{"id":3559,"date":"2009-04-12T12:03:53","date_gmt":"2009-04-12T18:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wend.ca\/?p=3559"},"modified":"2020-03-17T20:33:04","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T00:33:04","slug":"canmore-alberta-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wend.ca\/?p=3559","title":{"rendered":"Grassi Lakes, Canmore"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Friday my good little Albertan child said: “Mama, let’s go to the mountains for some fresh air.” And, off we went to Grassi Lakes in Canmore for fresh air, sunshine, and a snowy mountain hike.<\/p>\n

Canmore has not always had it’s reputation for healthy living and outdoor adventure; founded in 1883, the town was one of the largest coal mining centres in southern Alberta until the town shut down operations in 1979. In the 1980s it made a rapid descent towards ghost town status when it was noticed and declared the location of Nordic events for the 1988 Olympics.<\/p>\n

For tourists, Canmore is a fairly quick hour drive west of Calgary (TransCanada); it’s not considered part of Banff National Park so visitors don’t need a park pass to visit (Canmore was kicked out of the Park in 1930 because of it’s mining activities); and, there’s lots to do in the town centre: coffee, eats, kids playgrounds, etc. One piece of advice if you plan on hiking: try and hit the trails early to avoid the really large afternoon groups (and be mindful of people coming down the trails rapidly on bike or sled).<\/p>\n