This urban hike should take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
This guide takes you through one of Calgary’s most beautiful historic residential communities, Mount Royal. The retail and entertainment district provides opportunities to stop and experience the city as you explore 17th Avenue and 4th Street.
There is a mix of elevations and a rewarding stair climb to raise your heart rate. It is easy to moderate difficulty with a range of diverse terrains, from concrete sidewalks to trails and wooden stairs
It features lookouts of the city skyline, green spaces, heritage buildings, public art, and urban design.
Some Background before you Begin
In the 1880s, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) made an agreement with the federal government to build the transcontinental railway. As an incentive, the CPR received 25 million acres of land in western Canada.
The impact the CPR had on the Calgary landscape is everywhere. The company would decide on the location and design of townsites. It would normally impose a grid configuration on plans with uniform lots. The development of residential subdivisions in the southwest part of this settlement was an exception. This is one of the reasons why Mount Royal is so unique.
You can learn more about how the CPR influenced Calgary’s growth as an urban centre by visiting our guides: The Inception of Towers | Emergent and Behind Stephen Avenue.
Start: Artsy Arachnid
Your hike begins and ends at one of Calgary’s most recognizable public art pieces—the Artsy Arachnid.
Originally, it had been in front of The Mechanics on 30th Avenue and 14th Street for three decades. Dubbed the Artsy Arachnid by Livewire Calgary, it was relocated for area redevelopment and reinstalled on the roof of the Starbucks at 2513 – 14 Street SW.
There is a bus stop across 14th Street in a small green space if you want to take public transit.
You start by heading east on Prospect Avenue to your left. You will finish the 5 km loop at the end of Wolfe Street and Frontenac Avenue to your right.
Exploring Mount Royal
Mount Royal was conceived as an elite residential area, with caveats and architectural controls to ensure a prestigious standard of living.
To learn more about Restrictive Covenants, visit the Mount Royal Community Association website. There, you can learn how they are being used to protect this historic community today.
Exploring Prospect Avenue, you witness what these architectural controls achieved. Many of the homes were built between 1912-1913, and they are not just beautiful; they are part of the city’s heritage.
For more information about the inventory of evaluated historic resources, you can access a map by Heritage Calgary here. Or enjoy their full walking tour.
Within minutes, you’ll notice something different about this neighbourhood. Unlike Calgary’s typical grid system, this area follows a more natural, flowing layout. As you walk, streets curve with the landscape, and homes are situated to make the most of the view.
Homes sit on large, irregular lots with ample setbacks. Side yards encouraged residents to add trees and garden features to the once-barren prairie landscape. The mature trees and gardens create a park-like setting.
You can see these results by looking at the map and comparing the green canopy in Mount Royal to its surroundings. Follow the link to learn how The City of Calgary Values its Urban Forest today.
This reflects the influence of the City Beautiful movement, which aimed to improve the quality of life through thoughtful urban design.
Continue your walk through the neighbourhood toward the Mount Royal Community Association, then turn left onto 10th Street SW and head downhill.
STOP #1: Halfway down, you’ll pass a massive sandstone wall built in the 1890s by the Canadian Pacific Railway. You can learn more about how this stone shaped Calgary in our guide: Sandstone City Legacy.
Interesting fact: This area was once nicknamed “American Hill,” as many early homes were built by entrepreneurs from the United States.
Oscar Devenish is one of these notable entrepreneurs. He built both the nearby Devenish Estate on Durham Avenue and the iconic Devenish Apartments on 17th Avenue.
Retail and Entertainment District
At around 1.2 km (15 minutes in), you’ll reach 17th Avenue—Calgary’s well-known retail and entertainment district. Check out our guide at: RED Mile for more information.
This stretch is about 1.1 km of flat sidewalk, making it an easy section of the hike.
Along the way, STOP #2:
- Browse shops and local businesses
- Stop for coffee or a snack
- Spot public art, historic buildings, and green space
Take your time here—the pace is up to you.
Turn right on 4th Street and head south for just over 1 km. You will arrive at the next urban lookout and STOP #3. You can check out our guide: Van Gogh Observes Fourth Street.
The artwork is in front of Master’s Gallery at 2115 – 4th St. and employs a technique of illusionism. Known as hollow face, the portrait is captivating; it appears to be observing you as you pass by on the street. The movement is subtle, but it’s a memorable moment on the route.
Stepping Up at Evamy Ridge
Continue south to 22nd Avenue, then head toward STOP #4: Evamy Ridge. Yes, we have a guide for this: Benefits of Urban Hiking | Evamy Ridge. This is the most physically challenging part of the hike—and can be the most rewarding.
Interesting fact: This area is also known as Hillcrest Hill or Cliff Bungalow Escarpment. The land was a gift to The City by CP Rail in 1920. It came with the understanding that it would always remain parkland.
At the bottom of the stairs are two landmarks in the park. It features two schools that were built during that period in a style unique to Calgary.
Climb the wooden stairs to the top for a panoramic view of Calgary’s skyline. This next stretch is approximately 2 km and takes around 30 minutes, depending on how long you choose to extend.
Follow the map below to a second set of stairs. You can add reps by repeating the exercise to increase intensity. Exit at the landing at the halfway point after you complete your workout.
The terrain changes to trail as you head west through Earl Grey Park. Conditions can be slushy during the winter, but in the summer months, this is a nice natural transition as you walk through an open, grassy green space.
At the end of the trail, you head back up the path until you arrive at a roundabout.
Cross the street and continue heading west on Frontenac Avenue. This final section highlights the neighbourhood’s thoughtful design. It features gracefully curving streets, roundabouts, treed boulevards and park spaces integrated to enhance the grandeur of the neighbourhood.
Urban Design of A Garden Suburb
If you follow Frontenac Avenue, you will return to the starting point or take a detour and explore nearby Cartier Park. It is the largest of the four original neighbourhood park spaces. Others include Champlain and South Mount Royal Parks.
Interesting fact: In this final stretch, you will see components of this subdivision that were designed by the legendary firm Olmsted Brothers of Brookline. Successors to the famous American landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted. The plans are based on his suburban planning principles that blend nature with city living.
STOP #5 is optional but recommended. South Mount Royal Park features a bronze monument depicting British Army General James Wolfe.
Created by John Massey Rhind in 1898, it was a gift to The City from Glenbow founder Eric Harvie. There is a second public art installation, inspired by this original work, on the southwest corner of the 12th Street Bridge in Inglewood. In this version by artist Brandon Vickerd (2019), Wolfe’s visage is distorted by a flock of sparrows.
The Urban Explorer has a guide to explore these two works. Check it out at Run or Bike Calgary’s Most Iconic Communities and Green Spaces or An Urban and Nature Sanctuary | Inglewood.
Interesting fact: Frontenac Avenue features streets lined with mature American Elm trees. Along with neighbouring Montreal Avenue, they are some of the most picturesque streets in Calgary. Quebec, Montcalm and Carlton Avenues are all lined with Green Ash trees.
This urban forest was planted in 1929-30 by William Reader. He was the city’s most influential Parks Superintendent, whose contributions made many of the parks and greenspaces possible.
You can explore his work and read the unreal urban legend that may have inspired the Artsy Arachnid at Starbucks. Visit our guide: Urban Hike for Halloween | Reader Rock Garden.
The End: Bringing it Home
The community was named Mount Royal in 1910, after the Montreal district, where CPR president William Van Horne lived. Influential citizens led by future Prime Minister R.B. Bennett and Sir James Lougheed called on the CPR to introduce a designation that better reflected Canadian culture.
The plan for South Mount Royal was registered in 1911. It featured street names of prominent French Canadians: Frontenac, Montcalm, Talon, Laval, Joliet, and Vercheres, the only woman. It also included the names of early explorers, Cabot, Champlain, and places such as Montreal, Quebec, and Levis. This helped shape the community’s identity and brought an end to “American Hill.”
This is also the end of your urban hike. This isn’t just a walk—it’s a curated urban experience. In just 5 km, you can get a workout while moving through historic estates, lively retail streets, scenic viewpoints, and thoughtfully designed green spaces.
This is one of the best ways to experience Calgary on foot!
Credit: Calgary’s Mount Royal – A Garden Suburb by Elise Corbet and Lorne Simpson.
The Urban Explorer 