Fun facts and family scavenger hunts are just two of the many reasons to enjoy the Family Day Hike at the Park at the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.

The tradition of offering a guided family-friendly hike for Family Day continues this coming Monday, Feb. 15. Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation is offering hikes at both 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., lead by program coordinator Jenna Zsuch, to accommodate as many people as possible while closely following COVID-19 protocols. 

Registration is now open, and space is limited. You can save a spot for your family here.

"We're really excited for this year," says foundation executive director Sarah Parker. "We're actually going to have two that day, whereas before we would only have one."

The hikes are 1.5 hours long and participants will learn much about the park's ecology and heritage.

"We'll be talking a bit about the park's ecological history, and how the landscape was formed. We'll be sharing some indigenous knowledge related to plants and animals that we learned through our partnership with Stoney Nakoda advisors."

"We'll also be sharing some fun stories about the old Glenbow townsite, and through the whole walk we'll be doing fun activities, like family scavenger hunts, and things like that."

She says they have beefed up the number of activities for children.

"People are trying to bring their kids out more into nature, and looking for fun ways to keep their kids engaged, and affordable ways to keep their kids engaged, so our new public programmer Jenna included more activities. I think it's going to make it really fun for kids."

People are asked to dress suitably for the weather and consider bringing along hot beverages, like hot chocolate. If the weather is suitable, they may even want to pack a lunch and enjoy it in the park before or after the hike.

Groups will depart from the park's parking lot, and people are asked to arrive a few minutes early, so the hikes can start on time.

The park has traditionally been a popular destination for people during Family Day and since the outbreak of the pandemic, visits have skyrocketed, even in the throes of winter.

Parker says in January 2020, they had 1,000 visitors. This year, that ballooned to 8,000.