McHugh Bluff

Not just for running or training, I used to walk these when I worked downtown and lived in Renfrew. A nice test of how tired I was at the end of a long day was to see if I could do them two-​at-​a-​time all the way to the top without stopping.

One enjoyable mid-​day walk is to walk parts of Prince’s Island Park and maybe climb the stairs at McHugh Bluff. It’s good for the calves and when I got to the top, I felt that my huffing and puffing was well earned (especially after a heavy Lunch). Another payoff is the view and the desire to go back down and try it again!
The last time I made the climb, there were some pretty hard core folks working the stairs. I watched one guy time himself repeatedly as he ran up 2 of the flights at full speed. I saw another sprint the entire 167 stair length. I admired all that action and then decided on a gentler approach of wandering off on one of the other various pathway choices that the Bluff has to offer.

I’m so calling your bluff. There’s no way you run up and down those stairs near Centre street every time you’re out for a run. There’s certainly no way I do, especially since I end up with the worst jelly legs ever after just one trip up and down them.
167 stairs total. They must be quite sturdily built, because people are running up and down them all day long and it’s all still holding itself together well. It’s a pretty popular training spot. It’s where you go when you want to show you’re *serious* about your training. Because, heck, who’s going to go up and down 167 steps if they weren’t serious?
The rest of the bluff stretches from Centre St all the way over to 10^th St, with pathways and the likes all the way along. According to the City of Calgary’s website, it’s also got an off-​leash area in there somewhere.
All of those pathways are going to come in handy to counter any summer patio drinking.