YYC is the airport code for my hometown Calgary Alberta Canada. I enjoy returning every year to visit friends and family. Around the end of June is when I like to visit Calgary so that I can enjoy the long summer days. It’s great weather for hiking and spending time outdoors.
There’s lots of fun things to do and see in and around Calgary especially in the summer months. If you love spending time outdoors Calgary has a bunch of hiking and biking trails.
Get more info on the best hikes in Calgary. Or head to the Rocky Mountains for excellent hiking trails in summer or winter.
Chester Lake is great snowshoe trail. And Rawson Lake is a fun winter hike.
While the YYC airport is not the busiest in Canada they still receive a lot of travelers through the facility.
The Calgary International Airport recently reported that the terminal saw 17.3 million passenger trips in 2018 which is a new record. And it’s about a million more trips compared to 2017.
Where is Calgary?
Calgary is located in Southern Alberta in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, to the west of the city. In this post I’ll just give you a little taste of what Calgary Alberta is like. Hope you get to visit sometime.
Hiking trails near Calgary
Even when I fly into Calgary and only stay a few days I like to go hiking around town and get out to the mountains.
A short drive to Kananaskis Country will get you to the Rocky Mountains and Ptarmigan Cirque, one of my favorite hikes in the Rockies. You should also read my post about 5 easy hikes in Kananaskis.
Another short drive to Banff National Park for some outstanding hiking, camping, nature viewing, and enjoying the outdoors.
Be sure to check out Johnston Canyon for the beautiful waterfalls and the Ink Pots.
From Banff you can take one of the most scenic drives in the world, the Icefields Parkway. This is also known as Hwy 93 and it takes you from Lake Louise to Jasper where you can see some of the most amazing glacier lakes in Canada.
Plus you can walk on a glacier on the Columbia Icefield. Just south of Jasper you can see 5 beautiful glacial lakes in one easy hike!
LEARN MORE: 10 Best Things to Do in Calgary in Winter
Kayaking and canoeing at Glenmore Reservoir
One of the best places to enjoy the outdoors is on the water. Calgary is located where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet. In southwest Calgary you’ll find the Glenmore Reservoir which is Calgary’s primary source for drinking water.
While you cannot swim or paddleboard on the reservoir you can enjoy sailing, canoeing, or kayaking.
You can rent a canoe from Calgary Canoe Club at North Glebmore right next to the Glenmore Reservoir but they do not rent kayaks to non-members.
Another great place to rent outdoor gear is the University of Calgary Outdoor Centre. They rent both winter and summer gear. Inquire about gear rentals by calling the Outdoor Centre at 403-220-5038.
On the first Friday of July each year Calgary begins the Greatest Outdoor show on earth, the Calgary Stampede. Downtown Calgary becomes lively with pancake breakfasts every morning and country music is abundant.
There is a big parade to celebrate the start of stampede and the city of Calgary is in party mode for 10 days enjoying the rodeo, fairgrounds, music events, and just having fun.
Parks in Calgary
When I visit Calgary now I love going to the parks especially along the water at Glenmore Park or Prince’s Island Park downtown.
I visited a new park recently, Silver Springs Botanical Gardens in Northwest Calgary. Bowness Park is another popular spot for enjoying the water and spending time outdoors.
Prince’s Island Park in downtown Calgary is a popular place for walking, bicycling, or jogging on the paved trails alongside the Bow River.
The park is named after Peter Anthony Prince, a Quebec lumberman who founded a lumber mill in Calgary in 1886. The city of Calgary purchased the land in 1944 to develop it into a park.
Calgary Chinatown
I also love to wander around Chinatown in Calgary because there are interesting shops and delicious foods to try out.
Lately the area has taken on a more modern look and there have certainly been some improvements but I do miss the old Chinatown I used to visit years ago.
Plus 15 walkways connect downtown Calgary
When the weather is not pleasant one can walk all over downtown Calgary without going outside.
Connecting the downtown core of Calgary with a series of 2nd level walkways between the buildings known as the Plus 15 walkways getting around without going outdoors is easy.
You’ll find maps of this extensive walkway system in several of the downtown buildings.
Public art in Calgary
There is plenty of public in Calgary especially in the downtown area.
Although Calgary has a very short growing season there are some beautiful gardens in the city.
Visiting my mother’s flower garden is always a joy. She turned the entire front yard, and most of the back as well, into a beautiful English style garden.
I love my visits to Calgary and I hope you enjoyed this taste of my hometown Calgary Alberta Canada, known by it’s airport code YYC. Happy travels!
Read more about Calgary and nearby attractions
I really enjoyed YYC–beautiful flowers are everywhere. I’m sure your Moms garden is lovely.
ann
Thank you Ann! Summer in Calgary is a beautiful contrast to summer in Texas – although i know some people in Calgary would prefer warmer days :)
Absolutely wonderful!
Thank you for the walk in Calgary! It’s a colourful and modern city by the looks of it.
Wil
Thanks Wil – yes it’s colorful and modern. There’s been a lot of growth in the past 20 years – a lot of oil money in the region has brought prosperity for many people but Calgary is now a very expensive place to live and rental accommodation is limited. There are pros and cons like every place.
Stunning photos! delicious flowers!
Lovely town, but I would NEVER have guess that city based on the airport code! BTW, I live in ALB, Albany, NY, a pretty easy one.
ROG
The Canadian airport codes don’t make much sense – next month I go to Montreal – YUL is the airport code. ALB for Albany – now that makes sense :)
Looks a fascinating place, flowers and art always a winning combination. I have some early 20th century postcards sent from Calgary by my grandmothers family when the fact that someone could keep an aeroplane aloft must have been excitement enough.
Amazing art work, the painting and the sculpted work is so beautiful.
The flowers of course are absolute delight!