Pop-Up Market This Saturday

Just west of Greenwich and a 5 minute cruise down Stoney Trail across the Bow River, lies one of Calgary’s most beautiful and nature abundant park areas.  The 164 hectare park was created in the early 1980s and named by joining the names of the nearby communities of Bowness and Montgomery.

The park features a number of natural ponds, hiking trails, picnic areas with tables, a designated off-leash area, Playgrounds as well as Baseball and Soccer fields.

Several projects are now underway to protect and improve the park including Compensation to the Fish Habitat, Updating Dale Hodges Park and Dog Bag Dispenser program.

Read the geological history of Calgary on the “walls” of this park. Bowmont contains a steep cliff face that illustrates several chapters of the city’s geological history. You can also see an unusual, spongy-looking, geological formation called “tufa”. Associated with the tufa is a three-metre-high waterfall. Near the waterfall is a scenic lookout over the Bow River Valley. This park provides an opportunity to experience a mature riverine forest with its abundance of flora and fauna.

Bowmont contains grasslands, valleys fed with permanent sources of water and bushy off-shore islands. There is also a mature Balsam Poplar riverine forest. This type of forest was once very common along river banks across the North American prairies. But, because these forests rely on periodic flooding for regeneration and most of the rivers have been dammed, the forests are under threat throughout much of their range.

The waters of the Bow River are home to species such as Canada Geese, Common Mergansers and several species of gulls. The trees and shrubs along the river are migratory routes for many species of warblers and vireos. There is ample evidence of the presence of beavers as many of the trees have been wrapped with wire to protect them from being chopped down. If you like amphibians, Boreal Chorus Frogs and Tiger Salamanders have been seen in the inland ponds.

History

At the top of the cliff face, you can see a thin layer of soil. This is the rich soil that nurtures the grasslands and crops that are so important in the European history of this area. Under the soil are 18 metres of sediment that were deposited on the bottom of Glacial Lake Calgary. The lake was formed as the last glaciers melted but the runoff was blocked by an ice dam further down the Bow River Valley.

Below the sediments lies the bedrock called the Porcupine Hills Formation. This bedrock was formed about 65 million years ago. When water percolates down from the surface, through the sediments it absorbs calcium carbonate. As it strikes the bedrock it flows sideways and exits out the side of the valley resulting in the falls in Waterfall Valley. The water then deposits the calcium carbonate on the algae covered rocks, producing the tufa.

Two sections of the park have undergone major changes. One area was used for agriculture and commercial greenhouses and the other for a gravel pit and concrete plant. These areas are being restored to a natural environment.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Enjoy Bowmont Park between the hours of 5am – 11pm daily.