Calgary Bike Paths 

Calgary, AB

Directions

Calgary has approximately 1000 km of multi-use paved, off-road paths, mostly along the Bow and Elbow rivers in the city.  All of the routes below are loops and can be joined at any point along them.

Conditions

The trails below are paved and easy to ride, although you will find the occasional root bump or a crack from winter weather.   

Edworthy to Inglewood Loop

This route starts at a friends home in Point McKay going West to Edworthy Park, but another good starting point is at the Park itself (51.06391, -114.15138).  After crossing the Bow River on the walking bridge, you follow the South side bike path down river through the center of the city to Inglewood.  The return trip West is mostly on the North side bike path.  There are a few ups and downs, but with no hills, this 23km route is quite flat.

The special parts of the trip are the south path from Edworthy to the Crowchild Trail bridge and the wonderful atmosphere of the downtown area of Eau Claire, across from Prince's Island Park.  A side trip on, through, and off the island is well worth it.

One of the things to watch for are the hundreds of people rafting down the Bow River every warm day in summer.  It's fun and the people doing it are obviously having a great time.

If lunch is in the plan, there is a quaint place with OK food at Edworthy called Angel's Cafe, or you can find many restaurants in the Kensington or Eau Claire areas.

Map:

Here is a map of the route on Google Maps with a link to the .gpx file: Edworthy to Inglewood Loop

Inglewood to Fish Creek Park and Return

This route starts at my sister's home in Inglewood and travels along the West side of the Bow River to Fish Creek Park.  With the return, it's a 39km trip. 

Another good place to start is at the corner of New Street and 1st Street SE (51.04206, -114.02514).

Fish Creek Park is a wonderful place to ride as well, with many trails throughout its boundaries.  There are several entrances to the Park with ample parking space to leave your car (don't leave valuables behind though, as there are car trunk thieves around).

The trip along the Bow River is often quite spectacular and can be quite peaceful with the city so close by.  A special place is near the start of the trip, where the city has built a kayak slalom course in the river.  When not in use for events, the course is open to the public, so in summer you'll likely see people going through it in all manner of water vehicles.

There are a number of places along the route where you could stop for a picnic lunch, especially if you included an extension into Fish Creek Park.

Map:

Here is a map of the route on Google Maps with a link to the .gpx file: Inglewood to Fish Creek Park

Elevation Profile:

Although the profile below looks aggressive, the range of change is only 40 meters.  There are a few fairly good hills where the river is bounded by steep banks and the trail climbs to go over them.  No problem for a cyclist who's fit or has an eBike!

The Arts Hotel to Glenmore Reservoir loop

This route begins and ends at the Hotel Arts Kensington in Calgary, a lovely classy place to stay.The first part of the ride (4km) is through the center of town, which is straightforward but on city streets so progress is dependent on traffic.  If you didn't want to do the return from Elbow Park along the Elbow River and the Stampede area (10km), you could drive to Rideau Park and skip the city section.  However, that piece of the route is interesting and a fun ride, so perhaps do it back and forth another time.

The second part of the trip (and it's return after the reservoir loop - 5km each way), from Rideau to Sandy Beach, is an interesting ride, half on quiet city streets through a high end residential area and half on paved bike paths along the river.  Watch for beautiful gardens and stunning homes as many are worth stopping for a better look.

At Sandy Beach there is a steep hill up to the reservoir area, where you start the loop around the reservoir. From here you ride on paved bike paths almost the whole way.  It's 23km around the reservoir, with beautiful views and great trails along the water, through the woods, and along the crest of the hill over the water through a large park.  It connects back to the incoming trail to go back down the Sandy Beach hill and the return along the Elbow River and through Rideau.

Lastly, the trail along the Elbow River leading to the Stampede drive-by is interesting and attractive.  Traveling past the Stampede grounds on the opposite side of the river brings back lots of cowboy memories and it's a fun ride in its own right.  The last section is along the Bow River cycling past Chinatown and the business center of the city.

This last part of the route is really interesting, because the area is very active with tourists, city workers on breaks, families with strollers, restaurant patio activity, and other cyclists. 

The total loop is 41km and most of it is paved cycling paths, with a couple of city street connections here and there.

If you time your ride to arrive in the 4th street area around lunch time, Aida's Bistro is a great place for lunch.

Map:

Here is a map of the route on Google Maps with a link to the .gpx file: Arts Hotel to Glenmore Reservoir Loop

Elevation Profile:

Although the profile below looks aggressive and there are two good sized hills in the reservoir loop, the rest of the route is fairly flat.