Calgary 
A day trip from Calgary in June can take many forms and take up more than one of your days this month.
Celebrate spring and the start of summer with events and festivals, or the opening of attractions and museums around southern Alberta. June is also a great time to head out into nature around the Rockies, the foothills, and more of southern Alberta. The wildflowers are in bloom, the glacial waters are their brightest blue, and the wildlife is bustling.
Festivals and Events Near Calgary
- LieLow Music Fest (June 16-18) in Milo is a three-day long celebration and festival for community, arts, and music on the prairies. The show is all ages.
- Beaver Fever Music Festival (June 23) is hosted by the Castle River Rodeo Campground and offers a scenic music festival setting!
- Medicine Hat is about as far as you might want to go for a day trip, with about 2.5 hours between the southern city, and Calgary. And the small southern city offers a large list of ways to fill the whole day trip. Fill up at the weekend Food Truck Frenzy (June 18-25), hop on a brewery tour, or rock out at the Spectrum Community Art & Music Festival (June 2-4), and the Alternative Waves Music Festival (June 16-17).
Nurseries, Gardens, and Farms
Surround yourself with the sights and smells of spring this June with a day trip to southern Alberta’s flower farms and nurseries. Stock up on bulbs, seeds, plants, and flowers, while also spending your time in gorgeous settings. And if you’re heading on a day trip, you can make the most of your drive by visiting a few floral farms and shops. One of these garden centres also offers train rides and camping!
- East of Calgary: Nielsen Farm & Flowers, Eagle Lake Nurseries, Aspen Crossing (check the website for train rides!)
- South/Southwest of Calgary: Countryside Tree Farm, Diamond Valley Tropicals, Wild About Flowers, Saskatoon Farm
June Hiking Day Trips from Calgary
A hike in spring or June specifically can bring about some beautiful scenery, especially around Calgary. Take a day trip out to a trailhead to find wildflower hikes in the foothills or Rockies, an abundance of wildlife, and the aqua-marine glacier lakes.
- Elbow River Provincial Recreation Area has an extensive trail system. For a workout before you see the wildflowers, take the 7km Fullerton Loop Trail. For a simple hike, follow the Little Bow Interpretive Trail to the Forgetmenot Pond (2.5km).
- The Boulton Creek Interpretive Trail is one of the simpler hikes in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, but can still take about an hour to complete. The trailhead is off the Kananaskis Lakes Trail with access to many other trails near Boulton Creek.
- West Bragg Creek Provincial Recreation Area has a large network of foothill hiking trails which can connect you to the Elbow River PRA to the south.
- Best Hikes For a June Day Trip From Calgary
A Day Trip for Calgary Boaters & Beachgoers
Even if the waters around Calgary aren’t quite ready for swimming, the nearby lakes and rivers are ready for boating. And just because you can’t go in the water, that doesn’t mean you can’t still visit these locations, relax on the beach, have a picnic, and explore the area. These day trip ideas from Calgary can be for those with boats and those ready for the beach.
- Kinbrook Island Provincial Park is on Lake Newell southeast of Calgary. In June, there is a lot to do here: birdwatching, beach picnics, sailing, powerboating, or canoeing and kayaking. The day use area has a playground and volleyball nets, as well as the boat launch.
- After the Bow River winds through Calgary, it flows south out of the city and east toward Wyndham Carseland Provincial Park . From the parking lot, you can wander the shoreline trail and find a sandy spot on the Bow River near washrooms and picnic facilities. These are narrow parts of the Bow River, making it a popular spot for canoers and kayakers.
- 15 Must-Visit Lakes in Alberta
Museums worth a trip from Calgary
The spring and summer season marks the opening of several of Alberta’s best museums, historic sites, and forts. Make your day trip about diving deep into Alberta’s history, the local cultures, Indigenous history, and more. There are some select June events happening around these locations, too!
- Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village (Pincher Creek) is a living history museum with enough activities and dining opportunities to fill a full day. Visit on June 18 th for the Show & Shine or June 21 for National Indigenous People’s Day.
- The Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park will take your day trip east of Calgary. Visit the exhibits, the tours, the shopping and dining, and the monthly events.
- Around Calgary, you can visit National and Provincial Historic sites alike. Head south from the city for a trip to the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, where you can fill your day with ranch activities, hiking, photography, or the National Indigenous People’s Day event on June 21.
Day Tripping to a Small Town
Where to go next? This June, take your day trip to the Badlands! The drive between Calgary and the badlands areas has viewing areas along the way and the small town of Rosebud to explore.
The town’s small museum has a massive collection of local artifacts, while the town itself is made up of preserved historic buildings.
The beauty of the town is enhanced by the surrounding scenery. The hills here look like badlands but are still covered with lush green grass and thick forests. Take time to watch a show at the local Rosebud Theatre, or lunch at the Rosebud Mercantile.
Explore a New Provincial Park near Calgary
When it comes to taking a day trip to discover a Provincial area near Calgary, it might be difficult to choose; there are so many! Getting to the North Fork Provincial Recreation Area means a direct route from Calgary, and it means getting to the edge of where the foothills meet the Rockies. This is a gorgeous spring hiking and picnic area to explore, with access to Threepoint Creek, quiet forested trails, and viewing areas.
