Country Hills Winter Circuit
A 53 km ride north of the Bow River to Country Hills and back
This circuit of over 50km follows most of Lorri Beattie’s route for which I give full credit. To achieve a circular route of this length on bike paths and protected bike lanes in a city is some feat! The only motor vehicular interaction is around the University Estates and at intersections controlled by lights and potentially quiet streets in Inglewood depending on your route choice. Most riders would tackle this route on a warm summer’s day but, with proper preparation, a Chinook wind and an adventurous spirit, it’s an enjoyable ride on a sunny winter’s day too.
Wearing three long-sleeved layers, I found I was too warm at times when I tackled this route in February. Thin cycling tights over bib shorts worked well for my legs and I wore winter cleated cycling boots for my feet. These boots are probably good for temperatures down to around zero centigrade and they have high cuffs to protect you from splashing. On a +5C sunny day, these boots are ideal.
Under my helmet, I had a knitted wool watch cap, while on my hands I just wore thin full-finger gloves as I had fitted pogies to my handle bars. Pogies are fleece-lined pockets that slide over the brakes and protect you from cold winds. With these you can use thinner gloves that are easier to manipulate for pulling out your drink pottle or reaching to a back pocket for snacks. Apart from the pogies, the other equipment change for my bike was swapping out summer gravel tires for studded tires. Once the snow arrives, I leave these on all winter until I know the freeze-melt cycle is over in spring. Some folk just swap out the front tire to give them grip when steering but I haven’t found studded tires to be problematic on bare concrete or asphalt. I do ride on colder days when the temperature is well below zero, but discussion on that’s for another story.
The level ride upstream from Prince’s Island is straightforward as there are few people out running and even fewer riding in winter. You cross the Bow River on the convenient iron footbridge that runs under the Crowfoot Trail highway. Once on the north side and passing through Montgomery, you may encounter puddles with a thin skim of ice but your Tungsten Carbide studs allow you ride with confidence. The cycle trails are mostly cleared of snow through Shouldice Park that you leave to climb up to Bowmont Park. Here, the steep climbs are heavily gritted and your only obstacles are icy puddles where you will be glad you wore high cuff boots or over shoes.
After the tough climb north out of Bowmont Park, you reach quiet roads leading through the University Estates. You next cross over the Crowchild Trail via the footbridge near the bus turnaround for Dalhousie C-Train station. Climbing steadily, the bike path crosses Dalhousie and two smaller roads, threading through a narrow, wooded park between houses. You climb further, before crossing the busy John Laurier Boulevard on another footbridge. At Edgemont Road, I chose to stay on the road as the footpath around the north side of the houses in Beattie’s route was narrow, shaded and still icy. You may want to rejoin the path where it is more open and parallel to the Edgemont Boulevard. As always, make your decision based on the conditions you find.
Heading ever north and climbing at a steady gradient, the trail takes you up the Edgemont Ravine, a pleasant treed gully. From a highpoint, the trail next descends to the east, crossing a minor road and then diving through a tubular tunnel under the very busy Shaganappi Trail. Continuing downhill, the route crosses a minor road, goes under the Country Hills Boulevard and crosses another quiet road before eventually levelling out at the Beddington Trail. You cross the Beddington Trail at lights and ascend further in Hidden Valley Park to the Panorama Hills. There, the steep drop-off the escarpment above the Country Hills golf course, presents you with a commanding view south to the towers of downtown.
There are several café options at this point and I went for the Tim Hortons where Harvest Hills Boulevard intersects 96 Avenue. This is a bit of a detour but can be achieved on a cycle trail. From there, you can take a cycle path downhill alongside Harvest Hill Boulevard and duck through the tunnel to West Nose Creek Park. Cycling eastwards, you observe the air traffic control tower and buildings at YYC beyond the Deerfoot Trail. Your trail sweeps quickly down through the park to intersect the prime north-south bike trail in Calgary that runs parallel to Nose Creek.
The Nose Creek Trail guides you effortlessly past the Telus Spark facility to the Bow River. In winter, the occasional underpasses may be closed on the way if Nose Creek overflows or the City decides conditions are considered too icy. Then, you simply wait to cross the road above and rejoin the bike trail on the other side. Depending on construction, you may be able to follow the north side of the Bow and cross into Prince’s Island Park or have to detour through St Patrick Island Park. Both parks have heated washrooms in winter. Alternatively, you could continue over the Zoo West Bridge into Inglewood and East Village and join the Chinook Blast festivities that run for the first two weeks of February !
