Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies: Spring Survival Guide for Outside Fun during Covid-19

Treat this guide as a "choose your own adventure" resource. Want to stay home and go no further than your backyard? I've got options for that. Want to practice physical distancing on local trails around the city? I've got those options too.

Spring Survival Guide for Outside Fun during Covid-19

I've focused on the area around Calgary since that's the home base for our family. (You'll find many ideas for your family regardless of where you live though.)

1. Backyard Fun for Safe Self Isolating

Scroll through the ideas below and follow the links for more resources from other blogs and websites. Some links also go to recommended books on Amazon.

Create a backyard you actually want to play in!

Build a sandbox
Build a mud kitchen
Buy a bird book and build a birdhouse or a bird feeder (and you can use the bird book for walks around the neighborhood too.)
Make a magical Fairy Garden, Dinosaur World or Troll Land - Born to be Adventurous
Use that hot tub if you're lucky enough to have one (or fill a wading pool with warm water on a sunny day and pretend you're at the beach)
Get out the lawn chairs, the loungers, the hammock if you have trees to hang one, and take your reading time outside. I have one friend who's made it a goal to enjoy her morning coffee outside every day. - And any new furniture you buy now can be used for camping this summer.
Create a backyard ninja obstacle course with pieces of wood, logs, hula hoops, buckets or barrels, and any other random items you have at home
Buy a trampoline, a climbing dome or something else you'll continue to use all summer long
Put up a badminton net if you have a large backyard or get out the soccer ball and make goals using pylons, buckets, or anything you can find around the house (this would work well for younger kids who don't need a big field for soccer)
Buy a basketball hoop for your driveway or a hockey net and basic equipment for ball hockey
Try some backyard gardening projects with the kids
Buy some new backyard toys or games. Example: Learn to play Spike ball or Learn to play Ladder Ball Toss. - and bonus, you can take both games with you when you go camping this summer.

And I know that many of these ideas will involve shopping but fortunately we live in an age where most things can be ordered online. I also encourage you to choose purchases that will have a shelf life beyond Covid-19. Choose items you can take camping with you this summer and that will provide hours of outside fun all summer long.

Rainy day fun in our backyard

Recommended Reading:

100+ Ideas for Backyard Play and Outdoor Activities - Bring the Kids

Keeping busy with nature activities (bucket list & calendar) - Take them Outside

100+ Ideas for Outdoor Family Fun - Tales of a Mountain Mama

Easy Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course - Tales of a Mountain Mama

How Will Your Garden Grow? - AK on the Go

Spring Activity Calendar and free printable- Born to be Adventurous

Bored kids? Create an Activity Jar with these 75 Activities (+Free Printable ) - Born to be Adventurous

30-Day Rewilding Challenge Activity Calendar – FREE Printable! - Outdoor Families Magazine

We built a large sandbox in our backyard when my son was younger. He still plays in it.

2. Try Backyard Camping

I know many of us are anxious to start the camping season. In the meantime, choose a warm night and set the tent up in the backyard. You could even have a "virtual camping trip" with friends and chat online from inside your tent.

There are great tips in this guide: Camping at Home - Take Them Outside

I also recommend this guide: Camping at Home - 30+ Backyard and Indoor Camping Activities, Games, and Recipes - Little Family Adventure

Backyard camping is always allowed

3. Get Outside in your Neighborhood

This is a great one for those who are not self-isolating and are feeling healthy, but want some fresh air beyond the backyard.

We could play in our neighborhood ravine for hours!

Try these suggestions for neighborhood spring fun:

Have fun with scavenger hunts - 3 Indoor and Outdoor Scavenger Hunts for Kids (+Free Printables) - Born to be Adventurous

Check out this article too: Neighborhood Scavenger Hunts – Easy way to get kids exploring outside - Take them Outside

Learn to geocache and look for caches hidden around your neighborhood (I use the Ground Speak geocaching app on my phone and paid for a premium subscription - though you can use the free version as well.)

Read my newest guide here: Spring Geocaching Challenge (Join us in the FUN!)
Get out the wheels! Get out the scooters, the inline skates, the bikes or the skateboards. Maybe invest in a new toy. And while we're a ways off from some of these toys in Calgary, my son has had success outside with his scooter already.

And, you can always try building ramps or jumps in your driveway for the kids' bikes or skateboards.

We have a great pathway around my neighborhood and we've getting out for daily walks

Get out the sports equipment and head to your local playground or field to play baseball, soccer, or basketball as a family. You can even practice some basic volleyball skills without a net.
Go on a puddle jumping adventure (How wet can you get? Adults included.)
Explore natural areas in your community. We have a ravine in our neighborhood that's essentially a wild natural playground. There are trees to climb, bridges to explore, there's a creek to play in, and there are plenty of obstacles to challenge children.

Read this story for more inspiration: Playing in Nature Protects Our Children During a Pandemic - Backwoods Mama

We're lucky enough to have this in our neighborhood

Get outside in your neighborhood and go for a scavenger hunt

4. Explore Parks and Natural Areas in a Neighboring Community

If everybody's healthy and you're not being asked to self-isolate, this is another great way to get outside close to home.

Drive to a natural area in a neighboring community. Maybe explore a park you've never visited before. (Note you are still staying inside your city.)

Check out some of my personal favourites in Calgary here: Calgary Urban Hikes

There are MANY cool things to discover on Nose Hill in Calgary

And with any hike at this time, please have a backup plan if the parking lot for your chosen park appears to be too crowded.

Finally, you'll find much more solitude if you grab your hiking boots and get off the paved pathways!!

Recommended reading: Calgary's Best Walks 35 Brand New Urban Jaunts And Nature Strolls

We love exploring the Weaselhead in South Calgary

Fun Activities to enjoy in Calgary's Parks and Natural Areas:

Geocaching
Disc Golf
Scavenger hunts
Bird walks
Bike rides (bring the scooters or inline skates if there's a paved pathway)

Geocaching in Bowmont Park, NW Calgary

Recommended Reading:

Spring Geocaching Challenge (Join us in the FUN!)

12 Nature Walk Activities for Earth Day (or any day)

Nature Walk Ideas (Pinterest)

7 kid-friendly games to play on trail walks and nature hikes - Active for Life

Nature Walk Printables - Backwoods Mama

There's lots of solitude to be found on Nose Hill

Calgary has several great disc golf courses

5. Explore Closed Campgrounds near Home

You'll meet very few people if you go hiking around a closed campground near home.

I'm telling you about my favourites below in hopes that it inspires families to go beyond the usual trailheads. Trust me, there is life beyond Elbow Falls!! Let's spread out and choose parks with lots of wide open space.

See the crowds on the closed Bow Valley Campground roads? Me neither!

A few recommended campgrounds near Calgary:

Bow Valley Campground, Bow Valley Provincial Park

This campground is closed to vehicles until April 30th allowing families to freely explore the park on foot or by bike.

Park at the Middle Lake day use area and bike around on the quiet closed paved campground roads. We like to bike to the Elk Flats Group Campground where you can have a picnic. We then continue on to the Many Springs Trailhead (bring a bike lock if you want to go for a short hike,) and then we head down to the river. From there we return through the empty campground.

You can also hike around the park, completing a loop with the Elk Flats, Bow River, and Moraine Trails. Add on the Middle Lake or Many Springs Loop to extend the distance. See the map here.

Finally there is a paved bike trail that connects the Visitor Centre near the Highway 1X with the camp store. We like to bike around the campground from Middle Lake and then hop on the bike trail at the end to extend our ride. We return to Middle Lake on the road. This can all be done in a big loop of 12km.

Hiking along the river in the Bow Valley Campground

Willow Rock Campground, Bow Valley Provincial Park

Park at the campground gate and hike into the Flowing Waters Interpretive Trail. This campground opens on April 30th. Until then, it's a quiet place to explore on foot or by bike.

The Flowing Water Trail is a great early season hiking option

Paddy's Flat Campground, Elbow Valley

This campground is closed until May 14th. Until then, park at the campground gate and hike down through the empty campground to reach the river. Hike along the Paddy's Flat Interpretive Trail until it joins the Riverview Trail.

Hiking along the Paddy's Flat Trail by the Elbow River

Beaver Flats Campground, Elbow Valley

This is a hike-in campground until Highway 66 opens on May 15th. Park at the winter gate by Elbow Falls and walk down the closed highway. (It's also a fabulous bike ride when the snow is gone!!)

Either hike/bike all the way to the campground (30 minutes at most on a bike) or stop at the Beaver Lodge Day Use area (about a 5 minute walk from the winter gate) and hop on the Beaver Flats Interpretive Trail.

The hiking trail takes you to the campground and is a great hike with kids as you meander along beaver ponds (which are super fun to play in.)

Playing in the water along the Beaver Flats Trail in the Elbow Valley

6. Explore Closed Highways or Roads near Home

We love biking on closed highways and roads in spring. It's a great way to self-distance yourself from others too when you're on a big road with space for miles! (Much easier than on a narrow bike path in the city!)

Top 3 highways to ride with kids near Calgary:

Highway 66 outside Bragg Creek (closed to vehicles until May 15th) - Enjoy this big wide open space to ride as a family. There are many hills and it is a challenging ride if you go all the way to the Little Elbow Campground. Park at the winter gate and go as far as the Beaver Flats Campground with younger kids or just ride as far as you get and turn around.

Highway 40 west of Longview (closed to vehicles until June 15th) - Park at the winter gate at Highwood Junction and ride as far as you get, returning when the kids get tired. You'll have some very big hills in both directions so save energy for the return ride. We like to ride as far as the Cat Creek day use area where we then hike in to see the falls.

Highway 546 west of Turner Valley (closed to vehicles until May 15th) - Park at the winter gate and ride towards Sheep River Falls (a return distance of 30+ km with some big hills.) Turn around whenever the kids get tired (you likely won't make it to the falls.) This is one of the best road rides for wildlife viewings and if you're lucky you'll see sheep.