Calgary Attractions
Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk
This riverside promenade lines the Bow from Centre Street east through Downtown East Village, rounds the point at The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland and follows the Elbow up to 9 Avenue SE. Calgary Municipal Land Corporation opened the first stage in 2012, and it was designed with separate paths for walkers and cyclists.
- Operated by
- City of Calgary Parks
- Community
- Downtown East Village, Chinatown
- Size
- About 6.3 hectares
- Park type
- City regional park
The Leslie Name
Council gave the RiverWalk its name in 2013, honouring former mayor Jack Leslie and his wife, Jean. Jack was the first Calgary-born mayor, serving from 1965 to 1969, and earlier, as an alderman, he fought off a plan to run Canadian Pacific Railway tracks along the Bow's south bank.
Things to See
Looking back from the path, the Calgary Tower and the downtown towers rise behind the river. Red cube seats along the way honour the North West Mounted Police, and interpretive signs at the confluence explain where the Elbow meets the Bow. Footbridges lead to St. Patrick's Island. At The Confluence, a temporary Indian Residential School Memorial stands where the City plans its permanent memorial, The Wandering Spirit, with construction set to begin in 2027.
Reaching It
- On foot or by bike via the Bow River pathway
- By CTrain: walk north from the 7 Avenue stations
- From the north side: bridges link to Bridgeland/Riverside
Neighbourhoods It Serves
It's a daily route for people living in East Village, Chinatown and the Downtown Commercial Core, and a short trip for Bridgeland/Riverside, Sunnyside and Crescent Heights.
Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk in pictures
Photographed on the ground by Kelly Baker.
Communities around Jack and Jean Leslie RiverWalk
The residential communities closest to it.