Alberta has a fine network of provincial parks (analogous to American state parks). One of these is situated just east of the Alberta Rocky mountains on the banks of the Bow River as it makes its way from Banff to Calgary and ultimately to Hudson’s Bay.
The park has several campgrounds which are very popular during the summer months. It provides excellent access to Banff and Canmore, and is also not that far from Calgary. The park also offers some easy hiking trails that provide a nice way to explore the terrain of the Rocky mountain foothills.
We parked at Middle Lake and explored many of the trails in the area — Middle Lake, Moraine and Elk Flats Trails. There are lots of birds around if you enjoy bird-watching and you might encounter wildlife, as we did — people warned us not to wander down one branch of the trail as a black bear was grazing beside it. I’m not scared of bears when I met them, but know not to wander down a trail occupied by a grazing bear.
The highlight of the park is the stretch along the Bow River which provides excellent views of the turquoise water of the River and Rockies.
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