If you ask around for hiking suggestions near Calgary, you'll get sent several hours deep into the…read moreRockies. If you're not looking to spend half the day in the car, this park is just outside of Calgary's city limits. The trails are very well marked and maintained. One of the trails leads up to a ridge with views overlooking the city on one side and the mountains on the other. The 12km of trails make for loops of varying lengths.

Lack of parking is a big problem. Parking lot needs to be expanded now they won't allow road…read moreparking

I came to Canada with my running group and our first run was here at Barrier Lake. This pretty lake…read moreis located at the north end of Kananaskis Country in Alberta and is an hour drive from Calgary. Barrier Lake is man-made and has lots of hiking trails and beautiful mountain views. It is great for canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding during the summer months. We ran on the Jewell Pass Trail to the waterfall and back. It ended up being around seven miles (11 km) round-trip. I had a nice view of Mount Baldy while on my run. To park here, you need a Kananaskis Conservation Pass. There were restrooms and helpful information signs where we parked. Barrier Lake was featured in the "X2: X-Men United" movie.

What a gorgeous lake, I love the colour! I took my kids kayaking but wasnt crazy about the fact its…read moredammed---- check out the gorgeous view from the top of the mountain right beside it - Yates! Its where our friend lives at the top of the mtn 6 months a year- great views all the time :)

Fabulous hiking trail, provides great views at the top although you can't go all the way to the top…read morebecause there is a ranger station up there...... Our mutual friend J uses it for training because the driveway to go up to the parking lot is maintained in the winter so it's good for burning lotta calories and running straight uphill while training in cleats if that's your kind of thing....... I should mention that only go this route if your car is in good shape or you have a 4 x 4 because the dirt road is pretty rough on the way up and on the way down. We broker serpentine belt for the second time in a year !

Moose Mountain is fat tire mountain bike freedom. The mountain is host to to countless miles of…read morecommunity maintained gorgeous mountain bike single track. There's a big difference between riding your mountain bike on trails, and riding on trails that were creatively crafted for the sole purpose of mountain biking. These trails have been crafted corner by corner from the dirt up for the very best mountain bike experience. The result is a breathtaking combination of smiles, thrills, and high fives. Respect these trails! If you pack it in, pack it out. If you break it, fix it. If you can't jump it - don't. If it's a downhill trail, use it in the down hill direction. If you don't feel like riding in the uphill direction, the road is open from May 15 - December 1. There's no shame in loading a pickup truck full of bikes and driving to the top. Just make sure to drive with respect and do your best not to dust storm them people who choose to ride up. If you do like pedalling upward and onward, there is a really fun trail (Pneuma) that rides along near moose mountain road. While it's not as efficient as riding up the road, it's a far more enjoyable. Pneuma is possibly the most fun I've ever had riding up a hill. Going for a hike? Great - there's room for that too! Grab your best walking stick and a hiking map so you can stick to the hiking trails. While it may be tempting to walk up the downhill mountain bike trails, please don't. You won't be missing out - trails that are intended for hiking have far more interesting hiking terrain, scenery, and take you locations with gorgeous views. Group hikes up DH mountain bike trails are just detrimental to the trails and dangerous for everyone. Here's your hiking info - http://www.braggcreek.ca/kananaskis/trails/moosemtn.htm Directions: Head south on 22 until you reach Bragg Creek. Hang left at the 4-way stop sign until a T intersection with a stop sign. Turn right at the 'T' intersection onto HWY 66. Continue to drive west past McLean Creek, past "Station Flats", the next road on the right side is Moose Mountain Rd. Moose Mountain Road is open Most trails are accessed by driving up Moose Mountain Rd and end out at Canyon Creek/Ing's Mine. There is parking at Ing's Mine and Station Flats.

Not surprisingly, Sheep River Provincial Park is gorgeous. Sheep River Falls is a lovely picnic…read morespot and the whole canyon is beautiful. As a park it leaves a little to be desired. The park facilities include a road that runs through the park, parking lots, picnic tables, and pit toilets that are reasonably well maintained. The things the park doesn't provide include: trails that are marked and maintained. There are maps at some of the trail heads. These maps are for all of Kananaskis Country, so they lack any detail for a particular trail and most don't indicate your current location. If you haven't been before, you need a local to show you the way or an app like All Trails if you'd like to hike for more than 15 minutes or so before turning around. There are signs that the park used to include trail markers, steps carved into slopes, and interpretive signage. There are not enough trail markers hanging around and not enough foot traffic to be able to navigate without GPS.

Forgetmenot Pond is our favourite place to visit in Kananaskis country. It is at the end of Hwy 66,…read morepast Bragg Creek. It is not just off Hwy 40 as is stated in the caption accompanying the picture.

Who doesn't agree with Toad from Wind in the Willows that, 'there is simply nothing in life as…read morelovely as messing about in boats?' Since moving back to Calgary I've been trying to find places to swim and float that are kid-friendly. Forgetmenot Pond is so idyllic it almost feels like stepping into a painting. The water is mountain-fed so it gets the ticker going when you first get in but on a hot day, it is gloriously refreshing. Inflatable and paddle-boats are allowed. There are picnic tables, BBQs, a large parking lot, a fairly flat and short trail to the pond and well-maintained porta-potty style washrooms. The water is turquoise, the mountains are pristine, and even when day camps come to walk the path around the (large) pond it feels uncrowded and peaceful. I am already dreaming of returning. I will forget you not my beautiful Bragg Creek oasis!

When: Mid-October Difficulty: Moderate to Advanced,…read moredepending on weather Distance: 8 miles out and back to Lake Lillian (We couldn't get to Galatea due to weather) Time Required: 5-6 hours out and back (Keep sunset and daylight in mind when choosing a start time) Conditions: Trail offers large expanses of shade broken up by sections that show the mountain tops and allow you to look down into the valley. Interesting Elements: Rock slide and avalanche path crossings Payoff: Lake Lillian, Backpack Camp, and (if reachable) Galatea Lake Would you recommend this hike to visitors?: Yes. Especially in the Spring/Summer The Kananaskis area is just off the beaten path for many tourists who are either visiting Banff or Canmore, so you'll find a trail that's frequented by locals and a bit quieter than those closer to town. Under normal conditions, I'd say this trail is most definitely moderate. There's about a 1,500 ft elevation gain over the course of about 4 miles, and it's extremely gradual save for a section or two. For us, the trail ended up being slightly more advanced due to overnight temps below freezing and light snow which, over the course of the day, turned to ice. Ascending was tricky, but careful foot placement had us moving at a steady pace. Descending was another story, making sure to step cautiously to maximize what little traction was available from unmolested snow and rocks. In these conditions poles and/or traction aids are recommended, and if we had them, the trail would have been moderately difficult. The views of the creek as you cross the multiple bridges are peaceful. Mountains are in view almost the entire time, and there are several points at which you really get a sense of scale for this incredible place. Sadly the big payoff for us was not Lake Lillian, but rather the campsite where we found two hikers who'd started a wonderful fire! We also shared some mulled wine with two Russian hikers too, warming us up from the inside and making the descent a lot more enjoyable.

Came here on a weekday afternoon around 2PM, parking lot about half full. Saw a lot of people on…read morethe way down when we were going up. Trail crossed the creek a few times, lots of bridges. Path wasn't too steep, definitely moderate, good views along the way. Rocky in some parts but manageable. Took about two hours to the lakes - Lillian Lake was pretty, and Galatea Lakes were awesome! Basically had the lakes to ourselves, it was great. Didn't see anyone on the way down, we were the only car when we got back around 7PM. Great hike!

This was an intense hike with a steep learning curve! (haha…read moresee what I did there? ) This place was a lot easier to find than I thought it would be, thank goodness! Basically head down Hwy 66 until you come to winter closure gates. When the gates are closed you can park on the side of the road, with several trailhead options right beside the road. They all meet up to the main trail so we took the one past the gates. It's pretty much like hiking Vancouver's Grouse Mountain - a ~700m gain thigh-burning grind of a ~3km climb straight to the summit! And being that we live in Alberta, I tend to forget mountains have an entirely separate agenda when it comes to weather, regardless of what season it currently is on ground level lol. It was spitting rain when we started our hike about 9:30am, which slowly turned to sleet after 20-30 minutes up the trail, until finally snowing a little further up Thank god I had a random poncho hiding in my car, because I was ill-prepared for snow! With leftover winter still gripping the mountains, it was a little difficult without spikes for traversing the snowy bits, but I managed with great trail runners haha. As we got past the tree line towards the summit, it turned into a complete whiteout of hard snow/sleet pelting against our faces! The flagpole at the top still stands though, with the little thrashing about in the strong winds! It's a great view from up there, as you can see from the pictures lol. I must say the way back down was ridiculous fun, sliding down snow, bouncing between trees for braking and running down the mud! I am definitely coming back to actually see the majestic valley view without snow!

A decent hike..... When you get to the choice of stairs or bridge, the stairs definitely lead to…read morethe more difficult assent. On the way up and once you reach the top, you will be treated to a very beautiful view. Taking a few brief stops along the way it is a very comfortable 2 hours. Enjoy !!!