Family-friendly Biking on Calgary's Bow River Pathway

I’ve always known the Bow River Pathway to be a popular commuter route for cyclists heading downtown to work. Beyond that, I was curious if one of Calgary’s most popular pathways would be suitable for a leisurely family bike ride, or if my five year old son would get knocked over by faster cyclists.

Biking downtown on the Bow River Pathway

The City of Calgary has the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America with close to 800 km of pathways that connect communities, parks and natural areas across the four corners of the city. We decided to start exploring the pathways close to home this summer as a family and we’ve currently worked our way from Shouldice Park in the far northwest corner of Calgary down to Pearce Estate Park in the southeast, a distance of approximately 15 km.

Biking in SE Calgary along the Bow River Pathway

We’re working our way along the Bow River Pathway from NW Calgary down to the far SE city limits in Fish Creek Provincial Park and hopefully by the September long weekend, we’ll have reached Sikome Lake for a well-deserved swim!

Rest break after Noah's longest day so far from Shouldice Park, NW to downtown (and back!)

To read more about biking the Bow River Pathway in Calgary, visit the Family Fun Calgary website to read my newest story:  Biking the Bow River Pathway with Kids.