This Park Along The Bow River Could See 10 Times More Visitors

A provincial park along the Bow River between Calgary and Cochrane is preparing for the possibility of a massive increase in visitors over the next two decades.

Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park currently receives an estimated 115,000 visits each year. But Alberta's new draft management plan for the park says future infrastructure, trails and facilities are being planned while anticipating visitation could grow tenfold over the next 20 years.

It's a challenge that may sound familiar to people farther west in the Bow Valley: how do you make room for more people outdoors without putting too much pressure on the landscapes they're coming to enjoy?

At Glenbow Ranch, the province is considering everything from a new 100-vehicle parking lot and additional trail connections to restrictions designed to protect wildlife and sensitive grasslands.

A growing recreation destination 

According to the Government of Alberta, Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park protects more than 1,300 hectares along the Bow River between Calgary and Cochrane.

It opened to the public in 2011 and includes paved and gravel trails used for walking, cycling, sightseeing, wildlife viewing and running.

While it sits outside Bow Valley Insider's usual coverage area, the park is part of the broader recreation landscape west of Calgary, with 92 percent of visitors coming from within 100 kilometers of the park.

Those numbers could look very different in the years ahead.

The province says development and population growth around Calgary and Cochrane are expected to put increasing pressure on the park. Its draft plan is intended, in part, to prepare for that growth without sacrificing the landscape people are coming to see.

Where would everyone go?

One of the biggest challenges is getting more people into the park.

The existing Glenbow Road entrance has limited room for additional parking, so the province is considering other ways for visitors to get in.

One proposal is a new vehicle-access trailhead at Scott Hill, on the north side of the park, with parking for approximately 100 vehicles. 

The project would depend on neighbouring residential development moving ahead and require further engineering and discussions with Rocky View County.

Visitors can also walk or cycle into the park from Calgary's Haskayne Legacy Park and Cochrane's GlenEagles neighbourhood. 

A future pedestrian and cycling bridge across the Bow River could create another connection from Cochrane.

The plan also proposes new and improved trails, while allowing for pedestrian-only routes and seasonal restrictions where recreation conflicts with cattle, wildlife or sensitive habitat.

A sensitive landscape

Accommodating more people is only half of the equation.

Roughly 80 percent of Glenbow Ranch is native foothills fescue grassland, and the province describes temperate grasslands as one of the world's most threatened ecosystems. 

The draft plan says 76 percent of the park is considered environmentally significant because of its species, landscapes and streams. Wildlife found in the area includes badgers, bats, coyotes, black bears, eagles and hawks, among others.

That leaves planners trying to accommodate potentially far more recreation while limiting damage to the very landscape the park was created to protect.

Among other measures, the draft proposes directing people through formal access points, monitoring wildlife, protecting sensitive areas through zoning and limiting where additional trail connections can be built.

Albertans can weigh in now

Want to have your voice heard? Nothing is set in stone just yet. 

The province and Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation are currently gathering feedback on the draft plan from the public, Indigenous communities and organizations, municipalities, landowners and other stakeholders.

The public survey will remain open until Oct. 27, 2026.

After feedback is reviewed, the province expects to release the final Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park Management Plan in winter or spring 2027.