Bowness Lagoon

In late May, I had a chance to paddle the Bowness Lagoon in Calgary. The lagoon is pretty small, but pleasant and sheltered. You can also rent canoes, kayaks and paddle boats. 

The best access is from a concrete ramp by the restaurant and washrooms and the carry is only a couple of hundred feet (depending on how busy the parking lot is).

After waiting out some rain, we did a quick lap of the lagoon (dodging the high school gym class that was learning to paddle). The vibe is very much cool urban park, with walkways and channels and ducks and whatnot.

We then headed west up the channel that brings water into the lagoon from the river (accessed by going under the car bridge by the restaurant).

There was a current but it was negligible. The channel winds maybe 1.5km west through the trees, getting narrower and shallower as it goes.

Other than ducking under a tree that had fallen, the only impediment was this shallow bit where we had to get out and lift over a slight shelf. We tried to shoot it on the way back but ended up bum scooting.

Eventually, we hit the end of the road by the pillar of the Stoney Trail bridge.

We then turned around and paddled back and toured the lagoon again.

This is a great first paddle or family paddle with the kids and we had a nice afternoon. There is also a playground, a miniature train, picnic sites, and what looks like a spray park at the east end of the lagoon.