Dad, son and the dog hike on Saturday morning while Mom is at yoga. Some ride horses, some ride bikes, but we’re usually outdoors.
A day in the life of Bragg Creek
Many Bragg Creek residents commute to work in Calgary. On the way home they wind their way through the forested foothills of the Rocky Mountains set against a backdrop of 8,000 ft. tall Moose Mountain. Moms are often concerned about the cougar, bear and moose that roam the hills. The family thrill to see deer browsing in their yard, ravens soaring above the evergreens and stars twinkling like snowflakes on a moonlit night.
Children attend Banded Peak Elementary School or Springbank High School. They have lots of options for cultural, social and sporting activities at the Bragg Creek Centre.
They play soccer and visit friends in Redwood Meadows, a residential community located about 5 km east. It has its own community centre, a fire hall and about 350 homes built on the Sarcee Reserve which borders Bragg Creek. In the winter children play hockey on the rink beside the Community Centres or at the Rec Centre in Springbank.
Mom’s taxi
Moms often drive to the city of Calgary to shop or to Cochrane or Springbank for sports and recreation. As many of our homes are hidden in the trees, we often only see each other while driving the local roads, ferrying children on the West Bragg Creek or Wintergreen roads to visit friends where they sometimes stay for sleep-overs. Dad commutes to work in the city – in at 6:30 a.m., back at 6:30 p.m. Along the road they pass cattle roaming the Fullerton ranch providing a nostalgic link to our rural roots. Sometimes they pass horseback riders, cyclists and joggers heading to Kananaskis Country. In 2017, the Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association built a trail along the road for recreational use. It’s part of the Trans Canada Trail system. West Bragg Creek, Kananaskis has hundreds of kilometres of the best mountain bike and cross-country ski trails you’ll find anywhere.
Outdoor Adventure
Families hike and cycle in Kananaskis, a wild land of mountains, forests and rivers on the western border of Bragg Creek. They avoid the hamlet on weekends when day-trippers from Calgary come to hang out, browse the gift shops or enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants. In the summer they plan their vacation around Bragg Creek Days, a weekend of parades, parties and play which is followed a week later by the Tsuut’ina Rodeo and Pow Wow. In the winter they careen their toboggans, skis or fat bikes down snow covered slopes and snuggle by the fireplace through the long nights lit by the northern lights.