Outdoors · Calgary · Canada
8 best outdoor things to do in Calgary
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Grungaloo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Peace Bridge and Prince's Island Park, Calgary Zoo and Heritage Park Historical Village. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 14–24 hours across 6 areas; 4 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 4
- Time to see them all
- 14–24 hours
- Areas
- Downtown, Inglewood and Southwest Calgary
Outdoors in Calgary
Park · Downtown
1.Peace Bridge and Prince's Island Park
Walk across the bridge to Kensington for coffee, then return along the river pathway to the island.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Couples
Zoo · Inglewood
2.Calgary Zoo
Arrive by CTrain (Zoo station) to avoid parking queues on summer weekends.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Historic site · Southwest Calgary
3.Heritage Park Historical Village
Village rides and the steam train run in the summer season; outside it, Gasoline Alley is the main indoor draw.
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Outdoors
Historic site · Inglewood
4.Fort Calgary at the Confluence
The grounds and riverside paths are free to wander even when you skip the interpretive centre.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Outdoors
- Free
Nature · Inglewood
5.Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Bring binoculars and go early in the morning, when bird activity is highest.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Park · Northwest Calgary
6.Nose Hill Park
Bring water and a windproof layer; there is no shade or shelter on the hilltop.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Active
Park · South Calgary
7.Fish Creek Provincial Park
Cycle the paved trail from Bow Valley Ranch along the creek for an easy half-day ride.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Active
- Kids
Experience · West Calgary
8.Canada Olympic Park (WinSport)
Even if you don't ski, drive up for the view of the ski jumps and the city on the way to Banff.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Active
- Outdoors
- History
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown | Peace Bridge and Prince's Island Park | 1–2 hours |
| Inglewood | Calgary Zoo, Fort Calgary at the Confluence and Inglewood Bird Sanctuary | Half a day + 1 hour + 1–2 hours |
| Southwest Calgary | Heritage Park Historical Village | Half a day to a full day |
| Northwest Calgary | Nose Hill Park | 1–3 hours |
| South Calgary | Fish Creek Provincial Park | 2–4 hours |
| West Calgary | Canada Olympic Park (WinSport) | 2–4 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 4 free, 1 low cost, 3 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Calgary Zoo; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 7 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Downtown): Peace Bridge and Prince's Island Park, at least 1 hour.
- Half-day 2 (Inglewood): Calgary Zoo → Fort Calgary at the Confluence, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Inglewood): Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, at least 1 hour.
- Half-day 4 (Southwest Calgary): Heritage Park Historical Village, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Northwest Calgary): Nose Hill Park, at least 1 hour.
- Half-day 6 (South Calgary): Fish Creek Provincial Park, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 7 (West Calgary): Canada Olympic Park (WinSport), at least 2 hours.
The best months to be outside
- August: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 9 rainy days, busy crowds. Warm and dry; wildfire smoke from distant fires can haze the sky some years.
- September: highs of 18°C (64°F), about 8 rainy days, moderate crowds. Crisp, sunny and settled; golden aspens and larches turn in the nearby mountains.
- July: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 11 rainy days, very busy crowds. Warm, sunny days and cool nights; the Stampede makes it the busiest and most expensive month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown — Office towers, Stephen Avenue patios and the +15 skywalk network
- Inglewood — Calgary's oldest neighbourhood, with heritage storefronts, vintage shops and live music
More of Calgary
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Calgary?
Peace Bridge and Prince's Island Park. Santiago Calatrava's red, helix-shaped Peace Bridge carries pedestrians and cyclists across the Bow River from downtown to Sunnyside.
+Which of these are free in Calgary?
Peace Bridge and Prince's Island Park, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Nose Hill Park and Fish Creek Provincial Park.