Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
32,600-hectare (80,550-acre) Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park, which has been des-
ignated in pockets along the valley floor as well as most of the surrounding mountain
slopes along both sides of the valley.
SIGHTS
Through booming times, the original core of Canmore, on the southwestern side of the
TransCanada Highway, has managed to retain much of its original charm. Many historic
buildings line the downtown streets, while other buildings from the coal-mining days are
being preserved at their original locations around town. The best way to get downtown
from the TransCanada Highway is to take Railway Avenue from Highway 1A and drive
down 8th Street, the main drag (parking is easiest one street back along 7th Street, where
one parking lot—at 6th Avenue—is designated for RVs).
Downtown
The first building of interest at the east end of the main street is Canmore's original
NWMP post (609 8th St., 403/678-1955, 9am-6pm daily in summer, noon-4pm Mon.-Fri.
the rest of the year, free), built in 1892. It is one of the few such posts still in its original
location, even though at the time of its construction the building was designed as a tempor-
ary structure to serve the newly born coal-mining town. The interior is decorated with peri-
od furnishings, while out back is a thriving garden filled with the same food crops planted
by the post's original inhabitants. The post sits across from Policeman's Creek, a shallow
body of water alive with ducks. Ralph Connor United Church, a little farther down 8th
Street, was built in 1890 and is now a Provincial Historic Site. The church is named for its
first reverend, Charles Gordon, who used the pen name Ralph Connor for the 35 topics he
authored. Canmore Hotel, on the corner of 8th Street and 7th Avenue, was built in 1891
(at a time when three hotels already operated) and is still open for thirsty townsfolk and
travelers alike.
Around the corner from the hotel, inside the impressive Civic Centre complex, is Can-
more Museum and Geoscience Centre (902 7th Ave., 403/678-2462, noon-5pm Mon.-
Tues., 11am-5pm Wed.-Sun., adult $5, senior and child $3). This facility highlights the
region's rich geological history and its importance to the growth of the town and related
industries. Geological formations along three local hikes are described, which, along with
a small fossil display, microscopes, and computer resources, make this facility an interest-
ing rainy-day diversion.
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