Visiting Calgary, Alberta: A Panoramic City Overlooked by Nose Hill Park

The most dynamic and rapidly growing City of Calgary, Alberta is overlooked by a significant hill and park, known as Nose Hill Park (1)(2).

From the Hill, commanding views of the Downtown and surrounding areas may be obtained (2); the somewhat more distant Rockies also loom large from certain angles of the Hill.

The presence of rocks and debris are suggestive of the former influence of glaciers. Nose Hill is reckoned to contain First Nations burial grounds; and ancient stone circles that have been found on the Hill form evidence of the Hill's use as a venue for ceremonies associated with First Nations.

The area contains natural grassland, some of which was turned into ploughed agricultural land in the 19th century; there have been more recent movements to return these ploughed lands to their former grassland status. In past centuries, what is now Alberta was much more extensively covered by grassland and Nose Hill is a living example of how the wider landscape must have looked centuries ago.

Together with the native grasslands, flora found on the Hill include wildflower, willow and aspen.

Fauna present on the Hill include coyote and deer, vole and ground squirrel, nothern harrier and hawk.

Nose Hill Park, which extends over 11 square kilometres, was formed in 1980. In the preceeding years, work to protect Nose Hill was spearheaded by members of the Calgary Field Naturalists’ Society (3) and local citizens. The Park now contains many hiking trails open to Calgary residents and visitors. Its main entrance is at 5620 14th Street N. W, and its opening hours are from 5AM to 11PM.

While Nose Hill Park might from some angles seem to be on the very edge of the City, it is actually surrounded by residential districts in this most dynamic urban area of the powerhouse that is Alberta.

October 30, 2019

Notes

(1) See also: https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/NW-parks/Nose-Hill-Park.aspx ; https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g154913-d155243-Reviews-Nose_Hill_Park-Calgary_Alberta.html

(2) A careful examination of the top view of Downtown Calgary, supplied above, shows the famous Calgary Tower, among other high-rise buildings.

(3) This group was later named Nature Calgary.

The many visitor attractions in Calgary include: the Calgary Tower, Lougheed House National Historic Site and Museum, the annual Stampede, the Glenbow Museum, sporting events at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Glenmore Reservoir and Prince's Island Park in the Bow River, which are just a few of the many visitor attractions in this fast-growing city.

From Calgary, day trips to favourite Rockies destinations such as Banff (distance: 128.7 kilometres) and Lake Louise (distance: 183.6 kilometres) are feasible.

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How to get there: Air Canada and WestJet fly to Calgary International Airport, with wide North American and other connections, from where car rental is available. Some facilities may be withdrawn without notice. For up to date information, please check with the airline or your travel agent. Airline information at Calgary International Airport may be accessed at: http://www.yyc.com/en-us/travellerinfo/flightinformation/airlineinformation.aspx . See also: http://www.airportshuttleexpress.com/ . Both Tourism Calgary and Travel Alberta have booths at the Airport. You are advised to refer to appropriate consular sources for any special border crossing arrangements which may apply to citizens of certain nationalities.

MJFenn is an independent travel writer based in Ontario, Canada.