I just love this place. I used to go riding there regularly ( unguided trail rides/ membership)…read moreuntil we moved away. Awesome trails. Wonderful horses. Thank you Griffin Valley Ranch for the wonderful times I had . 5 star !

Made a visit to Griffin Valley Ranch for a one hour trail ride on a beautiful Sunday afternoon…read more We were given a short lesson on how to handle the horses and then lead to the horse chosen for our specific size/weight/experience. Griffin Valley is set on some of the most beautiful property, about 15 kms outside of Cochrane. Our ride was easy and relaxing. The staff made sure to check in with everyone from time to time and chat with us or answer any questions we had. It's perfect for the person who has no riding experience, as the horses are extremely well trained. No need to worry about them getting out of hand, which lets you enjoy the scenery around you. They do let the more experienced riders take horses out for unguided trail rides as well, and offer sleigh rides in the winter. The map used to get there was from their website. DO NOT use Google maps, you will definitely get lost. The long winding road up to the Ranch is long, and you will feel like it takes forever to get there. Its worth it though!

Just had a wonderful time at Camp Kindle!…read more We are a non-profit org who had our 3-day annual retreat there. The dorm was clean, tidy, and had enough room for us. The beds were decently comfortable for camp. No complaints here from a guy with back issues. The facilities were perfect for our meetings and breakouts. The large dining room lodge is excellent, roomy and then some for the 40 of us, and the cooks dished out some good food over the three days. The activities were a lot of fun! Archery, escape room, and high ropes. Although I didn't do the high ropes, I had a lot of fun doing the other two and they were all awesome team-building activities too. Good fun and some good razzing of each other too! There is zero cell service there and the wifi is weak. I'm not saying that's a con at all. It was nice to disconnect actually and just be with the people there. The staff were absolutely amazing. They made it for us! We felt so welcome, encouraged, and they took great care of us. Thank you, Camp Kindle!

Camp is not just for kids.... did you know Camp Kindle is available as a retreat centre? For…read moreweddings or trainings? The summers are jam packed offering a safe place for kids with or affected by cancer but they are open year round and are available for other bookings when the kids aren't there. I was very surprised with how under booked they are too because it's a great space. And all the rental fees go back to helping the camp run in the summer for the kids which is also very awesome (I learned they can do chemo on site if they are in treatment... how wonderful is that for a kid going through cancer?). I got to hang out here for a weekend and it was awesome... even in the middle of winter. I wasn't sure what camp in the winter would be like (I was thinking back to my summers in tipis hoping the heat of the fire would last the night) but it's barely camping as far as accommodations. We stayed in rooms that looked like college dorms in the Jack Perraton Volunteer Lodge which has 2 twin beds per room. Real beds, toasty buildings, flush toilets and running showers... like I said, not quite hotel rooms but not really camping. We ate in the Jayman lodge catered by the staff of Kindle. I'm not sure what options are available for food but we had fairly simple, tasty and healthful meals the whole time and they took care to offer gluten free, vegan and halal options as per the group's needs. There are meeting spaces of all sizes and large event spaces all is fairly modern and renovated buildings. I didn't get to explore all the buildings but it really seems like there are loads of options here for just about anything. I went exploring in the woods and found a very cool old fur trapper like epic log house along with old fashioned stoves and the lot. One of the staff said it's where the teenager level of camp hangs out but it's a fav during weddings for the groomsmen which I totally see because it's remote, beautiful and has such amazing charm for lots of bonding. I didn't get cell service at any point while I was here ... which is either good or bad depending on what you need. I notice they have wifi but I decided to stay unplugged... and I lived! :) They have different activities they can facilitate with groups ... like snowshoeing, hiking or rope courses (not in the winter). The surrounding grounds are beautiful with lots of little critters to meet... we saw a bunch of really chilled out deer and really just a magical place for whatever your looking for and it's extra nice to be able to help support something that has such a beautiful primary mission.

This is the best 9 hole highway golf course in Alberta. If you are driving Calgary to Edmonton and…read morehave some extra time I would highly recommend stopping by. It's always in great shape!

A fun time for golfers of all skill level! Also has amazing Chinese food in the clubhouse! You…read morewon't leave here disappointed.

Nice course. They have some short holes and some really challenging holes for an even balance…read more There are some people who play this course everyday so be warned they will ask to play though since they have it memorized. I am happy to let them through vs holding someone up. (And we aren't that slow). We didn't see one drink cart on a hot Friday afternoon which was super disappointing. Didn't see any Marshall's either (no big deal on that one). The course was SUPER saturated in Aug when we had no precipitation. I think they are having some problems with their pipes? Really had to watch where we walked and drove to avoid sinking! (Literally)

For a fun and unique idea for a team build, our VP decided that skeet shooting was a good bonding…read moreactivity. The ladies that I work with were a little hesitant (and so was I), none of us had ever gone shooting before! Our wonderful Exec Assistant organized with the club so we could enjoy a steak lunch on the deck before our afternoon of fun. After the waivers were signed, we got briefed on gun safety and shooting. We split up into teams of 4 and assigned a guide. Our guide was Rick and he was awesome! Taking into account that our group of ladies were first time shooters, he was really patient and coached us through each station. Everyone had a blast, what a great way to spend a sunny afternoon getting to know your coworkers. I'm really looking forward for summer to come; I can't wait to head out here again!

Attended a "Ladies learn to shoot" event, they served a lovely light breakfast, followed by a quick…read moresafety demo, then off with an instructor to shoot guns at flying targets! Really good fun, our instructor was fantastic! I have a lapsed PAL, so I am not completely a stranger to firearms, but I haven't shot for years. the instructors were clear about the basics without being condescending, which is great. But you can come here having never touched a real firearm, and by the end we were all able to hit a few targets. If you are curious about skeet shooting, or firearms in general, this is a very welcoming place for beginners. The best part is that they are very environmentally aware. The targets are biodegradable, and the whole club is off grid on solar and wind. If you are at all curious, check out their website, I found everyone there friendly, helpful, and patient with beginners.

My paintball group decided to kick things off this season by spending a Sunday shooting each other…read moreat this field. Since most of the guys are from Cowtown, they chose this spot. I suppose if I lived in Calgary (shudder) I would probably frequent this establishment on a regular basis, but for the most part, it's too far for me to make a habit of going to. That being said, it seemed to be a well run operation. The playing fields were well maintained, the pro shop appeared to have a decent selection of various toys, and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Yowza, what a hike! When my husband said we were going straight to the top of a mountain, I…read morehonestly didn't fully believe him. The trail up Coliseum Mountain starts at a trailhead with a large gravel parking lot with bathrooms and a trail map marker. It's an approximately 14 km round trip hike (~700 m elevation), and with breaks to rest and eat it took us just under 6.5 hours. There are two trails, the Coliseum Trail and the Ridgeline Trail. We did the Coliseum Trail, which was well marked, but we talked to other hikers who had friends who ventured off to find the Ridgeline Trail and got quite turned around. On a warm day we finished all our water and food with 3 km left on the way down, so bring more than you think you'll need, the hike up is taxing. The first 5 km of the trail is straight up, with switchbacks winding through the forest. The trail is well maintained but with lots of roots and rocks. This is not a trail to do in sandals or sneakers, make sure you do it in proper hiking shoes or boots with firm soles. Once you get to the top, you have to traverse over to the second mountain peak. Part of this is on the side of the mountain with a scree slope trail, and I really hated that particular section. It was about 10 minutes to traverse, but I needed to go very slowly and carefully to manage my anxiety. I know people have done this trail with pets and children, so comfort here is really up to the individual. The views from the top are spectacular, and truly something I have never experienced. You feel like you can see the whole world around you, and it was totally worth the work to get up and down to the summit. The section between the two peaks is a semi-flat trail with outstanding vistas, and doesn't take as long as you would expect. I would highly recommend this hike for anyone who is wanting an adventure, and is fit enough to comfortably climb for hours.