There is plenty to do even when the weather gets cold in Calgary. From indoor activities in some of Calgary’s trendy, inner-city neighbourhoods to outdoor winter sports and winter festivals, there are lots of options to get out of the house from November to March.
Outdoor Activities in Calgary
Calgary has a wide variety of infrastructure for winter activities, from tubing to skating to cross-country skiing. With periodic chinook winds that bring warm weather and melt the snow, there are also many nice winter days when walking outdoors is pleasant. Here are some of the top outdoor activities I recommend.
Take a Winter Walk in a Park
Calgary’s beautiful parks are still beautiful in the winter! I enjoy going for a nice walk in Bowness, Nose Hill, Fish Creek, Prince’s Island, or even out to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park when the weather is nice. Getting out in the crisp air helps shake off the winter blues. Walks are always better when followed up with a warm drink from a local cafe.
Go Tubing at WinSport (Canada Olympic Park)
WinSport is the site of Canada Olympic Park (COP) where Calgary hosted many of the 1988 Winter Olympic events. Today, it has a ski hill open to the public, as well as a Tube Park. The park opens in mid-December and typically stays open under the end of March, weather permitting.
Go Ice Skating in Bowness Park
Bowness Park in NW Calgary is one of my favourite natural parks in the city. During the winter you can rent skates from the UCalgary Outdoor Centre onsite at Bowness Park and go skating on the Bowness lagoon open from 5 am to 11 pm.
As well, you can skate the 1.6 km ice trail through the trees and along the river. The ice trail is open daily from 10 am to 11 pm. They also have ice bikes for rent at the lagoon, if you’re interested in trying them out!
Cross-Country Skiing Around Calgary
The City of Calgary grooms and maintains cross-country ski trails in parks around the city. Try out the trails at Confederation Golf Course in the northwest, North and South Glenmore Parks in the southwest, McCall Golf Course in the northeast, and Maple Ridge Golf Course in the southeast. You’ll need to bring your own skis to the park, but if you need to rent gear you can do so at the UCalgary Outdoor Centre or Sports Rent in the north and Outlaw Sports in the south.
Spend a Day (or Evening) at the Calgary Zoo
The Calgary Zoo is open 364 days a year. Guests can visit all winter long, and the indoor exhibits like the rainforest and the savannah are a great reprieve from the winter chill.
ZOOLIGHTS, the Zoo’s annual Christmas lights festival runs in the evenings from mid-November until early January. You can buy a ticket for both the zoo and the lights that allows you to enter any time after 1:00 pm, or you can just buy a ticket for the ZOOLIGHTS starting at 5:00 pm.
Visit Inglewood
Take a walk around Calgary’s Inglewood, a neighbourhood close to downtown full of interesting shops, restaurants, bars, and more. Stop by the Esker Foundation, a free contemporary art gallery, for a break from the cold. Then walk along 9th Avenue and check out some local favourites like Cafe Gravity, The Next Page, and Canela Vegan Bakery. If you’re like me and enjoy crafting during the winter, stop in STASH for all your fiber arts needs.
Inglewood is also home to the Ironwood Stage & Grill, which is a restaurant and lounge open to all ages that hosts regular music events, from open mic nights to featured bands. Many of the Ironwood’s talented artists are local to Calgary and Southern Alberta.
Participate in Chinook Blast
Calgary’s midwinter festival, Chinook Blast, begins in late January and continues until mid-February. It includes live music, DJs, ice skating, light displays, art installations, markets, and performances. This family-friendly fun brings some cheer to the dark winter months, so check out their schedule and visit once or twice this winter!
Check Out YYC Hot Chocolate Fest
YYC Hot Chocolate Fest is a city-wide fundraiser that local cafes compete in to win the Best Hot Chocolate title. Each cafe comes up with a creative twist on the classic warm beverage and donates between $1 to $3 per cup to Calgary Meals on Wheels, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing Calgarians in need with nutritious prepared meals. You can download the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest app or check their website for all the participating vendors and vote on your favourites.
Walk Around Kensington
Calgary’s Kensington area offers trendy, local shops and businesses. Check out Hexagon Board Game Cafe, Pages Bookstore, and the Plaza Theatre, among other local stores and businesses. When you get hungry, stop by Higher Ground Cafe, Mestizo Taqueria, or Pulcinella, depending on your hunger level and budget.
Take a Day Trip to a Nearby Town
There are many nearby towns with great winter activities to try. Consider taking a day trip to:
- Cochrane, where you can visit the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary.
- Bragg Creek, where you can ski the cross-country trails in West Bragg Creek.
- Canmore, where you can visit the Nordic Centre Provincial Park to cross-country ski, fat bike, or snowshoe.
- Banff, where you can take a downhill ski trip to Norquay, Sunshine, or Lake Louise ski resorts.
