Are you ready for Adventure?
April 30, 2025
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Join an Adventure for Wilderness and connect with Wild Alberta this spring and summer.
Our spring and summer adventures are heating up! The first spring Adventure for Wilderness was this past weekend, where participants joined artist and author Carolyn Fisher to rejoice in the spectacular crocus blooms on Nose Hill. They artistically captured, with pens and watercolours, this favourite symbol of spring on the prairies.
We are so excited about our upcoming adventures! Our Adventures for Wilderness program aims to connect Albertans with our wild spaces, through incredible experiences. Our volunteers bring wisdom and knowledge from a variety of backgrounds about so many different aspects of Wild Alberta. You are sure to learn something new and return more connected to these places AWA is working hard to keep wild.
From our Jane’s Walk events this week (sold out), annual birdwatching day at Frank Lake, a Calgary nature walk with author Lori Beattie, and an adventurous romp along the ridges in the Whaleback, there is something for everyone. And that’s just the month of May! More are being added every week, so make sure to keep checking our events page.
May Adventures for Wilderness
May 2 & 4 – Jane’s Walk
We participated in the Jane’s Walk event last year with walks in Fish Creek Park and St. Patrick’s Island, exploring themes of water and the importance of these pockets of wildness in the city. They were hits and this year our Jane’s walk events sold out almost immediately! You can add your name to the waiting list or join one of the dozens of other Jane’s Walks here.
May 10 – Introduction to Birdwatching at Frank Lake
Another annual favourite for all levels of birders, this trip meets in Calgary and carpools out to nearby Frank Lake, an internationally recognized Important Bird Area. Spring brings hundreds of water birds, representing dozens of species, to the lake, while migrating song birds can be spotted nearby. Avid birder Chris Saunders will assist participants with the basics of birdwatching and identification. No prior equipment or experience is required, but even more seasoned birders will enjoy this chance to share the day with other bird lovers.
May 14 – Biophilic Beauty Along the Elbow River: Connecting Communities and the Urban Wilds
Join author Lori Beattie for an evening stroll through the urban wilds, and discover this Calgary neighbourhood in a new way. Lori has just released 3rd edition of Calgary’s Best Walks with 95 Walks in Calgary, Cochrane and beyond and loves allowing people to discover the gems hiding in plain sight in their communities.
May 24 – Nose Hill Geology and Nature
Geologist Tako Koning explores Nose Hill’s geological history, including glaciations, rock striations, the Nose Hill erratic, and various fossils that can be found in the park. There is no doubt you will find fresh air, many spring flowers and other ecological surprises, and a sense of peace that the hills and time in nature can bring.
May 24 – Camp Creek Ridge Adventure
The Whaleback is a special place, both as an ecological marvel and a conservation success story. Author and naturalist Kevin Van Tighem will give us insight into the importance of this place for wildlife and humans. While we ramble along valleys and ridges dotted with wildflowers, we will learn about the history of Bob Creek Wildland Park and how AWA and others successfully pushed back against oil and gas development in this area and gained meaningful protection for this important ecosystem. This will be an all-day hike, mostly off-trail, through the head of a hidden valley and up onto the last and highest ridge east of the Livingstone Ridge.