One of the reasons Calgary is the most liveable city in the world must be the diversity of recreational activities available. Calgary is regularly ranked as one of the top 10 most livable cities in the world in annual Global Livability Index ranking conducted by Economist Intelligence.

Calgary cracked the top 10 as one of the most livable cities in the world in 2023 with a score of 96.8, the city ranked number seven, just shy of taking the top Canadian city, which Vancouver claimed with a rating of 97.3

I remember when I moved to Calgary in the mid ‘80s I was impressed by city’s amazing recreation centres with their wave pools and the then new futuristic looking Lindsay Park Aquatic Centre now the MNP Community & Sport Centre. I was also impressed by Calgary’s extensive pathway system that has since grown to over 1,000 kilometres.

Lindsay Park with the its spectacular aquatic recreation centre is just one of the many jewels in Calgary’s amazing recreation culture.

Pump Parks are the newest addition to Calgary’s array of neighbourhood recreational opportunities.

Calgary has continued to build more mega recreation centers over the past 40 years: including the two largest YMCAs in the world – Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton and Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge. But it isn’t the big recreation centres that impress these days but the many niche neighbourhood recreation opportunities the City offers for free.

Something like 95% of Calgarians live near a local park or green space.

Living across the street from Grand Trunk Park for 30 years and I am always amazed at how many different activities happen in this half-block inner-city park on a nice day – kids throwing a lacrosse ball, families playing basketball, young couples playing Frisbee, parents teaching kids how to throw and catch a baseball or how to fly a kite, teenage girls practicing volleyball, a nearby church teen program playing badminton, young men throwing and kicking a football, young boys playing soccer, couples enjoying Bocce ball and some games I don’t even know the name. Once there was even a guy practising his flyfishing casting. And yes there is also the playground. Recently a family has added net to one of the soccer posts which has resulted in way more use of the park.

With over 7,000 parks and green spaces Calgary has an amazing array of recreational opportunities.

Link: Eleven Parks That Shaped Calgary

Church newcomers picnic at Grand Trunk Park.

Diversity

Overall, Calgary is home to an amazing diversity of recreational opportunities - from sailing and rowing on Glenmore Reservoir to skiing, snowboarding and biking at Canada Olympic Park.

Millennium Park has one of the world’s largest public skate parks, with numerous neighbourhood skate parks across the city.

There is speed skating at the Olympic Oval, cricket at Riley Park and even polo grounds in De Winton. The Calgary Soccer Centre offers four indoor artificial turf fields. In addition, the City has 13 outdoor major athletic fields with multiple soccer and baseball fields across the city.

Calgary has a world class water skiing facility and club – Predator Bay Water Ski Club. The Calgary BMX Park, offers Calgarians of all ages an opportunity to learn to ride their track. They have a loaner shed full of bikes and have partnered with KidSport so all kids can participate. Calgary is also blessed with some great climbing wall facilities, in addition to real rock climbing nearby in the Rockies.

Calgary’s Bow River is considered to be one of the world’s best fly fishing rivers.

Sunday on the Bow River downtown. Fly fishing is like a religion for some Calgarians.

Rowing and sailing are popular on the Glenmore Reservoir

Family Fun

One of the newest trends in recreation is the “pump park.” What is a pump park you ask? It paved circuit of hills for cyclists to ride up and down. The term “pump” come from the fact the cyclist must use a pumping motion of the upper and lower body as they ride the track to keep moving up and down the hills without pedalling.

Thanks to the fundraising skills of the Parks Foundation of Calgary, our city is home to several pump parks – South Glenmore Landing, Fairview, Inglewood and West Confederation Park – with more in the works. I visited the West Confederation pump park soon after it opened this spring and it was great to see how busy it was with kids of all ages and backgrounds and parents and grandparents watching.

Calgary’s Climbing Centre next to Canada Olympic Park is designed for families and for serious climbers.

Calgary is also home to numerous neighbourhood spray parks and wading pools. This is in addition to the city’s 1,000+ playgrounds, 30+ designed specifically so differently-abled children can enjoy them (and more in the works).

The city also provides 47 reservable picnic site areas, 3,211 picnic tables, 416 BBQ sites and 138 fire pits across Calgary.

In the winter, 35 outdoor hockey rinks and hundreds of community skating rinks created by dedicated volunteers encourage Calgarians to be active year round.

Did you know….the City’s tennis and pickle ball courts that have not been reserved can be used free of charge? Or that there are 12 parks with outdoor adult fitness equipment across the city free for anyone to use? Or that there are three permanent disc golf courses operated by the City and three temporary courses run by Calgary Disc Golf Club waiting for you to try them out?

Two-Tiered Recreation

Perhaps one of the biggest recreational developments in Calgary over the past 40 years is the creation of many private recreation facilities in new communities. This started in 1968 with Lake Bonavista, Canada’s first man-made lake community, where only those in the designated community and their friends can use the lake. Calgary is now home to a dozen lake communities. Today even new master-planned non-lake communities have private Community Centre/Recreation centres, playgrounds and hockey rinks that can only be used by those in the community who must pay a homeowner association fee.

Calgary is also home to the OSTEN & VICTOR Alberta Tennis Centre and indoor facility with 13 plexipaved cushion courts and 2 Playsight Smart Courts.

Recreational Fee Assistance

To help those needing financial assistance, the City of Calgary also has a Fee Assistance Card program that allows low income Calgarians access to transit and recreational facilities at no or nominal cost. The card is also good at Calgary YMCA’s and families and individuals with the card are pre-approved for a YMCA membership.

Note: An edited version of this blog was published in the Calgary Herald’s Homes + Condos section on August 26th 2023.

Perhaps the quintessential Calgary recreational activity is to float or paddle down the Bow or Elbow Rivers.

Last Word

One of the great (and rather novel) summer activities is to float or paddle down the Bow or Elbow Rivers with family and friends. In the winter, it would be ice-skating on one of the city’s hundreds of community rinks with your neighbours. Great cities have great recreational opportunities.

If you like this blog you like like these links:

Calgary Recreation Centres: The New Cathedrals?

Billion Dollar Question: Is Calgary the Recreational Capital of Canada?

Calgary’s SoBow Trail: One of the best river banks in North America

Recreational Opportunities Make Calgary Most Livable City in the world