Canmore, Alberta is simply gorgeous. This small mountain town is in a river valley surrounded by mountains and national parks. The path system is quite extensive making it the perfect place to go on a walk. If you're up for adventure there are thousands of miles of hiking trails starting in Canmore going up into the Rocky Mountains.
The town of Canmore has become quite gentrified over the years. While it's surrounded by parks, it's not in a park like neighbouring Banff. Less restrictions means anyone can buy a home. The main strip has art galleries and nice restaurants but we prefer to stick to the fringes. Country > Town.
This inviting winter path is what I'm talking about. One cannot help but be happy in such a setting. It wasn't too cold which made for perfect walking weather.
The town has lots of little streams and minor branches of the Bow River crisscrossing the paths. This is the same river that flows through Calgary and Canmore is about an hour drive West.
One of the best trails starts here, behind a school. Some people are lucky enough to grow up in such a place. A small Condo is worth a million dollars here and most jobs are service related so it's not for everyone.
Canmore is the gateway to the Canadian Rockies, while there are so many things to do here in the Summer, it's also a winter wonderland. There is a large Nordic Centre in town where Olympic grade cross country skiers and amateurs alike train.
It is also about an hour drive to four large downhill ski hills. This makes Canmore an all season destination for adventure. It's a vacation hub making property pricey.
Every so often there are maps of the town, we often walk around the entire town on the south end of the highway. This map only shows the top half of the path system and the 'half loop' shown above is about five kilometers, making it a nice walk.
Here are some of the lucky residents. A golf course views on one side, and mountains on the other. That would be mount Rundle, if you go over the mountain you will be in Banff.
Across the river the view is even more impressive. This walk is something one can do again and again and again.
You can also jog, walk the dog, bike and ski. There are benches and the trail is well maintained.
There are signs telling you what's going on. This sign speaks of canmore being on top of the river. Because the ground is made out of porous rocks, the river is effectively below the entire valley and is more than what it seems. The trail also serves as a dike to keep the houses from flooding.
Our walk ended at the coffee shop. The best part about being close to town is you can always stop off for a drink and a bite to eat.
This is a classic Albertan scene on the way home. We have as big skies as Montana to the South and a lot of cows.
Thank you for joining me on the walk and enjoy the rest of the week.
All photos are unfiltered and taken with an s22 or iPhone 15 pro max.