Fall is a wonderful time of year to enjoy a picnic with friends and family. With cooler weather, there are no bugs or crowds and it’s easier to get a gorgeous picnic site! Whether you’re planning a small family gathering or group event, a little planning will ensure a successful outing.
Here’s how to plan the perfect fall picnic in (and around) Calgary:
Choose a picnic site with a fire pit to keep warm
These beautiful picnic areas with fire pits have walking trails and outhouses nearby:
Edworthy Park has nine spacious picnic sites (including two with picnic shelters), walking trails, and four playgrounds. The playground on the south side is a family favorite, with unique features like a four-person teeter totter! Before you settle in at a picnic site, walk the Christmas Tree Trail and look for chickadees in the forest. 5050 Spruce Drive SW
Bowness Park, another riverside park in northwest Calgary, has eight lovely picnic sites (many with large picnic shelters), two playgrounds, and walking trails. If time allows, walk the 4km loop from Bowness Park to Baker Park via the 85th Street and Stoney Trail bridges. 8900 48 Avenue NW
Fish Creek Provincial Park, Calgary’s largest park, has picnic areas with fire pits at Bebo Grove, Glennfield, Shannon Terrace, and Votier’s Flats Day Use Areas. Glennfield has large group sites, while the other sites are suitable for smaller gatherings. Enjoy a nature escape in the city as you hike the forested trails along the creek. Bonus: Flush toilets are open year round.
North Glenmore Park has sunny picnic sites near the Glenmore Reservoir. With playgrounds - including an inclusive playground on the west side of the park - tennis courts, and tons of pathways, you could play and explore for hours. Blue Jay, Kingfisher, Meadowlark, Merlin, Nighthawk, Nuthatch, Partridge, Snowy Owl (with shelter), and Song Sparrow have fire pits. 7305 Crowchild Trail SW
Prairie Winds Park has three picnic sites with shelters. While there are no fire pits, Site 1 has a tandoori oven, and sites 2 & 3 have BBQ stands nearby. Enjoy the playgrounds, tennis courts, play fields, and fitness stations! 223 Castleridge Boulevard NE
Mount Lorette Ponds in Kananaskis has wheelchair accessible picnic sites, a 700m paved loop around the ponds, and a stocked fishing pond!
Wedge Pond, also in Kananaskis, is a short walk from the water. Walk the 1km loop around the pond and enjoy the fall colors and stunning view of Mount Kidd.
Cascade Ponds in Banff is a gorgeous picnic area that has picnic sites with fire pits, as well as picnic shelters with wood stoves. Take the trail around the ponds for stunning mountain views, then explore further down Lake Minnewanka Drive (Johnson Lake and Stewart Canyon are two family-friendly trails).
What to Bring
Know Before You Go
Parks Calgary picnic sites are first come, first serve, unless they have been reserved. For special events, we recommend reserving a site and bringing your permit with you.
Food scraps can attract wildlife, so pack out all trash, even if it’s biodegradable.
Be fire smart: Check for fire bans before you go! Never leave a fire unattended and always put out your fire completely before you leave.
Alcohol is permitted in select picnic sites in Calgary and Kananaskis until 9pm, and is not permitted in Banff National Park picnic areas or picnic shelters. Check the Parks Calgary or Alberta Parks website before you go!
Dogs are permitted at picnic sites if they are on-leash. Please clean up after your pet(s).
Here’s to more time outdoors this fall, campfire cooking, and coming home to a clean kitchen!
Karen is a mother and a lover of maps, mountains, and mochas. With her geography degree and experience leading hikes and backpacking trips in the Rockies, she is full of ideas on where to go and what to do. The mission of her blog, playoutsideguide.com, is to provide "everything you need to know to get outside and have fun."
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