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| - Once upon a time when I would hear people mention Sandy Beach, I thought it was somewhere outside of the city, mostly because the references I heard were for rafting (the drifting kind, not the white water kind). People said it was one of the best places to hop on the river... it's none too crowded because most folks get off by this point. (oops, cat's out of the bag on a primo rafting launch!)
You can find Sandy Beach by following 14th St pretty much all the way down from downtown. From there, a right on to 38th Ave, a quick left on to 14A St and then another left on 54 Ave. You'll see a sign for River Park first. Drive past this and the small parking lot and continue down the dirt road. At the bottom of the hill you'll find the first parking lot. There's also a second, larger lot a little farther along.
In August, I found myself at Sandy Beach on three different occasions. Not bad for one month, hey? The first was for a Monday night BBQ. It was delightful, we had Picnic Site #4 with a couple of BBQs, a firepit, picnic tables and plenty of open space to run around and throw/catch frisbees like us big kids seem to like to do. The second visit was my own BBQ with some friends at Picnic Site #2 on a Friday night. I attempted to book the site through the City of Calgary Rec Department, thinking that Friday was part of the weekend I figured I had until their deadline of Wednesday at noon to book. Alas, Wednesday at 1043, I was on the phone and told I was too late to book. Note: If you're looking to book any picnic site with the City, Friday counts as a weekday and MUST be booked 3 full business days in advance, no exceptions (believe me, I tried the weekend argument!). However, the nice lady on the phone offered to look up the number of bookings for me, she told me it was relatively unbooked and so the other picnic sites were just on a first come first serve basis.
My third visit was for, can you guess? A BBQ! Haha! Yes, it seems Sandy Beach and I are destined for BBQs. This one was on a Saturday afternoon for a hosted BBQ at Picnic Site #1. It comes with a big shelter for the site as well.
The park has a nice walking/biking path winding through it. On each visit, there were many people out enjoying the area, some with dogs, some with kids. There's also a playground to keep the kiddlets amused.
Tip: If you're thinking of heading down for a picnic with some friends on the weekend, save yourself $50 for the booking fee (or more for a big group) and just check the availability on the City's website. If a site is free, and it's Wednesday afternoon or later, it's all just first come, first serve anyway. So be the first one down and you're a-ok!
Tip #2: Bring your own firewood and kindling. The park doesn't provide any.
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