As many people flock to popular mountain spots over the long Heritage Day weekend, others choose to explore places and trails less traveled.
Bragg Creek is about 40 minutes outside of town near Kananaskis Country. It has mountain views, along with hiking and biking trails, but without all the crowds.
“Usually when I go to Canmore, Banff, I find those areas are a little more crowded,” said Madie Neis of Calgary.
“So I like coming here to have a little more freedom on the trails, and you don’t run into someone every 30 seconds.”
Less crowds also means less stress about finding parking, especially on a long weekend.
“The parking lot is half empty right now, which is great. You don’t have to worry about parking your car on the side of the freeway,” Neis said.
Some say the trails offer relief with extreme heat advisories still in effect for Calgary and other parts of southern Alberta on Saturday.
“There’s shade along the way, so if you can try to run in the shade or be in the shade at least part of the time, it really helps,” Warren Grice said.
Furry friends can also exercise while staying cool.
“We wanted to give the dog a chance to run with a little freedom, so a slow bike ride, let him run before the weather gets too hot for the day,” said Bob Lee, whose dog he also went diving while walking. clue.
While the trails may not be as busy as other mountain destinations, business still is.
The Handle-Bar is an outdoor adventure guide business that offers everything from bike rentals to coffee and other goodies needed to fuel every adventure.
“People are coming out more and more, and we’re probably going to be busier and busier,” owner Moritz Kniebel said.
He said his business tailors its experiences to local people rather than international travelers.
“Realize that domestic tourism would increase dramatically. People don’t travel as far. They expect more than they get.”
Kniebel said it’s exciting to see more people exploring hidden gems like Bragg Creek.
“It requires us to look at services that we still need, like hotels, to get them in here for overnight stays,” he said.
“But other than that, it means we can offer more products that are hard to come by when there are fewer people coming through. It provides job opportunities for young people who want to be here.”