Visit Canada's largest natural area urban park
by Aimee Lorefice
Nose Hill Park in Calgary is more than a pretty view. A deceiving place, in that it looks more like a huge rolling hill than a typical park, this protected treasure is in fact the site of many diverse animal and plant habitats, and a beloved recreation getaway for Calgary hikers and bikers. It’s also a great spot to enjoy a stunning view of the sprawling city of Calgary on the south side, and the Rocky Mountains to the west.
At a vast 1,127 hectares, Nose Hill Park is the largest municipal park in Canada. If you look at a map of Calgary, a growing city of one million, Nose Hill Park is one giant green space surrounded by suburbs.
I spent some time on Nose Hill myself, having once lived beside the grassy haven in the northwest end of the city. It provided a pleasant venue for walks, and an escape from the suburbs. It’s also a fantastic spot to look out to the Calgary Tower, and to appreciate being secluded from it by a wilderness area quietly inhabited by birds and butterflies.
Nose Hill Park offers a view of the city of Calgary in winter through its open fields of grasslands and long, winding path system.
Nose Hill Park is a grand feast for the eyes of birdwatchers. The total bird count of feathered visitors, which include Sharp-Tailed Grouse, Baird’s Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, Black-billed Cuckoo, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Canada Goose, to name a few, is roughly 135 varieties.
Nose Hill is also home to a diverse grassland ecosystem, and sensitive vegetation and archeological sites. These include the endangered grassland rough fescue, a native, perennial grass that grows on the mountains, foothills and northern prairies. Over 66 native vascular plant species have been found on the hill including prairie crocus, golden bean, bedstraw, and sage. Rough fescue, which is one of seven major native habitat types on the hill, exists only in spaces like Nose Hill Park. According to the City of Calgary web site, roughly 200 wildlife species have been identified on the hill.
Animal life on Nose Hill is also in abundance. You’ll find Mule Deer and White-tailed Deer, Lynx, Coyotes, Red Fox, American Badger, Porcupine, Long-Tailed Weasel, Least Weasel, Muskrat, Striped Skunk, White-Tailed Prairie Hare, Richardson’s Ground Squirrel, Northern Pocket Gopher, Meadow Vole, Southern and Red-Backed Vole, Deer Moose, Western Jumping Moose, Prairie Shrew, Dusky Shrew, and five Bat varieties. You might also spot Chorus Frog, Garter Snake, and Tiger Salamander.
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There is something magical about this grasslands park, from the sound of the wind as it whisks over the landscape, to the birds and animals that find their home here in harmony with visitors.
Glenn Krahulic, the advocacy director for the Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance, which has a representative on the Nose Hill Natural Environment Park Committee, says there are increasingly large numbers of pedestrians, cyclists, and dog-walkers that use the park all year-round.
New plans for the hill, currently being evaluated by the City of Calgary, should enhance the network of trails in the park, making it friendlier for cyclists and other users. The Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance has lobbied for changes on the hill, including links to pathways and additional trails near the bottom. These were honoured, says Krahulic, adding that, to the delight of recreation groups, the city’s plans to reclaim trails have been ineffective, and instead more legal trails have been added.
Back when Nose Hill was pegged as a potential park area, plans to develop it were quashed as a result of a 1972 public hearing at Calgary City Hall. Talks to preserve the park followed. A design plan to designate Nose Hill a natural park was put together and approved by the city planning commission one year later. The Nose Hill Natural Environment Park Committee, which includes members from more than a dozen community and wilderness groups, monitors the protection and enhancement of the park.
Because of its location in one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, Nose Hill is a sacred space for Calgarians, and a special place to visit.
If you go
Nose Hill Park, 5620 14 St. NW, is situated 15 minutes northwest of Calgary city centre just north of John Laurie Boulevard and west of 14th Street.
A few other popular Calgary parks:
- Fish Creek Provincial Park, 1840 160 Ave. SW
- Bowmont Park, 65 St. & 48 Ave. NW
- Glenmore Park (north), 7305 24 St. SW
- Glenmore Park (south), 90 Ave. & 24 St. SW
- Prince's Island, Fourth St. & First Ave. SW
- Riley Park, 800 12 St. NW
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