Calgary Canine

Edworthy Park

5050 Spruce Drive SW

If your pooch loves to run, Edworthy is the perfect off-leash park.  Massive and open, Fido can run until exhausted.  Edworthy Park is another City treasure housing multiple recreation opportunities, with two dedicated off-leash expanses.  The west portion is large and hilly, boasting tremendous cliff-top views of the City.  Terrain is largely prairie vegetation, with clusters of birch trees available for shade or a wooded walk.  Three parking lots are provided, with waste bins provided in each lot.  Benches are sprinkled atop the cliff edge on the east portion of the off-leash area.

The second off-leash area identified as “Spruce Cliff” lies to the east of the people-portion of Edworthy Park.  The perimeter skirts the Bow River, so this area could be great for water-loving pooches.  Access can be gained from the lower parking lot at Edworthy, then hiking along the Bow River Pathway (on leash).  Quicker access is available from the Pumphouse Theatre parking lot, again joining up with the BRP.  When we visited in autumn 2015, it appeared as if Spruce Cliff had sustained considerable flood damage.  The green field areas of the off-leash portion were impassable, as they were heavily overgrown and thickly dotted with fallen trees.  The river access areas are a solid mass of 8” river rock, which is difficult for most dogs to navigate.  Location of the Spruce Cliff area is enviable, but without improvements I’m afraid there is not much to recommend this area to dogs.  A leashed walk along the river is always enjoyable though.