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Glenbow Ranch Management Plan engagement

Albertans shared feedback that will help shape a management plan for Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.

Overview

We gathered feedback on the draft terms of reference for a management plan to guide conservation, recreation and management activities in the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.

The management plan will be designed to address increasing visitor demand while mitigating the impact people have on the environment. 

Your input, as well as ongoing engagement with Indigenous communities and organizations, local municipalities, and area landowners, will support Alberta’s commitment to encourage outdoor recreation while safeguarding cultural resources and protecting a significant ecosystem. 

Status

  • Open

  • Results under review

  • Completed

Who is listening 

Ministry of Forestry and Parks

Get informed

Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park protects over 1,300 hectares of land along a stretch of the Bow River between the City of Calgary and the Town of Cochrane. The park receives nearly 100,000 visits each year.

Alberta’s government, in partnership with the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation, created a draft terms of reference for the future Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park Management Plan. The foundation supports the operations and infrastructure development and the delivery of visitor experience and educational programs in the park.

Glenbow Ranch land use map

Map of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park containing locations of amenities such as parking, washrooms, trails and shelters.

  • About the park

    The land was acquired by the province from the Harvie family in 2006 as an eco-gift. The park was established in 2008 to protect representative examples of grassland, riparian and slope ecosystems of the Foothills Parkland Natural Subregion and cultural resources associated with Indigenous inhabitation, early European settlement, and ranching practices. 

    The park is one of the few temperate grasslands protected in Alberta, which are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. In addition to the legacy of Alberta’s ranching culture, the landscapes contain evidence of thousands of years of Indigenous people’s occupation. The site is also home to a sandstone quarry that was used to supply stone for Alberta’s Legislature Building. 

    The area was once used as a rich hunting area, a trade route, and is home to sacred Indigenous sites.

  • Park use and management

    About 80% of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park consists of native foothills fescue grassland. Other habitat types in the park include aspen woodland, wetlands, springs, creeks, and the Bow River.

    The trails in the park provide access for Indigenous peoples to continue traditional use activities.

    As a gateway to the provincial park system, the park also provides a range of non-motorized day use recreation, education, and nature appreciation opportunities throughout the park and along the Trans Canada Trail connecting Calgary and Cochrane.

    Year-round grazing occurs in the park with approximately 200 cattle, administered through a grazing permit. Grazing helps manage vegetation and maintain the health of the grassland ecosystem by controlling weeds and brush encroachment.

    Given the park’s proximity to the growing population and urban development in both Calgary and Cochrane, visitor use within the park is expected to change dramatically in the next 5 years.

Input received

Online survey

Albertans were able to complete a survey to share feedback on the draft Terms of Reference for the management plan between August 5 and September 16, 2025.

Park trails and amenities map

Albertans were able to contribute to a park inventory and amenities map by dropping pins about opportunities and issues within the park between August 5 and September 16, 2025.

Trailhead conversations

Albertans were able to participate in a one-hour in-person conversation and tour at the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park with representatives from Alberta’s government.

Engagement timeline

  • Phase 1

    Established the scope of management plan

    Fall 2022 - Winter / Spring 2023
  • Phase 2

    Gathered information to create the background report and to draft terms of reference

    Spring 2023 - Fall / Winter 2024
  • Phase 3

    Gather Indigenous, stakeholder and public input 

    Summer 2025
  • Phase 4

    Develop draft management plan 

    Summer 2025
  • Phase 5

    Gather Indigenous, stakeholder and public feedback on the draft management plan

    Fall / Winter 2025
  • Phase 6

    Release Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park management plan

    Winter / Spring 2026

Outcomes

The feedback gathered during the engagement will help us develop the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park Management Plan, which will guide management of the park, prioritize improvements, improve the quality of trail experiences and set approaches to manage positive or negative park use.

Contact

Connect with the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park management planning project team.

Email: [email protected]