Travel Like a Local in Canmore

The long weekend season is upon us. Are you ready to travel local?

My gut filled with dread as Victoria Day long weekend approached like a charging grizzly. A sequence of promising emails, potential itineraries and possible plans flowed through my inbox and mind. Each one kicked my heartbeat up a notch. What were we going to dooooo? [Insert whiney tone, pouty face and full body shake and repeat to oh-so-tolerant hubby for the 40^th time.]

Ready or not, here it comes

On Friday afternoon, after a long trail run with friends, we were enjoying a few cold ones on our deck when I thought of the thousands of people hightailing it down highways.

“I’’m glad we’re not going anywhere this weekend.”

Fore! Teeing off at the Three Sisters Disc Golf Course. Photo by Chloe Vance.

I was shocked to hear the words come out of my mouth as I am severely guilty of always feeling the need to go, do, or see something in every moment of “time off.”

Why do so many of us feel the need to validate (if only to ourselves) staying close to home when given the chance to get away from it all?

Perhaps it is the product of living in a town overflowing with adventurous backcountry-wanderlusting-over-achievers? Regardless, with everyone else on the road, heading into campsites, scaling peaks and paddling rivers, we did things we had never done right here in town. This May Long, we travelled local.

3 Ways to Travel Local in Canmore

1. Get a Frolfucation

Head up to the Three Sisters Disc Golf Course for a free round (of disc golf, that is). The course is a great place to learn. It is relatively flat, has short par 3’s and 4’s and is easily navigated thanks to clear hole marker signs, gravel tee boxes and baskets.

For newbies, a standard Frisbee will get you started, though you’’ll soon envy the accuracy of the high flying multicolored discs carried in satchels by the pros.

Ready to throw some bullets? Once you’’ve cut your teeth here, head to the Nordic Centre Course for a real bushwhacking challenge.

2. Bringin’ Bocce Back

Bocce with a View. Photo by Chloe Vance.

Lawn games are in. If you’’re lucky enough to have a backyard, play there. If you’r balcony won’’t work, head to one of the many parks, ball diamonds or green spaces with your bocce, croquet or horseshoe set (use your discretion, obviously). You’’ll find a diverse array of playing pitches with unbeatable views.

Don’t have a bocce ball set? Check out our local sporting good stores. You can pick up a set for under $30.

3. Join the Legacy

Hop on your bike and become a part of the legacy by pedaling the The Legacy Trail. Share the path with a diverse mix of serious cyclists and all ages and sizes of weekend “road warriors.” If you time it right you can drop into a local café at either end for lunch.

In Banff, our ‘go-to’ is always Wild Flour, where they serve up big bowls of artfully crafted lattes, flavorful soups, gooey paninis and rich, chocolaty brownies (along with a bakers dozen of other goodies).

The only thing better than lunch is the downhill cruise back home.

Chloe Vance

Chloe’s family is confused as to how a little girl from Toronto developed such a passion for the wilderness. Wanderlust has led her to guide expeditions in the far North, circumnavigate New Zealand by bicycle, and found a non-profit organization that runs outdoor experiential diabetes education programs. For Chloe, moving to the Bow Valley was a no-brainer. Inspired by her new backyard and all the gritty, interesting people she has met since moving here, she delved into writing.