CalgaryCalgary is situated 200 miles (322km) north of the US border on the banks of the
Bow River below the
Rocky Mountains. Although
Alberta's second city,
Edmonton, is the state capital,
Calgary is the territory's commercial and cultural center and offers visitors and inhabitants all the trappings of urban life along with the pleasure of enjoying the dramatic countryside that surrounds the city. Splendid national parks that flourish on its doorstep, act as a magnet for hikers, fishermen and lovers of the great outdoors. The city, sited on the Trans-
Canada highway, is also the gateway
to the Rocky Mountain resorts, which in winter attract skiers from all over the continent.
The downtown area of Calgary not only serves as a shopping, entertainment, cultural and recreation center for locals, but it is also a tourist center for more than four million visitors a year. The city boasts dozens of tourist attractions and annual festivals, wonderful parks and open spaces and a selection of excellent shops, restaurants, cafes and bistros. The city is probably best known for the
Calgary Stampede, a world-class cowboy carnival and rodeo that draws more than a million people every year to watch the action and be entertained by its accompanying huge parade and festivities.
For over 10,000 years the site on which Calgary sits today was home to the
Blackfoot Indians; the first European settlers did not arrive until 1860.
Colonel James Macleod established the small trading post,
Fort Calgary, named after Calgary Bay on his native Isle of Mull in
Scotland. The Pacific Railway reached the town in 1883, but it was not until the discovery of oil in Turner Valley, 22 miles (35km) southwest of the city that the population started to explode. Wander the streets in your Stetson beneath the sparkling skyscrapers built on the back of the oil boom, dine on a juicy steak in a saloon with country music playing in the background, and it will be hard to decide whether you are in Calgary or
Texas.
Getting Around: Calgary's main form of public transport is its light rail system, the 'C-Train', which offers a free downtown zone. Outside the free zone one needs to buy a pass for both C-Train and buses, available for different periods from any Co-op,
Safeway,
7-Eleven Food Store or Mac's Convenience Store.
Climate: Calgary experiences warm summers and bitterly cold winters, temperatures often dropping well below freezing. The mountains cause Calgary's climate to be rather dry, the little rainfall that does occur falls in summer (June to August). Winters are long and cold and occasionally relieved by a warm wind called a Chinook. The weather in Calgary is highly changeable and daily predictions are often off the mark.
Canadian Rocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains of western
North America stretch more than 3,000 miles (4,828km) from
Mexico, through the
United States and into Canada and
Alaska. Dividing the Canadian provinces of
British Columbia and Alberta, the peaks of the Canadian Rockies tower over the plains rising to 11,975ft (3,650m). The alpine towns sprinkled along the Rockies on the Alberta side are an unspoiled mountain playground where each season has its own unique beauty and selection of activities. National parks abound in this area, offering the chance for mountain adventures and recreation. Canada's largest National Park,
Wood Buffalo National Park, is larger than
Switzerland. The towns in the area, like Banff and Jasper, offer a vast number of tourist attractions to entertain and entrance visitors all year round to complement the natural attractions.
Climate: The Canadian Rockies experience a highland climate, characterized by warm summer days with long hours of sunshine, and cold, crisp winters when snow covers the ground from November to March. The coldest months are December and January when temperatures can plummet to well below freezing, exacerbated by the wind chill factor. Hikers in the summer months should note that May and June are the wettest time of year, and that even in summer weather conditions can be variable and changeable.
