If you’re looking for a family friendly outing on a mild winter day in Calgary, I highly suggest the Fish Creek Ice Caves. The Ice Caves are located in Fish Creek Provincial Park and can be accessed by parking Near Annies Cafe, Bow Bottom Trail, and walking a short distance to the Caves.
At first, you’ll walk along a paved path in an open field. Once you cross a bridge, turn right. You’ll think you’ve hit a dead-end once you’ve turned right, but if you closely inspect, you’ll see a few paths that go around the barrier fence, and they take you down along the frozen rivers edge to where the ice caves are.
The caves themselves are relatively small, but this makes them great for families with young children. The caves are easily accessible for younger kids. They can also get right up close to the frozen waterfalls, and there are a few small hills that the kids can climb up and explore. You can continue along the river’s edge, following the path for those that are feeling for a bit more of a hike. We went a little way and saw a coyote, birds, and other adventurous families. However, since we were walking with our 18-month old, we didn’t get very far and headed back to the caves area.
The best part about the outing, if you are going with young kids, is that you’ll be able to visit the caves, have a snack, get a short walk in, and be back home in time for nap time, that is, of course, if you can get your child to nap. But hopefully, the fresh air will increase the odds of a nap happening. I mean, what more could a parent ask for?