Glenbow Ranch Visitor Info

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About Glenbow Ranch

Glenbow Ranch is 3,200 acres of native fescue grassland and an active cattle ranch. Enjoy stunning vistas, rolling hills, and spot the occasional cowboy as you explore nearly 40 kms of paved and shale path – all a stones throw from Calgary and Cochrane.

How To Get To The Park

Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is:

approximately 34 kilometres or a 35-minute drive west of downtown Calgary, or
approximately 4 kilometres or a 10-minute drive east of the Town of Cochrane.
Access to the Park is from Glenbow Road, south of Highway 1A.
Drive carefully and slowly on Glenbow Road. Watch for pedestrians and wildlife, and respect the privacy of those living near the park.
All vehicles must park in designated areas only.

Get Directions Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Visitor Centre Info

Make the most of your visit by dropping into the Visitor Centre, located at trail-level on the south side of the Park’s Office building.

The exhibits provide insight into the natural and cultural history offered by these protected lands. The friendly staff and volunteers can help answer any questions that you may have, provide updates about what’s going on at the park, and help you decide where to begin your adventure and make the most of your time at the Park.

Visitor Centre Hours are typically 9 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday. Visitor Center availability on the weekends will depend on our stewards availability to work the VIC. Please Note: During inclement weather, or when the road conditions on Glenbow Road are impassable for cars, the VIC will remain closed.

How To Arrive Prepared

Bring plenty of water. Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is a dry park. There is no access to potable or washing water.
Don’t forget your snacks and layered clothing, including a hat and sturdy walking shoes.
Please pack out as much of your garbage as possible.
In the summer, remember your sunscreen and bug repellent. In the winter, make sure you dress appropriately.
Be aware that the pathways have many steep sections, and there can be long distances between parking lots, washrooms, and viewpoints.

Things To Know

Planning to come to the park? Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

Make certain that you are aware of any trail closures. These will be updated regularly, based on the Park’s Operational requirements.

Reduce Your Impact, Increase Your Enjoyment

At present the only public road access and developed parking is at the end of Glenbow Road. The parking facilities that have been constructed were designed and built to accommodate the largest number of vehicles possible, but this is only about 100 cars. We are unable to expand present parking simply due to the fact that the topography of the land and location of roads and buildings do not offer us any further space.

Please, come with your group, but keep your carbon footprint small – carpool and visit in non-peak times!

When You Arrive

Park map signage is located online, at the main parking lot, and trailside locations throughout the park. You can purchase trail maps at the Visitor Centre when it is open (please note that Visitor Centre hours change based on season, and it is advisable to check these before you come). Use these to locate washroom facilities, picnic areas, emergency contact numbers, and to plan your walking and cycling routes.
Glenbow Ranch is a day-use park; there is no overnight camping, no camp fires, and the park is open during daylight hours.
Keep your dogs on leash and pick up after them at all times.
Stay on designated pathways.

What To Do At Glenbow

Check out our events page! Most of our programs and event are offered from May through August (scroll back to previous months to see what we’ve offered in the past), but there are a few exceptions.

See Events Page

Citizen Science

Park visitors can make important contributions to our understanding of the park’s ecosystems. Understanding which species occur in the park, and how these species change over time, is an important component of conservation planning. Consider documenting your observations and reporting them to the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation.

WILDLIFE CHECKLIST

Help us monitor birds and other wildlife in the park, participate in the wildlife checklist survey!

PLANT CHECKLIST

Help us monitor vegetation in the park, participate in the plant checklist survey!

Do I Need A Permit?

Thank you for your interest in holding an event at the park!

Special permits or letters of authority are required for certain activities in provincial parks. All activities must follow park regulations, including the group size limits on trails noted below. Permits are required for activities such as:

School Trips
Groups over 15 persons
Commercial Filming & Photography
Special Events
Weddings
Guiding & Instruction
Research & Collection
Geocaching

Please find the requirements and contact information on these web pages:
https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/kananaskis/kananaskis-country/park-management/permits/
https://www.albertaparks.ca/albertaparksca/management-land-use/land-use-administration/contacts-for-dispositions-permits/

Can I spread cremated remains in the Park?

Alberta Parks supports scattering of cremated remains for personal, spiritual, and/or religious purposes. For recommended guidance on doing so, click here

Do I need a Kananaskis park pass to visit Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park?

No as we are not in the Kananaskis boundary.

For more information click here

Our Park Trails

Click on each trail to learn more.

The Narrows

Believe it or not, this grasslands park does have trees. The Narrows provides a cool stretch of relief from the summer heat and shelter from biting winter winds. A great location for birding.

Scott Trail

A deceptively steep climb up the centre of the Park to a most spectacular viewpoint. From Calgary to Cochrane, the Bow River Valley stretches for miles below you!

Glenbow Trail

Downhill from the parking lot and through the grasslands to Glenbow Village, you pass by some of the Park’s most iconic landmarks. Fescue covered hillsides, the old Post Office and General Store, and the corrals are all reminders of Glenbow as a once-vibrant industrial community.

Yodel Loop

Tiger Lily Loop

Accessed just west of the parking lot or east of the Park Office, Tiger Lily Loop descends into a sheltered, wooded coulee. Don’t miss the incredible western views afforded from the viewpoint west of the trail’s north end.

McPherson Trail

Climbing north from Bowbend Trail this pathway ambles along tree-lined, spring-fed McPherson Coulee. As you walk the edge of Windmill Flats west of Badger Bowl, magnificent views span from Cochrane to the Rockies.