Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park

The Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park was officially opened August, 2011 as a day use park.  It is located on Hwy#1A between Calgary and Cochrane.  Watch for the Glenbow Road turnoff on the south side of the highway.  Go south on it and it will take you down thru a coulee to the parking lot.
The view from the top of the hills will take your breath away.  You will look out over the rolling native grasslands, the Bow River valley, the foothills and then the mountains in the distance.  This is a great place for walking, biking and taking pictures.  We enjoyed our afternoon here.

Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park

The park will serve as an important environmental educational site for many students in the years to come.  As well there is a rich cultural history in this area as bison kill sites and tipi rings are evidence of native people on the land years ago. 
Also, the Glenbow Quarry operated  here before the First World War.  Sandstone from this quarry adorns the Alberta Legislative Building, the Calgary Court House and many other buildings.  There is the abandoned town site of Glenbow which housed the workers.  It is said there were 150 residents at the height of the quarry's success.

Trails in the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park

The main trail running through the park is now part of the Trans Canada Trail System.  Make sure to take a sun hat and plenty of water to drink as it gets very hot here this time of the year.  Remember for every hill that you walk down, there is one to walk back up.

The park is still a working ranch where cattle are still grazing the grassland and birds and other wildlife enjoy their freedom here.
A big thanks to the Harvie family and the Province for preserving this land from the developers and from urban expansion!  I am sure it will be enjoyed by many in the years to come.