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June 7, 2017: Anthony Mauriks (left) owner of the Norseman Outdoor Specialist in Calgary presents a $500 gift certificate to Moe Haimour (right), winner of our 2016-2017 Experience Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths Reader Photo Contest.

After the presentation, Anthony shows Moe a display of the light weight backpacking gear that comes in at only 5.5 kg! Technology has had a huge impact on hiking equipment and clothing over the past 5 years.

Big shout out to the good folks at Norseman Outdoor Specialist for their contest sponsorship, and to Moe and all of our readers who entered this photo contest. Keep flashing!#ExperienceOurParks

We’re pleased to announce the winners of our 2016-2017 Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths Photo Contest! Our contestants entered photos of both serene parks and lovely urban paths. We had a number of great entries and our judges couldn’t limit themselves to just two winners. They’ve also selected a third place prize winner, too!

First place goes to Moe Haimour, who submitted “A Crown Fit for a King.” This photo depicts an ethereal scene of a buck at sunset in Fish Creek Park. Moe will receive a $500 gift certificate to Norseman Outdoor Specialist.

Second place goes to Jeremy Klager for his entry “Harvest at Glenbow Ranch.” This richly colored photo gives an expansive view of land and sky as seen at this beautiful park. Jeremy’s prize is a Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino and Rockies Heli Canada getaway. It includes 2 Night’s Accommodation & Buffet dinner for 2 people, Continental breakfast, $200 gift certificate for a heli tour.

Third place goes to Nicholas Taff for his picture “Two Owls.” He captured two great horned owls intensely staring at him from a tree in Fish Creek Park. Nicholas will receive two $100 gift certificates for Rocky Mountain River Guides, with a total value of $200.

Thank you again to everyone who participated! Visit www.experiencetravelguides.com/contests/ to keep updated on all the photo contests that we’ll be offering this year. Right now you can enter our Dino Trails Selfie Contest. Simply submit a dinosaur-themed selfie from your Facebook, instagram, or Twitter account for a chance to win a Grand Prairie Escape! You don’t have to have amazing photography skills or the latest and greatest phone camera. All entries are eligible to win the prize!

The Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths Photo Contest closes on Saturday, May 20 at 11:59 PM MST. That leaves just a few more days to submit photos you’ve snapped along the many paths in Calgary or in the beautiful city parks. You don’t want to miss out on the chance to win the Photo Contest prizes! We’re giving away the following:

Grand prize: $500 gift certificate to Norseman Outdoor Specialist

Second Place Prize: Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino and Rockies Heli Canada getaway: 2 Night’s Accommodation & Buffet dinner for 2 people, Continental breakfast, $200 gift certificate for a heli tour

We’ll be getting spring-like temperatures in Calgary this weekend and may see some sunshine, too, making it a good weekend to get outdoors. Enjoy the spring weather and remember to take some photos of your urban excursions!

“Enjoying the paths” – entry by Christine van Hal

Calgary is known as a walking city, and it’s hard to not whip out your camera when you’re in many of it’s urban parks. To learn more about some of Calgary’s best walking locations along over 500 km of paved pathways, attend the presentation “Discover Calgary’s Best Walks with author Lori Beattie.” This visual presentation will focus on the very best walks in Calgary. You’ll discover the benefits of this walking city, like meeting your neighbors and experiencing the fresh air and nature. You’ll also learn about Lori’s Walk 150 initiative to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.

Whether you hit the trails before or after Lori’s presentation, make sure to bring your camera with you. Submit your photos to our 2016-2017 Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths Photo Contest. The contest closes on May 20. Entry is free, and you can submit an unlimited number of photos you’ve taken in Calgary’s parks or on Calgary’s paths. Our sponsors are offering amazing prizes.

• Grand prize: $500 gift certificate to Norseman Outdoor Specialist
• Second Place Prize: Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino and Rockies Heli Canada getaway: 2 Night’s Accommodation & Buffet dinner for 2 people, Continental breakfast, $200 gift certificate for a heli tour

“Quiet Time Together in Fish Creek Park” entry by Terry Ruddell

If you’re looking for additional photo content opportunities, then you’ll want to enter the 3rd Annual Friends of Fish Creek Photography Contest as well. Each contestant can enter up to 10 photos, which must all be taken in Fish Creek Provincial Park. As the second largest urban park in Canada, Fish Creek Provincial Park is a popular location for walking and is also full of photo ops.

Categories for the FOFC Photography Contest include wildlife, macro (close up shots), black and white, and landscape. Vistek will be giving away some wonderful prizes! All proceeds will directly support the Friends’ stewardship and educational activities in Fish Creek Provincial Park. Click here for more details and to enter.

Kananaskis Outfitters is the perfect place to go for winter sports instruction! Their classes include cross country skiing and snowshoe tours. Cross country ski lessons are offered every Sunday and December 27th & 30th. Each two hour class covers the basics, making the class great for beginners and anyone wanting to become more proficient at skiing. The techniques you’ll learn will help you maximize your time on the trails and enjoy it to its fullest. Click here for more details and to book a cross-country skiing tour.

Snowshoe tours are offered every Sunday as well as December 24th and 31st. The tours take place from 10 am – 2 pm. If you participate, you will get to enjoy walking on top of the winter snow (instead of trudging through it). As you walk through peaceful snow covered forests, your guide will share the history of the Kananaskis Valley. You’ll learn how different species survive the cold winters. Click here for more details and to book a snowshoe tour.

Kananaskis Outfitters also aids winter sports enthusiasts by sponsoring several of our winter trail maps. They sponsor the Peter Lougheed Cross Country Ski Trail Map, the Kananaskis Snowshoe Trail Map, and the Ribbon Creek Cross Country Ski Trail Map. Grab a map (or access online) before you hit the trails to ensure that you know where you’re headed and how to get there. And make sure to sign up for classes if you need a confidence boost in your skiing or snowshoeing technique!

Do you love Fish Creek Provincial Park? Or are you interested in beginning to explore it next year? Then mark your calendars for a couple of dates in January.

First, a 12 week winter birding course starts Monday, January 9, 2017. Participants will learn about the variety of bird species in Fish Creek Provincial Park and other natural areas in Calgary. The birds will actually be easier to see during the winter months since there will be fewer leaves on the trees and birds are often present in flocks in the cold months. You can choose the class day and time from several options, including Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, as well as Sunday afternoons. Click here for more info and to register.

The Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society Annual General Meeting takes place on Wednesday, January 25, beginning at 7:00 pm. (Registration begins at 6:30 pm.) This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard, learn more about Fish Creek Provincial Park, and discover ways that you can contribute to this special park.

The 2017 Fish Creek Speaker Series program will debut on January 26. The 2017 program will be combined with the Alberta Parks and Protected Areas Slideshow series. On January 26 Alison Cole, Visitor Experience Coordinator for the East-Central Portion of Alberta Parks, provide a photographic tour of some of the most interesting protected areas of the east-central portion of the province. She’ll share numerous opportunities in lesser-known provincial parks for both nature and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Admission is free for FOFC members and $5 for non-members. Refreshments will be available on a first come, first served basis. Click here for more information about the program.

Also remember that any contributions to the Friends of Fish Creek before midnight on December 31 will help reduce your income tax and sustain Fish Creek Provincial Park.

We are truly excited by the recent announcement by the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau regarding their name change to Experience Scottsdale.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2016/09/21/scottsdale-convention-visitors-bureau-is-now.html

In 2005, when I first thought of publishing a visitor’s guide to the mountain national parks in western Canada, I sat at the feet of the manager of a very important Visitor Information Centre.  He told me what travellers wanted to know and suggested ways on how to present that material.

As I chewed on what I had learned, the word Experience just naturally came to mind.  As the vision of our traveller’s guide came into focus, the only logical title became apparent to us: Experience the Mountain Parks.

We have published Experience the Mountain Parks each spring now for 11 years. Along the way, we have received hundreds of testimonials from not only our readers, but also the front line staff whose job it is to counsel travellers in the region. Here is just one example:

We are having a such a busy summer in our centre. Our main building itself is having over a thousand visitors every day. And as you might know already, Experience the Mountain Parks is the most popular brochure to visitors of all time. We have just used the last box of two of your magazines. Please send us more Experience the Mountain Parks and Experience the Cowboy Trail when you have a chance. They both go really fast.

Thank you always,
Traveling Counselors
(Travel Alberta Canmore Visitor Information Centre)

Over the past 2-3 years, we have started to notice that some of the communities in western Canada are starting to realize the value of the word Experience, because they are starting to use it in the titles of their brochures. However, I’m not so sure that they fully understand what is needed in a guide in order to truly help the reader enhance their experience.

In 2017, we will launch our 4^th magazine to be titled Experience the Dinosaur Trails. It will be modelled, like its sister Publications, Experience the Cowboy Trails and Experience Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths upon the foundation of success first built with Experience the Mountain Parks.

For more information, please visit www.cmiPublishing.ca.

Thanks to over 700 hundred of donors, Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park has completed the first step along the Calgary to Cochrane (C TO C Trail). This trail will connect Glenbow Ranch with Haskayne Legacy Park when it opens, which will provide a path from Glenbow Ranch to the Calgary’s trail system.

The Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation launched a campaign in 2014 to raise funds for the construction of the Bearspaw Trail at the eastern end of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. The 2.2 kilometre trail was completed in October 2015. Since Haskayne Legacy Park  is still under development and not yet opened, there is currently no formal trail from the Ranch to the City of Calgary.

In the meantime, visitors are welcome to enjoy the Bearspaw Trail the next time they visit GRPP. We’re excited that the first step of the Calgary to Cochrane Trail has already been completed, and for the generosity of hundreds of individuals, families, groups, and businesses to help make this dream a reality!

Congratulations to Denise Kitagawa for winning the Early Bird prize in our Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths Photo Contest! Thanks to all who entered. The winner was selected by a random draw. For her prize, Denise receives a voucher for two people to play 18 holes of golf at McKenzie Meadows. A power cart is also included in the prize. The total prize value is $185!

Although the Early Bird portion of the contest is over, you could still win the Grand Prize or Second Place Prize! Simply submit a photo you’ve taken along one of Calgary’s paths or in one of Calgary’s parks and provide your name, email address, a title for the photo, a description of the photo, and a note about what location the photo was taken at.

If you’re looking for even more opportunities to win, then check out the Experience the Mountain Parks Photo Contest and the Experience the Cowboy Trail Photo Contest. And for a different type of contest, try your hand at the monthly Trivia Quiz on the Experience the Mountain Parks website!

” Urban Forest” – by Denise Kitagawa Winner of Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths Photo Contest Early Bird prize

Today (August 15, 2016) is the big draw for the Early Bird prize for our Calgary’s Parks ‘n’ Paths Photo Contest! Simply submit a photo you’ve taken in one of Calgary’s parks or on one of Calgary’s paths. Since this is a random draw, everyone has a chance to win – whether or not they have photography skills!

The winner will receive a voucher for two people to play 18 holes of golf at McKenzie Meadows. A power cart is also included in the prize. The prize is a $185 total value. Note that the prize is restricted to use on Monday-Thursday.

Click here to enter the Photo Contest!

McKenzie Meadows – photo by Andrew Penner