Prairie Winds Park (Calgary) - Photos

Did you know…?
The City of Calgary Parks provide 47 reservable picnic site areas, 3211 picnic tables, 416 BBQ sites and 138 fire pits.

A week ago, my parents held a family reunion in Calgary, attended by nearly all of their children and gradndchildren -- 21 people in total. Although I grew up in Calgary, I'm the only member of my family still living there, and since our house is smallish, everyone stayed in a hotel in the NE part of town for four days. One of those days, we went to the Prairie Winds Park, which was built a few blocks away from the house we once owned in the community of Castleridge.

We wanted to book the only picnic shelter at Prairie Winds(photo) at a cost of $50.10 (rental rates, picnic guide), but it was already taken. The online info indicated that there were plenty more picnic tables, but none of them were marked on the downloadable map.


I decided to go scout it out and take some pictures, to see what would be available for our group if we just showed up on a Saturday morning. Leaving R to sleep in a little bit, I drove out to the Park with Scotty. We brought along the wagon that I bought online the week before (one of many outside toys I bought recently) and we made a quick tour.


We arrived at the park at 9:00am and there was only one other car in the parking lot (we parked in the small lot on South end of the park). Making a counter-clockwise loop through the park, this is what we saw:


Right next to the south parking lot is one playground
(the other one is on the north side of the pool)


There are two wading pools: the Splash Pool (foreground) and the much larger Wading Pool (background). The Splash Pool used to have water cannons that you could shoot at each other, but those don't seem to be there any more.


There are quite a few picnic tables surrounding the pool, probably 12 in total.


There is a building beside the pool with change rooms and a concession stand


Here is the price list for the concession stand


The pool is surrounded by a chain link fence. Just outside the fence on the north side is a play ground and about 5 picnic tables, right at the base of the toboggan hill.


From the top of the hill, you have a great view of incoming planes touching down on the landing strip. They fly over every few minutes and Scott loved to point at them.


There are 3 or 4 tennis courts next to the main parking lot.


Nestled between the pool area and the toboggan hill is the picnic area that you can rent. For $50.10 per 6 hour block, you get the two tables outside the shelter plus...


...the three tables inside the shelter.
It was our opinion that the shelter is not a very convenient place to work from if your kids want to swim or play on the playground, because it's tucked a little too far away and out of sight.


There is a baseball diamond and a soccer / football field -- with a mosque nearby.


After our tour, Scott wanted to get out of the wagon and stretch his legs for a minute. He can't talk yet, but I deduced this fact from the way he took off as soon as I let his feet touch the ground.


I pretty much had to chase after him. The boy is getting pretty quick.


I'd also like to point out the cute hat that he's wearing. Our friends let him wear it when we visited their house and they thought he looked cute enough in it, they let him keep it. Originally, it was purchased for a guy who is taller than me, but we like the oversize fit on Scotty's little head.