People travel from all over the world to see the Rocky Mountains, so we are so fortunate that Canmore is only an hour’s drive from the west edge of Calgary. This makes it a great day trip location for some outdoor family time.
Currently, our three favourite family friendly walking paths in Canmore are:
With Aria being two and a half years old, we're never too far off from a diaper change, nap, or meltdown, so we prefer to stick to shorter walks. These three are all easy with little to no incline and can be done in 15-20 minutes if you keep at a steady pace. We’ve been taking them at a slower speed and it ends up taking us around an hour or so once we factor in time for exploring, rock tossing, or just stopping to take in the views.
The Bow River loop is a short 2.0 km walk which parallels the Bow River. Water is always a plus on our walks, as our kids like to stop and find big pieces of ice or sticks to toss in and watch them float away. There are amazing mountain views all around, but the Bow River Loop also has other interesting features.
The Engine Bridge is a picture-perfect photo spot thanks to some impressive civil engineering. There is also the Rundle Forebay Reservoir outlet and some beautiful homes, both new and heritage, which are interesting to look at. The loop connects to town via various offshoots, which all have scenic leading tree lines.
The Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk is a 3.9 km trail, which we always start at 8th Street in Canmore. The location is convenient because we always like to walk the strip and check out our favorite little shops. It's a given that our kids are going to want to stop in at Timothy's Popcorn & Candy or Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe so it's nice to get a family walk in before letting them pick out a treat.
At the Big Head Sculpture on 8th Street, it's easy to head north or south along this calm little creek. If you go north, you can continue on further to other paths such as the Spur Line Trail, which connects to the Bow River Loop.
If you go south, the wooden boardwalk is great for photos with the long leading lines. There is also plenty of places to stop and throw rocks in the water. You can loop back north on the other side of the creek but the walk ends up leading you through a residential area for part of the walk, so we tend to take the “there and back” approach.
Quarry Lake Loop is the shortest of our three favorites at 1.1 km. The shorter length can be a nice one to sneak in near the end of the day if the kids still have some energy to burn.
There are amazing mountain views no matter where you are on the loop. In the winter, the lake is generally frozen and snow packed, but in the summer, the lake itself is quite picturesque.
We've been enjoying all of our winter adventures this year but we're looking forward to enjoying some warmer adventures as well. A swim in Quarry Lake is definitely on our list for a nice summer day.
Our young family has been enjoying these shorter routes that are close to town, but we’re also excited for new trails as the kids get older. Canmore has lots for all ages and skill levels in terms of walking, hiking, biking, climbing and more. Two great resources that we've been using to plan our outings are the AllTrails website and the Town of Canmore website.
Canmore is also just outside of the Banff National Park so you can enjoy all of these walks with no park fee. It can be easy to forget how close we are to some truly amazing views. We can’t wait to get out to enjoy them more soon!
Feel free to share your family's favourite places in Canmore and area, so we can check them out on our next visit!
