Guide: 7 Essential Outdoor Spring Activities in Calgary

One of the best things about spring and summer in Calgary is that you don’t have to leave the city to enjoy a plethora of outdoor activities. With the motionball Calgary Gala coming up on April 26th, we figured we’d team up with them and come up with some of the best outdoor activities in Calgary this spring, along with the best places to do them!

You might be thinking, okay so what is motionball? Well, it is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising money for the Special Olympics, while empowering our generation to be leaders in the community. Their mandate is to provide the opportunity for individuals with intellectual disabilities to lead healthier lives through the money and awareness that the motionball events raise.

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the best ways to enjoy outdoor spring activities in Calgary. Here we go!

Hiking Nose Hill

Fun fact, Nose Hill is the 4th largest urban park in the whole country! If you’re looking for some decent hiking, dog-walking, biking, and exploring, this is a good place to start. Plus, it’s northwest-central location makes it pretty dang accessible for just about everyone.

Bikes and Beers

Now, there are few better good-weather-activities than biking around town and having some beers. BUT, you want to make sure you can do it legally! Well, well, well, looks like Urban Pedal Tours and the Canadian Craft Tours are your new best friends! Grab some pals, hop on these party bikes, and tour some of Calgary’s most beer-friendly neighbourhoods (while burning a couple calories, no less).

Exploring Fish Creek Park

There are tons and tons of trails, plenty of waterfront areas, and enough wildlife to keep any nature enthusiast happy. Fish Creek Provincial Park is one of those spots where you can really, really escape the city for a day.

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Run, bike, walk, board the River

With the Peace Bridge, Prince’s Island Park, St. Patrick’s Island, and more all accessible via the paved pathways running along the Bow River, there is no shortage of places to check out while strolling along the Bow. Oh, and how you stroll is up to you. Run, walk, skateboard, bike, blade, scooter- we don’t care what you do as long as you enjoy doing it.

Float the Bow

It looks like you’ll still have to wait until around May 1st to get out on the Bow for a float, but preparation is key! This is one of the coolest spring/summer activities in the city, but it’s only fun if everyone is safe. We don’t mean to be party-poopers, we just want floating the Bow to remain a favourite for years to come. So leave the ice-cold-brewmans at home, make sure that life jacket is secured, and have a safe, fun day.

Run the Memorial Stairs

Okay, you absolute maniacs, we’re going to go ahead and guess that if this is the one that sparks you a little that you’re one of those fitness nuts we mentioned. No judgment here (just envious hate and rage), but we are a little confused that this is something you’d do for fun. All jokes aside, the view of downtown and the actual difficulty of this stair-run makes it one of the best outdoor workout spots in the whole city.

Relax, Picnic, and Play at Riley Park

This inner-city oasis is one of Calgarians favourite spots for a day spent outdoors. Bring some food, play some cricket, hit up the wading pool and splash some kids to establish dominance…it’s a choose your own adventure kind of place!

That wraps up our list of some of the best outdoor activities Calgary has to offer in the spring and summer. Thanks again to motionball for sponsoring this guide, and for providing such awesome support to the Special Olympics. If you want to attend Calgary’s motionball Gala, or just find out more about what they do, then check out all their info here.

motionball YYC Gala

When: Friday, April 26 at 9 PM
Where: The Palace Theatre, 219 8 Ave SW
Cost: $150 regular, but $125 with the CURIOCITY promo code!