Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park

It’s 6:30 am - fifteen minutes, or so, before sunrise - I grab my pack and hit the trail that descends into the heart of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. To my left a dazzling sky explodes with orange-red hues. Beneath the striking color the downtown skyscrapers of Calgary make an impressionable silhouette. Ten minutes later I find myself on top of Yodel Trail and admire the panoramic scene. To the west chiseled tips of the Rockies are washed in early-morning light. Below me a train thunders through the morning mist and disappears into the valley fog. Deer scamper through a fescue-covered gully and gather on the crest of a hill. They stop and I manage to shutter a few images before they, too, disappear into the fog.

Officially opened to the public on Aug 9 th , 2011, the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is a 1300 ha jewel that many outdoor enthusiasts have been, and will be, enjoying for years to come. The park is located 34 km northwest of downtown Calgary and just 4 km from Cochrane. Sold to the Government of Alberta in 2006 by the Harvie Family for roughly half of what it was worth to developers, the park encompasses a pristine swath of rolling, glacier-carved grassland along the Bow River Valley. It’s classic Alberta ranchland, bursting with beauty, abundant with wildlife, and rich with history.

Photo By: Andrew Penner

Discovering this place is bound to bring many surprises to firsttime visitors. For starters, native peoples once corralled bison in these coulees and established tipi camps near the river. There are a number of visible remnants, including tipi rings, cairns, and arrowheads, that have been discovered in the park. Thanks to the many initiatives of the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation, archaeology – as well as many other educational and cultural programs - play a key role here.

The park is home to the once flourishing village of Glenbow. Established in the early 1900s, all that remains of the ghost town is the old, dilapidated store. Although you can’t go inside it, its prominent position beside the railway tracks certainly adds to the charm of the park. The park also includes other ruins, mainly remnants of mansions and ranch buildings built by wealthy Americans who settled here and started the nearby rock quarry. Interestingly, many buildings in both Calgary and Edmonton, including the Alberta Legislature, were built with sandstone from the Glenbow Quarry. When the quarry closed in 1912 the town of Glenbow soon died.

Photo By: Andrew Penner

One of Alberta’s most notable philanthropists, Eric Harvie (he founded the Glenbow Museum, among many other notable contributions) purchased the land in 1933 and it has remained in the family ever since. However, in 2006, following in the footsteps of their generous grandfather, the family decided to sell the land to the Alberta Government to ensure it would be protected and enjoyed by future Albertans.

Unquestionably, enjoying the park is easy. The natural beauty, especially in the early or late-day hours when low-angled light illuminates the grasses and provides definition to the heaving hillsides, will be etched on your mind for a long time. From the many high points and lookouts on the trails, the vistas are absolutely stunning and nature photographers will have a hay day - as I did on the morning I visited!

Photo By: Andrew Penner

There are 25 km of recreational pathways in the park (both paved and shale) that cyclists and those on foot can enjoy. In the future, the Glenbow Trail, which will be part of the Trans Canada Trail, will link Calgary with Cochrane, offering outdoor enthusiasts a wonderfully scenic tour through the Bow Valley corridor. Portions of this pathway have already been completed (from the park to Cochrane) and the remaining section connecting to Calgary (through Haskayne Park) is in the planning stages.

The 2.3 km circuit known as the Yodel Loop is one of the most stunning trails in the park. It quickly ascends to the ridge and definitely has “wow” factor. The exposed nature of the trail (approx half the trail traverses the top of the bluff while the other half meanders through a pretty aspen grove) make for a memorable little journey. To top it off, the interpretive trail also incorporates a number of interesting and informative signs that provide insight into the park’s history and biodiversity.

As I head back up the hill to the quaint ridge-top visitor info centre, I turned for one last look at the beautiful Alberta foothills scene before me. Try as I might, I just couldn’t resist snapping a few more photos. Something tells me, in the years to come, I will not be the only person to get “trigger happy” in these parts. I am wholly convinced that this park is a very special place.

Photos and Story By: Andrew Penner