

This in-town hike has two personalities. For a time you’ll take in the far-reaching green space that is Calgary’s much loved Nose Hill Park. Go deep inside and you’d never know you were in the city – how pleasant. Another section has you in a 1960s/1970s era neighbourhood, full of...

Here’s a fabulous Calgary Urban Trek with lots of variety, taking in Bridgeland, Crescent Heights and Renfrew, plus a bit of Tuxedo Park. Ahead it’s much history and character. A fair sized loop with a short steep push early on, it’s otherwise pretty easy going. There’s busy commercial strips, quiet...

Here’s a fun town-hike to consider. We’re in the community of Okotoks Alberta, taking in a big loop through parks and green spaces, quiet wooded areas and busy streets. For those into history, there’s a number of heritage buildings along the way to see and overall it was for us...

This in-the-city hike will have you exploring a number of Calgary’s well established neighbourhoods. There’s many fine old homes to see, historic commercial blocks and lots of very un-city like green spaces to take in. It’s sidewalks and meandering paths, busy streets and quiet wooded parks. Along the way comes...

This hike starts out well enough, but roughly mid-point takes a turn for the worse, before things improve again. The destination is a little bump in the Sibbald area of Kananaskis, with a really nice vantage point atop some cliffs open to the south. There’s rolling hills all about, precipitous...

This is our second time hiking up Jura Creek in Kananaskis. On the first, long ago, we did the slot canyon approach, hands down the primo option in terms of fun but not always the best choice in certain conditions. This day, due to high water and the resultant slippery...

With Covid restrictions easing we can start posting about hikes again. Goodness, it’s been too long and with the world upside down in turmoil, more than ever we (all of us) need the outdoors to help keep grounded. On goes the knobby shoes, it’s into the woods and instantly there’s...

With all the world at full stop here’s a little step back from the uncertainty, another instalment in our inner-city hike series. This route follows the Bow River for a time along a dedicated pathway, with diversions into the historic communities of Inglewood and Ramsay added for good measure. Take...

There’s a nice little paved pathway connecting Turner Valley to Black Diamond called the Friendship Trail. It affords one an easy stroll taking it in these two towns, which are not terribly far apart. While sometimes six clicks is enough of a walk (round trip), more often for us it’s...

We’ve hiked the Glenmore Reservoir Loop many times before, occasionally during the warmer months but mostly come winter. There’s a nice pathway that circles the entire thing and much scenic variety. Sometimes it’s a very park-like setting, sometimes you’re along quiet city streets, next to a noisy trunk road (thankfully...

As this is being written it’s currently a numbing -28c (-38c with windchill!) and it’s a safe bet that hiking is not on the minds of many in our local area. Well, maybe in distant dreams of summer…dear friend the sun, a warm breeze, trees, flowers and butterflies and a...

This one goes back a year or so, a rocky period for Team BIGDoer. At that time Connie was in the midst of her Cancer battle that would eventually have her losing an entire breast. With that we we’re limited in what we could do outside. But even with pain...

The Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association (the GBCTA) manages a huge network of biking, hiking, equestrian, snowshoe and cross-country ski trails in the Foothills of Kananaskis west of Calgary. They go every which way and they keep building new ones! There’s a great mix here and whether you’re into something...

Sometimes a hike short and sweet is just what the doctor ordered. If the need to take it easy is in the cards for you, as it was for us, try little Ford Knoll in the Elbow River region of Kananaskis. It’s a minor bump in an area more known...

The very first post at BIGDoer.com, the one that started it all, documented a hike up Raspberry Ridge the very same destination seen in this here write up. There’s a link further down should you wish to see how it was then. We’re not sure why it took us so...

Canmore Alberta is home to a huge network of hiking and biking trails in and about town, more than enough to keep an active couple such as us happy and busy for a long, long time. We’ve only done a few, not all documented here, but see ourselves heading back...

We’ve hiked up to the modest summit of Eagle Hill on countless occasions and enjoyed it every single time. This visit we take a new to us route via Seventy Buck Valley from the south, instead of the traditional one which comes in from the east. It’s a different approach...

We did this hike once before a few years back. Well, part of it anyway. On this visit to High Noon Hills, however, out in the Sheep River Area of Kananaskis, we take in both of them instead of just one. These two little bumps are located right at the...

If you find yourself in the historic ghost town of Sandon BC, in the “Silvery Slocan”, and are looking to stretch the legs a bit, we’ve got an excellent adventure to recommend. Starting right in town, the Payne Bluff Hike takes in the old “Kaslo & Slocan Railway” roadbed, an...

It’s located in the quiet Sibbald section of Kananaskis, a loop trail in the foothills, moderate in length with zero challenges and a real pleasure to hike. It keeps to trees mostly, but there’s still lots of scenery and occasional far reaching views of mountains beckoning to the south and...

The colder months usually means it’s urban hikes for us, especially with Connie on the mend. We don’t want to push it and so doing our thing “in town” makes it’s easy to bail and catch a ride back to the car should there be a problem. Even so we...

Just south of Downtown Calgary, across the tracks, are a grouping of neighbourhoods collectively titled the “Beltline District”. It’s mixed use residential and commercial, things old and things new, many stately homes, modern condo towers, heritage buildings, schools, churches and countless places to shop and eat. And it’s here we’ve...

In 2018 we barely hiked. For any number of reasons we were just not able to get out into the woods, some gig getting in the way, poor weather perhaps, winter not wanting to let go, or maybe it was health issues – far too many of those that year....

A spring snow dump has us away from the mountains…again. No worries though as we always find somewhere interesting to walk and small towns are where we often do it. They’re just so quaint and charming and laid back. A drive south of Calgary has us visiting the community of...

Here’s another enjoyable in-the-city hike taking in the neighbourhoods of Mount Royal and Bankview, as mentioned in the title, along with some of Sunalta and a chunk of the Beltline. Along the way those following this route will pass many old homes just chock full of personality, some of them...

No, we’re not heading to the afterlife here, even if the biting cold this day had us thinking it might not be a bad place to get away from these frozen limbs and frostbitten noses (and mine’s a biggie). Hell sounds so nice this time of year. No sir, we’re...

The hikes & summits category has been awfully quiet lately. Our apologies. If you’ve been following what’s happening here, Connie’s health issues for those not in the know, you’ll completely understand why. It’s been a tough few months, but things are taking a turn for the better and soon we...

Sometimes you plan for this and end up doing that. It’s the unpredictable rhythm of life. Like this…we hoped to hike up to Rawson Lake then take in Rawson/Sarrail Ridge overlooking Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, but a “bear in the area” warning meant that objective was off limits. What to...